# Anyone Know where to find a Steady Rest? Clausing Colchester 15 (1970)



## Janderso (Feb 21, 2019)

Few and far between. If you know where to find one, please shoot me a PM.
Thanks,
Jeff


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## Norseman C.B. (Feb 21, 2019)

Just a thought, wouldn't making one be a good way to get familiar with your new lathe ??
or are you still lacking a mill since the fire ??


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## Janderso (Feb 21, 2019)

Oh I have a fine mill.
But, making a steady rest is a reach for this hobby Machinist.
I don’t share your confidence sir.


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## Janderso (Feb 21, 2019)

I got to thinking, it would be a fun worthwhile project.
Just watched a couple of videos on the subject.
Maybe I’ll give it a whirl.


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## Bob Korves (Feb 21, 2019)

Jeff, sweet talk John York into making you patterns for the steady, then take them to get cast.  Finally, machine them and all the other parts.  John made the patterns for his old Monarch 9" steady.  John probably also has good ideas for a fabricated steady that you could weld and machine yourself.


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## Norseman C.B. (Feb 21, 2019)

Janderso said:


> I got to thinking, it would be a fun worthwhile project.
> Just watched a couple of videos on the subject.
> Maybe I’ll give it a whirl.




That's the spirit  !!...........................


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## mmcmdl (Feb 22, 2019)

I know where a couple are , but work would strongly deny them !  Did you check on the auction site up in Pa ? I saw they had a pair of 15s .


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## machPete99 (Feb 22, 2019)

You could find a steady from another lathe and modify the bottom to fit yours. I've seen it done in a few places. Often another piece of steel gets fastened to the bottom.


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## Shootymacshootface (Feb 22, 2019)

machPete99 said:


> You could find a steady from another lathe and modify the bottom to fit yours. I've seen it done in a few places. Often another piece of steel gets fastened to the bottom.


Thats what I did. It was pretty easy.


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## Janderso (Feb 22, 2019)

I have seen 2 on e-bay over the last month. $900.
I'll come up with another plan before I spend that kind of money.
With a 50" bed, a steady is a must. IMHO anyway


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## Shootymacshootface (Feb 22, 2019)

I don't know what my steady rest was from originally, but it was just the right size. All that I had to do was trim the v so it would fit my bed, then make a block to raise the flat side.


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## talvare (Feb 22, 2019)

Jeff,
I was never able to find an original steady or follow rest for my lathe, so I just kept watching Ebay until I found nice units for reasonable prices and then just modified the bases and fabricated adapters to fit my lathe. They've worked out well. Couple of photos attached.
Ted


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## Janderso (Feb 22, 2019)

I like that style finger adjustment, looks great.
Nice work.
The trick is to get the datum point in the direct center of the steady circle correct?
I know the height of the spindle center line, how do you measure the dead center of the steady circle? (please forgive my descriptive ignorance)


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## Shootymacshootface (Feb 22, 2019)

I just propped mine up with spacers until it was centered with the tailstock. It doesn't have to be perfect because of the adjustability of the fingers, like a 4 jaw.


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## cathead (Feb 22, 2019)

Put a shaft between centers and measure off the radius to fab up your own.




View media item 91460




View media item 91461


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## Janderso (Feb 22, 2019)

That's a good idea!


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## Janderso (Feb 22, 2019)

Hey Ted,
Could you please take one of your adjusters apart and take a picture of how it is made?
Thanks,
Jeff


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## Bob Korves (Feb 22, 2019)

Janderso said:


> I like that style finger adjustment, looks great.
> Nice work.
> The trick is to get the datum point in the direct center of the steady circle correct?
> I know the height of the spindle center line, how do you measure the dead center of the steady circle? (please forgive my descriptive ignorance)


A steady rest does not need to be uber accurately on center.  The fingers individually adjust, and only are a problem with fitting on really small diameter work.  Coarse errors can slightly limit the actual work sizes that will fit compared to the nominal design amounts, that is about all.  Mostly a steady rest only needs to be sturdy and accept the size material you will be using.


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## talvare (Feb 22, 2019)

Janderso said:


> Hey Ted,
> Could you please take one of your adjusters apart and take a picture of how it is made?
> Thanks,
> Jeff


Sure Jeff. I'll do it in the morning.
Ted


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## Janderso (Feb 23, 2019)

Bob, i’v never used one, I assumed they had to be geometrically spot on.
A follow rest is for knurling, threading or facIng/contour to add rigidity away from the chuck for flex control?


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## Bob Korves (Feb 23, 2019)

Janderso said:


> A follow rest is for knurling, threading or facIng/contour to add rigidity away from the chuck for flex control?


It is for work that needs more support, mostly longer work.  Like facing (or boring, turning, threading, or whatever) the end of a three foot long by three inch diameter bar or tube.  It mostly comes into play when doing an operation that does not allow a tailstock center to be used to support the work.


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## markba633csi (Feb 23, 2019)

I like Cat's design


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## Bob Korves (Feb 23, 2019)

Janderso said:


> I assumed they had to be geometrically spot on.


You have to dial in the work in the steady rest to keep the work in line with the spindle axis.  If it is not perfectly in line, it will not machine to correct geometry and will also tend to walk out of the chuck jaws.  A dial indicator on the side of the work at the end of the part will tell you nothing about that, the three guides on the center will follow the cylinder accurately even if the work is way out of line.  If the workpiece is the same diameter along it's length from chuck to steady, the easiest way to get it in line is to move the steady to the chuck and fit the fingers to the work there, with the far end of the work supported close to where it will need to be.  Then, you slide the steady down to the end of the work, and it will be in the correct position.  If the work already has a bunch of features along it's length, it gets more interesting, but can be worked out.

Truth is, I have only used my steady rest 3 times(?) in the 7 years(?) that I have owned it.  Having things like a bull nose center often saves the day.  Steady and follow rests are not used very often by most of us, but when you need them, you need them.

There is no inherent accuracy in a steady rest, three fingers are individually adjusted and have no markings or other aids for centering the work to the spindle axis.


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## talvare (Feb 23, 2019)

Here you go Jeff. I'll see if I can explain how this works. The threaded sleeve that goes into the casting is 1 1/8-12 with a .750 I.D. The small knurled thumb screw goes through the casting and the threaded sleeve and has a .187 dog point on the end that acts as a locating pin that rides in the keyway on the brass plunger. The brass plunger threads onto the 7/16-10 LH stud that is pinned at the top of the large knurled knob so that it doesn't rotate as you screw the knob in and out. This combination of the left hand thread on the stud and the right hand thread on the knurled knob basically advances and retracts the brass plunger at a near 2:1 ratio.
Ted


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## cathead (Feb 23, 2019)

Here's another one I made similar to above but for my Springfield "Ideal" lathe.












IMG 0421



__ cathead
__ Apr 30, 2014
__ 1






It's probably easiest to build up the ring part and the base parts first.  Then position the pieces together using a shaft between centers
and tack weld together carefully right on the lathe.  It's best to protect the ways with some asbestos or non-combustable material.


I see this one uses brass to ride on the shaft instead of ball bearings which is just fine for a slow turning outfit.  One could also add a hinge
affair in the round section if you feel the need but is isn't really necessary...


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## cathead (Feb 23, 2019)

Here's another easy build using the same idea between centers, a follower rest.
View media item 91466
A follower rest is real handy for making long Acme threads on a lathe.
It looks like I am set up for a single point operation here...

View media item 91465
I used the existing mounting holes that were on the lathe so no drilling was required here to mount the follower rest.


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## Janderso (Feb 23, 2019)

Thank you guys!
I appreciate your help.


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## markba633csi (Feb 23, 2019)

Like those brass tips, Cat.  Braze? 
M


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## Janderso (Feb 23, 2019)

I was always figuring I would do something like that when I made the fingers. Nice job i'd say.


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## cathead (Feb 25, 2019)

markba633csi said:


> Like those brass tips, Cat.  Braze?
> M



Yes, I added brass with an acetylene torch and machined it off to look pretty.


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## markba633csi (Feb 25, 2019)

Thought so. Looks suave and debonaire


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## Norseman C.B. (Feb 26, 2019)

That reminds me of somthin my Paw says;   Well if that aint all swavy and de boner............


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## ericc (Feb 27, 2019)

I made a ring for my steady rest with anvil and forge.  It was not a perfect circle, but close.  It doesn't have to be.  The main requirement is that the fingers are in the same plane perpendicular to the spindle axis.  I am not sure about this, but I would be afraid that if they weren't, the work might unscrew out of the chuck.  But maybe it would be OK if the fingers were just set to the correct spot.  Anyway, I found center using a piece of junk mail with concentric circles on it.  The other side has lines at 90 and 120 degrees to assist in the layout.  These are not as important as the in plane requirement, which can be handled with a mill, or a surface plate, height gauge and a file.  If you have to file more than 1/16" of an inch, you need to work on your hammer control.


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