Stuck center point in steb center

[Wayne Leach]

Has anyone any knowledge of the construction of a steb center, more precisely a PSI unit?
Yesterday when completing a turning I noticed that the spring loaded centering pin was stuck at the depth of the serrated teeth. Cant see how it was put together. Tried to free it using penetrating spray thru the setscrew hole and tapping on the pin axially with a hardwood dowel with no luck.
Heated it up with a torch thinking the hotter body would expand and release-NO joy. Anyone got any ideas or is this a mini boat anchor?
Thanks in advance,
Wayne

[Tim Rinehart]

is this the type with a #2 morse, or does it clamp in a chuck? If the latter, you could always drill a hole in the back and then tap it out.
If all else fails, soak in some lacquer thinner for a couple days, then see if it comes loose. Good luck!

[John K Jordan]

I don't have the same model, but when one of mine got stuck sometime last year i grabbed the pin with needle-nosed pliers and pulled while twisting which freed and removed it. I cleaned, lubed and reinserted the pin and it's been OK. I cannot predict if this will work for you.

JKJ

[Jeff Gilfor]

I have owned three PSI step centers, and every single one of them have had the center point seize in the "in" position. This is despite careful use and constantly lubricating it, I believe it to be a design flaw. I have a Wood River brand one that works just fine.

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

I have owned three PSI step centers, and every single one of them have had the center point seize in the "in" position. This is despite careful use and constantly lubricating it, I believe it to be a design flaw. I have a Wood River brand one that works just fine.

that's funny - I have the Woodriver version and it has the same problem.

I've all but given up on it and bought a genuine Sorby Steb Center.

[Thom Sturgill]

I have two, both PSI I believe. The one I use most recently stuck but I have not tried to free it yet. For those not familiar, the center point is captured and spring loaded. I was going to try air first as I assume trash is holding it in.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I had that happen to my PSI center. I think I just sprayed it with WD-40 and tapped it on the lathe way. I thought that some dust/junk got jammed in there using it as a boring bit. I've since given up on them since a lot of our local wood here is "soft" and they don't work well in soft woods. I rely on my old 4 prong.

[Wayne Leach]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I AM DETERMINED TO SALVAGE THIS AND I DON'T GIVE UP EASILY. Will soak it overnight in thinner and if that does not work will grind flats on the cone for vise grip and try that. As a last resort I guess I will chuck it in my metal lathe and bore thru the #2 MT so I can punch it out ( if the metal is not too hard to drill)?

[John Conklin]

Why not call or email PSI and see if they stand behind their product? Wouldn't surprise me if they sent you a new one. When I have a problem like this I just take a pic of the problem and email the company... think I'm batting 100% free replacement. No sense wasting your time and effort when you could be turning.

[Geoff Whaling]

The non genuine "Steb Center" drive & live centers I use have a small flat machined on the side of point and is retained in the body with a set screw in the side. These are easy to maintain, just retract the set screw & remove the point & spring to clean & lubricate, then reassemble. I also now use a dab of hot melt glue over the setscrew so it doesn't fly out. DAMHIKT.

[David C. Roseman]

Wayne, I admire your persistence! Another thought would be to straighten a paperclip and form a small loop in a right-angle bend at one end. Then use steel-reinforced epoxy (e.g, JB Weld) to adhere the loop to the cone. Once fully cured, it may give you just enough purchase to pull the cone out while you tap the body sharply with the shaft of a small screwdriver. I doubt tapping with a wooden dowel could set up enough vibration. If this works, it would then easy to remove the epoxy by soaking the cone in acetone or just grinding it off.

Let us know how this story ends.

[Wayne Leach]

I just want to thank everyone for their most helpful suggestions. I finally was able to get the point free but not until I exhausted all the suggestions. After many trials I decided to drill thru the setscrew hole with a 1/8" bit just enough to allow a 1/8 punch to get a purchase and allow me to pry it just enough to get the point far enough out to grind flats with a Dremel. This allowed vise grips to hold enough to finally wiggle it free. Cleaned out the bore and machined the point on my metal lathe and it is now functioning like new. The small flats do not affect the centering of the wood. Perseverance finally paid off and it was worth it-I did not want to accept failure, it must be a guy thing! I will make a mental note to remove and clean more often.
David, great suggestion, someone may find it useful.