Steady Rest

[REH]

Who sells the best steady rest to use on a shaft. I have seen the three cushioned wheel ones but I can't find a source for buying one.

[JoeyInCali]

what lathe do you have?

[REH]

It is an older Atlas lathe but I can adapt almost anything to it..

[JoeyInCali]

It is an older Atlas lathe but I can adapt almost anything to it..
FInd a steady rest that was made for it and make UHMW or Delrin collets to fit inside a bearing that fits it.
Much more stable and accurate than 3-wheel rests.
OR here's a plan.
http://home.online.no/~oe-riis/steady_rest.html

[REH]

Who sells the best steady rest to use on a shaft. I have seen the three cushioned wheel ones but I can't find a source for buying one.


Are you familiar with the one used on Porpers Mini-Q-Lathe. If so how does it work? I am concerned about it marking or damaging the shaft.

[JoeyInCali]

Are you familiar with the one used on Porpers Mini-Q-Lathe. If so how does it work? I am concerned about it marking or damaging the shaft.
http://www.poolndarts.com/index.cfm?CFID=1597493&CFTOKEN=f37dc2845c84ab29-91A6A380-D61C-4F06-B5654BBFDF462635&fuseaction=Catalog.Product&displayView=closeup&productID=5957
that one?
With an Atlas lathe ( flat bed? ), you can just make a base and use pillow block. Make a UHMW or Delrin collet ( 12.5MM, 13 MM, 13.5 and 14.00MM ), and you's done.

[REH]

Yes that is the Porpers lathe I was talking about the steady rest on.

[rhncue]

Yes that is the Porpers lathe I was talking about the steady rest on.

Grizzly sells a steady rest that is adaptable to many lathes for 29.95. It's part # is H5569 which you can go online and see but truthfully it looks to be to large for that lathe.
Dick

[REH]

http://www.poolndarts.com/index.cfm?CFID=1597493&CFTOKEN=f37dc2845c84ab29-91A6A380-D61C-4F06-B5654BBFDF462635&fuseaction=Catalog.Product&displayView=closeup&productID=5957
that one?
With an Atlas lathe ( flat bed? ), you can just make a base and use pillow block. Make a UHMW or Delrin collet ( 12.5MM, 13 MM, 13.5 and 14.00MM ), and you's done.

How do you get the collet to fit the taper of the shaft?

[JoeyInCali]

How do you get the collet to fit the taper of the shaft?
You put a slight angle on the compound rest and bore the hole slowly.

[Tommy-D]

> Is this going to be mounted on the bed or behind the headstock,to be used with a small benchtop lathe like some of us use for repairs? Chris Hightower would be very helpful here. The steady rest I have is an outboard type,and was made for use with my little Enco lathe. It is a diamond shaped pillow block with an internal bearing and swivel. It is mounted on a 12" long piece of u-channel stock,with slots milled in it for the bolts and nylon-insert lock nuts that hold it in place. It can be adjusted up and down,and with the steel plate welded to the bottom,once you get the right distance set and height adjusted,it can be bolted in place. Having one made identical to mine would cost more than buying one from Chris,and he can also provide collets to fit it. Tommy D.

[Cue Crazy]

I aggree, that where & how the steady will be used is an important question, because they're actually 2 different setups in most cases. The size of the bearing you use may also be relivent to how it will be used.

If It's needed in between centers on the lathe, then probably have an easier time with a flat bed lathe that's slotted like some better wood lathes are, because the mount may be easier to fabricate, but alignment may become a issue unless you can overhang the steady on one side of the bed to help keep it aligned. That may be solved with a longer bearing or steady also, because it will somewhat self align it'self when you slide the work piece through It, but I don't know where to get those, and probably expensive if they were located.

Obviously the easiest to fabricate might be with the use of a flange bearing, and strong angle bracket for the mount. With that setup I would drill/bore for, and mount the bearing last, so I can align and center it with the lathe easier.

btw You could also mill the bottom of the mount to fit the slot in the bed, or attatch a piece of stock that is the width of the slot to the bottom of the mount. That is providing that the slot channel in the bedway runs true. you may also be able to use a self aligning bearing setup. the list goes on and on on how to do it, just have to figure out the best suited method for each paticular setup.

If you want to save yourself the aggravation, then I would call Chris & ask him first also. He already has some lathes figured out & setup to fabricate the parts, and for what goes into making them, he is reasonable on price. I've got parts for stuff I was making from him that I could have made, but when I figured out the cost to buy the parts to do it myself, I found It was well worth the little extra to save the time and aggravation, and put It toward something else I needed to build.

If you need more of a specialized mount, A machine shop may also be able to make you a base for your mount, and might even be familiar with or able to find the specs on your lathe to make explaining what you need easier. I have had that done also with mounts by someone I knew, and traded some production cues out for the work. He thought I gave him way too much for the work, so might not be too expensive to have done depending on the mount type needed.


Greg

[Canadian cue]

Here is a couple of pics. One is what Joey described, the other is other one is home built.

[rhncue]

Here is a couple of pics. One is what Joey described, the other is other one is home built.

Hey, that first picture when I clicked on it I thoght was mine as mine is set up identical to it. I used a 1.43 I.D. bearing so that I could true up 1.5" delrin for colletts and have a lip on one side.
Dick

[JoeyInCali]

http://azbilliards.com/vbulletin/upload/attachment.php?attachmentid=13285&d=1136432159
I like this one.
Get at the end pretty easy.
Did u make that one?

[Canadian cue]

Hey, that first picture when I clicked on it I thoght was mine as mine is set up identical to it. I used a 1.43 I.D. bearing so that I could true up 1.5" delrin for colletts and have a lip on one side.
Dick
That is pretty much what I have done, except I used Teflon instead of delrin.

[Canadian cue]

http://azbilliards.com/vbulletin/upload/attachment.php?attachmentid=13285&d=1136432159
I like this one.
Get at the end pretty easy.
Did u make that one?
Yes, I built that one but I am not quite finished. I have to complete the adjustable jaws so I can steady something which is being held off-centre.