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Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill

Servicing and Alignment of Rolling Mill

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A step by step manual of how to take your Cavallin rolling mill apart, service it, put it back together again and then alignment of the rollers.

Something was making my Cavallin rolling mill difficult to turn. The handle wouldn't fall down when you let it go. It was as if a bush was binding, so I decided to service the roller.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Lock Pin

This roller has a planetary gear system that gives a 4:1 ratio. In other words, you turn the handle and the roller turns once. After I took the handle off, the box slipped off quite easily.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Gear Ratio

This is what it looks like in-situ.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Gear Cogs

It was the first thing I took apart. Three circlips hold the planetary gears in place.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Gear Marks

Definite wear against the shaft holder.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Gear Teeth Marks

And wear on the gear sides.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Shaft Depth

Here was the problem. I have no idea why the shafts worked themselves loose.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Gear Binding

Two had moved forward and were rubbing against the box cover.

Also the gear was binding at the discoloured area.

So I used a brass mallet and tapped them back down flush with the back and then the planetary gears worked smoothly again. If it happens again I'll tack weld them from the back.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Apart

Once that problem was solved I took the rest of the roller apart.

First I screw out the height adjustment gears after I take the plastic gauge indicator disks with numbers on, off.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Side

Here's a side view.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill removed

Now remove the rollers.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Blocks

There are two steel pressure blocks that have to be lifted up and removed.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Flywheel

This picture was from an earlier time I serviced the rollers.

One has to use a small flywheel puller to remove the gears, but it is not actually necessary to remove them whilst the rollers are still in the frame.

The rollers can actually be removed from the frame and the gears can be removed afterwards.

Much easier.

I have no idea why the gears are so tight on the shaft --maybe it's only my roller.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Covers

Anyway the next step is to raise the top roller as high as you can and then use some cable ties to hold it there.

Then the springs and bushing covers can be removed.

Once they are removed, the bottom roller can be slipped out of the frame and then the top roller can also be removed.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Frame

Once everything is removed, the frame can be cleaned and repainted.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Cleaning

And the various components can be cleaned in turpentine.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Sanding

I mounted the rollers in my baby lathe and sanded them down with 1200 grit wet and dry sand paper.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Sand Squares

I used a buff stick to clean and smooth the square grooves

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Bushes

I sanded the bronze bushes down and polished them on my polishing machine.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Painted

The painted frame, handle and box.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Parts

The entire roller cleaned and ready for re-assembly.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Gear E

The drive gears are marked E and EE to make certain that they go back in the correct order. As in the two E gears and the EE gears are also partners.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Numbers

First the bushes are fitted back to the frame.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Assembly

Then the top roller is slipped into the frame and hung in place with some cable ties.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Assembly Ste[

Then the bottom roller is slipped into the frame.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Assembly Grease

Multi-purpose grease is liberally applied to all the bearing surfaces and the two covers and the springs are fitted.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Assembly Lower Top

Then the cable ties are cut and the top roller is lowered onto the covers and springs.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Blocks

The steel pressure blocks are greased.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Brass

The bronze part is also greased.

The little lug goes into the hole in the top of the bronze bush.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Bush Fit

Like this.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Handle

Now the adjustment handles are screwed in until they touch the steel pressure blocks.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Gearbox

The gearbox is re-assembled with lots of grease.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Gears Aligned

The gears are tapped back onto the shaft keeping in mind E goes with E.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Ready

Finished.

Servicing Cavallin Rolling Mill Light Adjustment

Aligning the roller

The center handle is removed and each roller is turned independently down until there is the thinnest strip of light showing through the top and bottom roller surfaces.

Once the light is parallel the rollers are aligned.

The center adjusting handle is then placed in position.

Here is a video showing how Light Alignment of a Jewelers Rolling Mill is done.

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