Cassese CS79 Underpinner - Can't remove distributor block

[andrewx]

Hi All, I'm hoping for some help to see if this machine is salvageable...
I've been given a Cassese CS79 Underpinner that doesn't work. Looking at the distributor I think it needs replacing:
It is blocked by a wedge
The heads of some of the bolts holding the distributor block are stripped
The locking screw of the distributor block is missing

However, I can't remove the distributor block. I can pull it up about 4cm but no further, something is retaining it (but don't think it is the locking screw appears to be missing / screw hole appears to be empty, it's very dirty!)



Any ideas how what's stopping the distribution block form being removed and if this is fixable?
Regards, Andrew

[Not your average framer]

This is a common task for framing engineers, so yes it should be fixable by someone who knows what they are doing. My very first underpinner was a CS-79 and they are quite a reasonable underpinner when they are working. I'm guessing, but it's probably well worth getting a framing engineer to fix it.

[Steve N]

Have you looked underneath, is the hammer still in the block, if so, is it still attached by the screw and locknut at the bottom, if there is a jammed pin in the block, then it could be jammed with the hammer
Just a thought

[Not your average framer]

Steve is right, I had that happen quite a lot with using 12mm, or 15mm blades. These days, I refill the wedge cartrides with the universal wedges from Alfamacchine as I find these wedges are better than the Cassesse wedges.

Regularly lumbricating and cleaning the receiver block is really helpful too! You don't usually need to remove the receiver block unless there is a jam. Squirting some GT85 donwn into the reciever block and sliding the little tool which comes with the machine when new is all that it takes. I sometimes can tell that my CS-88 needs cleaning and lubricating, before a jam ocurs because the machine is tending to misfire, or not working as smoothly as it should.

You can usually buy GT85 from Halfords, if the have not run out of stock. GT85 is a Teflon based spray lubricant, which when it dries, will leave behind a film of Teflon as a dry lubricant. It's quite cheap stuff and last for quite a long time. I lubricant the sliding surfaces on my Morso with it too! It's my favorite workshop lubricant and I use it for just about everything which needs lubricating. It's quick, clean and easy, no worries.

[Not your average framer]

Oddly enough, I been needing to remove the distributor block from my own CS-88 and the CS-79 and the CS-88 are more, or less the same internal mechanism and therefore are subject to the same range of problems. I could not remove the hammer blade from the receiver block and I could not get the hammer blade to detach from the receiver block, so I could not remove the receiver Fortunately for me, My CS-88 is later model and on the later models the receiver both possible to lower the receive block enough to loosen the bottom screws on the receiver block and then raise the rceiver block enough to loosen the two of the screws at the top of the receive block and to free the hammer blade.

If this is also possible also to do this on the problem machine as well, this might also be the solution to the same problem on your CS-79. On my CS-88, I was a bit too hasty and broke the corner off of my hammer blade and I was forced to replace it. Fortunately for me, I already had a spare one in the tool kit which came with it as new. So I was able to fix it today, without any delay, which is a big help to me as my customer needs his frames for Wednesday this week. I not sure how much this will help, but I am hoping this will be some help to you!