# Help identifying this steady rest



## SuperTroye (Jul 30, 2017)

Hi All,
I inherited this steady rest and don't need it, but would like to advertise it properly. It appears to be for a 15" lathe... I measured from center of hole to flat bottom at 7.5". Other pics and dimensions are shown. Anybody recognize it? No markings other than "15 125" on one side.  I've tried looking at pics on eBay for the popular, older lathes with v-ways (South Bend, Monarch, Logan, Clausing) with no luck.


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## benmychree (Jul 30, 2017)

To my eye it looks like a Regal Leblond, the Regals were all made in odd inch swings, 13", 15 17, 19, & 21" swings; I have a 19". and its steady rest looks like yours.


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## SuperTroye (Jul 30, 2017)

benmychree said:


> To my eye it looks like a Regal Leblond, the Regals were all made in odd inch swings, 13", 15 17, 19, & 21" swings; I have a 19". and its steady rest looks like yours.



Thanks for the info... do you have any more info on yours? Model number, etc? Would you happen to have a pic? The only reason I'm asking is because I'm suspect that this could be a generic steady rest meant to be used on multiple manufacturers lathes.


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## benmychree (Jul 30, 2017)

I doubt that it would be generic, the dimensions of lathes are quite specific to manufacturers and accessories must fit!  There are minor differences between your pics and my steady rest, but I think strongly that is what it fits.


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## SuperTroye (Jul 31, 2017)

No one else can confirm what lathe this steady rest is good for?


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## Mwmx54 (Aug 1, 2017)

Have you tried a search on eBay for leblond steady rest. See if any have a pic of the numbers like yours does, then try matching the numbers. It's hard to make them out from my phone, but I'd also try just searching the numbers via google.


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## SuperTroye (Aug 1, 2017)

Mwmx54 said:


> Have you tried a search on eBay for leblond steady rest. See if any have a pic of the numbers like yours does, then try matching the numbers. It's hard to make them out from my phone, but I'd also try just searching the numbers via google.



Yeah that's exactly what I've been doing. The only thing that looks identical is for South Bend (18"). All the Leblond steadys look different which has me scratching my head. The number in the casting is 16-125, and that search again leads to a South Bend.

I just want to know how to list it to sell. I've seen plenty of eBay ads for steady rests that don't list a manufacturer, and some even say they are guessing at which lathe it goes to. They have measurements, so it's really up to the buyer to know his bed widths if it fits? Anyways, it's all good...


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## 4GSR (Aug 1, 2017)

It's not Leblond.  I have to agree that it's South Bend.  The number indicates a 16" SB lathe, too.  Anyone here that owns a 16" SBL can verify this?


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## Ken from ontario (Aug 2, 2017)

deleted , not important.


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## 4GSR (Aug 2, 2017)

Ken from ontario said:


> Here's an ad of a 16" southbend steady rest  I found on ebay :
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Southbend-Lathe-Steady-Rest-Telescoping-16-/262943991439
> View attachment 238973
> View attachment 238974
> ...


Yeah, the more beefier one I believe fits a Monarch lathe.  The bottom picture is possibly an older SBL steady rest. There were so many different lathe manufactures in the early half of the 1900's and many of them copied each others steady rest with few differences that it make it difficult to determine who's is who's.


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## 4GSR (Aug 2, 2017)

Have to remember, many sellers on eBay will use key words like "South Bend Lathe" for the attention getter.  Most do not know if the accessory or part actually goes to a South Bend Lathe.  And it is very common now days to modify a steady rest to fit an existing lathe regardless the make of the steady rest or lathe.  I've done it several times in the past, too.


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## SuperTroye (Aug 3, 2017)

4gsr said:


> Have to remember, many sellers on eBay will use key words like "South Bend Lathe" for the attention getter.  Most do not know if the accessory or part actually goes to a South Bend Lathe.  And it is very common now days to modify a steady rest to fit an existing lathe regardless the make of the steady rest or lathe.  I've done it several times in the past, too.




This helps me a lot, and it also confirms what I was thinking. I listed it on eBay as "unmarked" and gave detailed dimensions of the base. So, it really is up to the buyer to determine if it will fit without modding.

Edit: here's the link http://r.ebay.com/37p3R7


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## Chuck K (Aug 4, 2017)

Looks like a Sheldon to me.


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## 4GSR (Aug 5, 2017)

Chuck K said:


> Looks like a Sheldon to me.


The base is too wide for for the L or M series Sheldon lathe.  Also the casting numbers are not anything as found on a Sheldon SR.  The R series lathe has a totally different looking steady rest.  
Here's a catalog reference from Vintage Machinery's website.


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## Chuck K (Aug 6, 2017)

I stand corrected.  It sure looks like the one that came with a sheldon I had.


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## 4GSR (Aug 6, 2017)

Chuck K said:


> I stand corrected.  It sure looks like the one that came with a sheldon I had.


As I said in a earlier post, many of the lathe manufactures out there copied each other's stead rest in some form or fashion to work with the lathes they built.  The picture showing the measurement of the width of the base,  I believe is about 3/4" too wide to fit the bed to a Sheldon lathe.  And again, the casting numbers do not match up with anything that John Knox has posted on the Sheldon Lathe group either.  I just stating the facts as I see it.

Edit: the base on the one above is just a little over 1" too wide to fit the R series Sheldon lathe bed.  The height to the center of the SR is between my 13" and 15" Sheldon lathe.  That could mean this was for a 14" lathe.  I also notice he had no problem selling the SR.  We'll probably never know what it originally went to or what lathe it is going to be mounted to today.


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## SuperTroye (Aug 9, 2017)

It did sell quickly and I meant to ask the buyer what lathe he had. Maybe I'll do that for everyone's knowledge.

Edit: It was for a 15" Clausing.


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## 4GSR (Aug 9, 2017)

15" Clausing?  Okay....


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