steady rest bearing center for jointwork

[kiinstructor]

Im always trying to make new thing for my lathe (enco) 12x36 and was wondering if anyone has make a movable steady rest with a bearing center similar to Chris's Cuesmith deluxe with different collets for different operations. I tried to make one out of 1 inch plywood glued x 3 but still dont like the rigidness. Fits nice but I want something more solid. Seems to me I saw a post some time ago where a cuemaker used a steadyrest and put a bearing in the center and used it for joint work ect. Trouble is those steady rests for my machine are about 300 clams. Just wanted to give you guys something to knaw on. Any suggestions appreciated

Happiness
Mark

 

[cueman]

Im always trying to make new thing for my lathe (enco) 12x36 and was wondering if anyone has make a movable steady rest with a bearing center similar to Chris's Cuesmith deluxe with different collets for different operations. I tried to make one out of 1 inch plywood glued x 3 but still dont like the rigidness. Fits nice but I want something more solid. Seems to me I saw a post some time ago where a cuemaker used a steadyrest and put a bearing in the center and used it for joint work ect. Trouble is those steady rests for my machine are about 300 clams. Just wanted to give you guys something to knaw on. Any suggestions appreciated

Happiness
Mark

Do you have the steady rest that came with the lathe? If so just mount your bearing in those three brass posts and center it perfectly.

 

[kiinstructor]

Thanks Chris, Unfortunately I dont have the steady rest that came with the lathe. I have one from an atlas lathe that I have adapted. Im a little confused as to how to center it exactly with the tailstock and the front chuck. I mean this has to be dead nuts or everything is outa wack. The atlas steady rest has square arms in the 3 positions so I dont know how it will hold a bearing. I will get the bearing and collets from you as the ones I saw on your deluxe were very accurate and well worth the money. Im still trying to figure out how to build something but the accuracy has to be a must.

Happiness
Mark

 

[cueman]

Thanks Chris, Unfortunately I dont have the steady rest that came with the lathe. I have one from an atlas lathe that I have adapted. Im a little confused as to how to center it exactly with the tailstock and the front chuck. I mean this has to be dead nuts or everything is outa wack. The atlas steady rest has square arms in the 3 positions so I dont know how it will hold a bearing. I will get the bearing and collets from you as the ones I saw on your deluxe were very accurate and well worth the money. Im still trying to figure out how to build something but the accuracy has to be a must.

Happiness
Mark

A small dial indicator that mounts into your headstock chuck is the best way I know of to center the bearing ID to the chuck. The next best way is to put an oversized piece of material in the headstock and turn it down to a snug fit for the ID of the bearing. Slip the bearing on it. Then slip the steady rest over the bearing and snug the posts down until you have them holding the bearing right where it is.

 

[rhncue]

Thanks Chris, Unfortunately I dont have the steady rest that came with the lathe. I have one from an atlas lathe that I have adapted. Im a little confused as to how to center it exactly with the tailstock and the front chuck. I mean this has to be dead nuts or everything is outa wack. The atlas steady rest has square arms in the 3 positions so I dont know how it will hold a bearing. I will get the bearing and collets from you as the ones I saw on your deluxe were very accurate and well worth the money. Im still trying to figure out how to build something but the accuracy has to be a must.

Happiness
Mark

I have the stock center rest for my Enco 12-36 but when I got my Jet 12-40 no center rest came with it so I bought one from Grizzly for a wood lathe for 29.00. None of the base plates that came with worked so I constructed another plate out of aluminum that it fits perfectly on my Jet. I took out the three fingers and adapted my own. It runs dead nuts perfect and I have about 40.00 in it. Here it is but the price has went up considerably.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Steady-Rest-With-Ball-Bearing-Guides/H5569

I bought a 1.375 ID bearing so that I could use 1.5 delrin turned to 1.375 with a lip on one end, I turned about 25 collets to this size and then bored them out later to the internal sizes that I desired.

http://www.vxb.com/Merchant2/mercha...y_Code=SealedBearings&view_perpage=&offset=30

I turned a holder so it wouldn't move once centered and aligned it with the tail stock. To do that just put a round bar into your chuck and put a center with about a 3/8 center. You then put a proper size collet into the rest and put the bar between centers. Now you just tighten your arms down onto the bearing or bearing holder. This get's the bearing close to center. Now you move the the live center in your tail stock out of the center slightly and put a dial indicator on the end of the bar. Now as you bring the live center into the centered hole in the bar you will see the dial indicator move slightly. Adjust accordingly until there is no movement on the indicator and your bearing will be dead nuts with the tail stock. Now just lock your three arms and you are set for life.

Dick

 

[Dave38]

The next best way is to put an oversized piece of material in the headstock and turn it down to a snug fit for the ID of the bearing. Slip the bearing on it. Then slip the steady rest over the bearing and snug the posts down until you have them holding the bearing right where it is.

This is the way I did mine when I was using my Atlas to do joints, etc. before I bought the deluxe CS. I had a delrin rod and drilled a center hole and put it between centers, then cut it down to fit the bearing, then removed it. I then put the steady in between and then re-inserted the delrin rod with the bearing on it, between centers and locked the 3 arms on to it.
One thing I did afterwards was to grind a small flat spot were each arm touchs the bearing, so it is harder for the bearing to turn or fall out if the dowel gets stuck in the collet and you need to use more force to seperate things, I learned that one the hard way.
Dave

 

[olsonsview]

Did you look on EBay?

A larger steady rest, like the ones that come with 12 inch metal lathes with diamond ways are very solid. Also look at any used machine dealers, or repair shops. The rust belts of the country are loaded with these kinds of dealers. You can use many different 12 inch lathe rests on your lathe, many attach onto similar lathe ways. I have used a JET rest on my HF lathe.
Dick's idea is great if you have the equipment to do the machining needed to adapt that rest.

 

[Thomas Wayne]

A small dial indicator that mounts into your headstock chuck is the best way I know of to center the bearing ID to the chuck. The next best way is to put an oversized piece of material in the headstock and turn it down to a snug fit for the ID of the bearing. Slip the bearing on it. Then slip the steady rest over the bearing and snug the posts down until you have them holding the bearing right where it is.

If you're going to do it that way I would suggest you just use the actual cue part you want to do end-work on. Center-drill the business end of that part, and then run it between centers while you turn that "outboard" end to the ID of your bearing.

Slide the tailstock out of the way and mount your steady rest in position, with the posts open enough to allow plenty of clearance. Slip your bearing onto the turned end, then replace the tailstock so it supports the turned end.

NOW snug down the steady rest posts tightly against the outer surface of your bearing, and you're ready to do your end work.

This way you've aligned the steady rest out in the actual area where you'll be doing the end work. This is almost certainly how Balabushka - and anyone else with a small headstock hole - would have done it.

TW