Need advice on how to disassemble Royal live center

you could always try pushing them out with grease. make an adapter and put a zerk fitting in, and pressurize the bearing chamber. point it away.. I would take a plastic soup container and put it in there so when it comes out, it's all contained.
Also heat is your friend... even a hot air gun can help before you do the grease.
 
IMHO, I'd leave it be, its normal for live centers to get a little warm when running, especially during break-in. Pressing the bearings out and in, messing around with the preload adjustment are likely to do more harm than good. In my experience I have never seen grease dry up in a sealed unit like that, only when its been exposed to the atmosphere.
 
I would just use thin oil and run it through the center a few times, you may also have a stiff front seal. I would try to flush it out with some thin oil, possibly mineral spirits to see if it starts to spin more freely. I attached the instructions for my Skoda live center. I would be hesitant to disassemble and then try to get the proper bearing preload when reassembled. Agree that you can find something for less used, but often they may have issues unless you find NOS or a hobbyist that only used it a few times.

The center in the middle Swiss Made Fischer SFJ now sold under the name GPRTOPS Live Centers and now sold by Riten. It uses a Belleville spring to apply tension, it was one of my first lathe purchases many years ago, I paid $200 for NOS. The bearings are like butter, and I like that you can set the preload on the work piece.

Skoda Live Center Manual.jpg
 
mksj said:
I would just use thin oil and run it through the center a few times, you may also have a stiff front seal. I would try to flush it out with some thin oil, possibly mineral spirits to see if it starts to spin more freely. I attached the instructions for my Skoda live center. I would be hesitant to disassemble and then try to get the proper bearing preload when reassembled. Agree that you can find something for less used, but often they may have issues unless you find NOS or a hobbyist that only used it a few times.

The center in the middle Swiss Made Fischer SFJ now sold under the name GPRTOPS Live Centers and now sold by Riten. It uses a Belleville spring to apply tension, it was one of my first lathe purchases many years ago, I paid $200 for NOS. The bearings are like butter, and I like that you can set the preload on the work piece.

View attachment 390870
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is lv2-3 lith like nlgi2?
is it a white lith?

I have a nice little center, it has a spring to it. I have not been able to take it apart for service.
It's a super low profile tip, and when tightening the quill, you can see the spring action where it moves back.

I wonder if its similar with a belleville washer.
 
This thread got me interested in Rohm centers. I was impressed with the specs of 0.0002 runout and a 600 pound or more weight!
 
Winegrower said:
This thread got me interested in Rohm centers. I was impressed with the specs of 0.0002 runout and a 600 pound or more weight!
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Yeah, impressive until you see that a Royal typically has 0.00005" TIR or less, with double the weight capacity. Live centers make a difference, especially with the ever-popular extended tip CNC-type of center. That long slender tip is what we focus on but the amount of material behind that tip is a lot beefier in a Royal. Not dissing Rohm. They make good stuff but a Royal is still best in class.
 
mikey said:
Yeah, impressive until you see that a Royal typically has 0.00005" TIR or less, with double the weight capacity.
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Apparently I am way too easily impressed. :)
 
woodchucker said:
is lv2-3 lith like nlgi2?
is it a white lith?
Click to expand...

Seems to vary, but basically (Beacon EP 2 Moly) is a multi-purpose, lithium-base NLGI No 2 grease recommended for general industrial applications. It contains an extreme-pressure additive for increased load-carrying ability. Additionally, it contains molybdenum disulfide (also known as moly and MoS 2), which enhances the anti-friction properties of the grease under boundary lubrication conditions. Mobilux EP 2 Moly is dark gray and has a smooth, buttery texture. It is water resistant, has excellent oxidation and mechanical stability, and protects against corrosion. So pretty much a bearing grease. Mogul LV2-3 is similar, primarily a bearing grease.

It is very likely that the center has old grease that has dried up and makes it kind of crunchy/stiff. Not sure how one gets NLGI grease into a center. So I still would try to flush and then reintroduce some oil/grease. I used the ISO32 oil in my Shar's and it did improve with time, bit still not smooth.

The Belleville spring washer applies higher force over a shorter distance, the total travel of the point is less than 1/4", so just enough to allow some variation and thermal changes. Royal centers are expensive, they do give significant discounts to industry. Riten are also very good, in an industrial setting the better centers last longer and keep their specs. cheaper ones fail and could ruin a part or machine. At the Hobbyist level, it is a different story as you will neither need that level of accuracy and durability. Skoda centers are reasonably priced and have good performance. I mostly use the CNC/extended tip for most of my turning, standard point for heavy stock/turning.
www.hobby-machinist.com

Riten - vs - Royal Centers

Is the price difference between the two brands a better value in the long run to go with the Royal?
www.hobby-machinist.com www.hobby-machinist.com
 
I would start by asking exactly what the 30% cost would be. This would give you a NEW center with no inherited issues like another used one could have.
 
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