# 12" Follow Rest



## jfcayron (Jun 26, 2012)

I am considering building my own follow rest for my 12"x36" Craftsman/Atlas lathe (101.27440)
Before I get started, I would like to see how the OEM model attaches to the machine.

If anyone has diagrams/drawings/pictures, it would be very much appreciated.:worship:


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## wa5cab (Jun 27, 2012)

JF,

The Atlas follower rest attaches toward the rear of the cross slide dovetail.  You have to remove the chip cover first.  I don't have the machining drawings but if you want it, I can send you a PDF of the one page Atlas instruction sheet.  I'll need your email address.  I was going to upload it to the Downloads section but for some reason the server says I lack permission to do that.  Which is strange, as I used to be able to.

Robert


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## jfcayron (Jun 27, 2012)

wa5cab said:


> JF,
> 
> The Atlas follower rest attaches toward the rear of the cross slide dovetail.  You have to remove the chip cover first.  I don't have the machining drawings but if you want it, I can send you a PDF of the one page Atlas instruction sheet.  I'll need your email address.  I was going to upload it to the Downloads section but for some reason the server says I lack permission to do that.  Which is strange, as I used to be able to.
> 
> Robert



PM sent


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## TRX (Jun 30, 2012)

I needed a follower rest for my 10", and after looking at how much an Atlas one was running on eBay I thought about making my own.  There were various improvements I wanted to make, such as being able to put the followers on either the left or right side of the cut, depending on what I was doing.

 I had something sketched out when I decided to go nuts.  I bought one of the T-slot cross slides from MLA (A-11 from statecollegecentral.com).  It was about $88 with shipping and the extra material for the gib, etc.  It's an unmachined iron casting, so I'll have to finish it before I can use it.

 I then ordered one of the follower rests from Little Machine Shop for the 7x10 mini-lathe, which is about $45 with shipping.

 All I need then is a spacer block to mount the follower at the correct height.

 I just ordered everything three days ago, so nothing's here yet...

 Still cheaper than eBay, plus I'll be able to mount a toolpost on the back with a cutoff blade when I'm not using the follower.  There should be enough room for an adapter to mount my compound to the T-slot table, though I'll probably have to make a lower-profile toolholder block, or cut the one I already made down to fit.  I'd like a nice wedge QCTP, but I blew the tool budget for a while...


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