# Steady Rest



## woodchucker (Jan 14, 2022)

This started without plans. Then I realized I better get some set up. I can't just wing it like others. I had an idea in my head to use this chunk of Aluminum, after cutting it, is when I realized that I need some idea of sizes of things.. Probably it would have been better to start that way. I needed a little more meat on the thickness to follow the plans. The plans were by Mark Frazier, he translated some SB sizes .. They seem too beefy for a SB9 in my opinion.
The pics are here on 



https://imgur.com/a/SrUvL8J














 Facing the blank







 Turning it.













 Begining to bore out the hole larger.













Parting it off






This was the first time I power parted. I normally always hand feed on parting. But this was going to be a lot of parting. I set up for a pretty high feed rate, and it was great. It spewed chips off as I hoped it would. I am now using power parting more.


I'm going to avoid using the pics on HM because of image size. Let's see how this works.


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## mmcmdl (Jan 14, 2022)

If you make plans , it's possible to mess up . If you wing it , alls' that can happen is you make revisions . I've never messed anything up in my lifetime btw .


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## woodchucker (Jan 14, 2022)

Taking the parted off piece and recentering them.







  Chamfered, and completed ring.








 Dumbass:  Following plans for fingers.. bad idea, too big. need to scale them down.
This is where I realized it is better to start with a plan, than wing it, and add a plan in the middle


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## woodchucker (Jan 14, 2022)

Time for some coffee... well that didn't help.







 Ok, Mark's plans changed, I scaled things down.. back on track.












 Brass tips added. These were the hardest brass I have ever worked with. They machined beautifully, but when I went to put a die on them, I could not cut them. I had to force them on using my tailstock quill to get them to cut. Never had that before. Hopefully, they work well for the tips.


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## Eddyde (Jan 14, 2022)

I empathize, My default approach is to wing parts off the top of my head, but yeah, it sometimes bites me in the rear. Even a rough sketch helps a lot...


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## woodchucker (Jan 14, 2022)

Eddyde said:


> I empathize, My default approach is to wing parts off the top of my head, but yeah, it sometimes bites me in the rear. Even a rough sketch helps a lot...


Most everything I do I do in my head. Sometimes that doesn't work. This was one of them. It's not the design, but the sizes that are important in this case. I still have the clamping and opening in my head, not on paper, as well as the base... those will get adjusted as they approach.


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## DavidR8 (Jan 14, 2022)

Looking good!
What's your non-plan for the base?


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## woodchucker (Jan 14, 2022)

DavidR8 said:


> Looking good!
> What's your non-plan for the base?


I'd tell you, but then I would have to have a plan


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## RJSakowski (Jan 14, 2022)

While I made hundreds of simple parts without a plan (drawing, model, etc), or anything of any complexity, I will make a drawing or model.  It is much easier to correct a gotcha on paper or in a CAD program than it is once construction is under way.  I would never expect a cabinet maker doing a custom kitchen cabinet installation to " just wing it".

That is not to say that I don't make revisions  to a project once under way.  Sometimes, you realize that in spit your best efforts you can't get to B from A.  Maybe the raw material you have in hand isn't the right size.  Sometimes you realize that there is a better way.  Hopefully though, with a plan in place, any on the fly corrections have a minor impact.

Finally having a plan either on paper or in a CAD file can be useful when at some later time you ask, "what the heck did I do?".


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## MrWhoopee (Jan 14, 2022)

woodchucker said:


> Brass tips added. These were the hardest brass I have ever worked with. They machined beautifully, but when I went to put a die on them, I could not cut them. I had to force them on using my tailstock quill to get them to cut. Never had that before. Hopefully, they work well for the tips.



Doesn't sound like brass, sounds like Ampco bronze (aluminum bronze) to me. Did it squeak when you tapped it? Ampco bronze has excellent wear resistance, but may not be soft enough for this application. It has some iron content, so the chips are slightly magnetic.


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## Janderso (Jan 14, 2022)

Looks like you are on your way. Looks great so far.Not an easy project, imho.


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## woodchucker (Jan 14, 2022)

MrWhoopee said:


> Doesn't sound like brass, sounds like Ampco bronze (aluminum bronze) to me. Did it squeak when you tapped it? Ampco bronze has excellent wear resistance, but may not be soft enough for this application. It has some iron content, so the chips are slightly magnetic.


yes it squeaked, but no it's not magnetic. I just cleaned out the chip tray.. used a magnet to pick out the ferrous stuff so I can separate the brass.
so if it is Ampco bronze, too hard for a tip?  Not enough of a bearing surface?  Any other indicator.


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## woodchucker (Jan 14, 2022)

BTW if anyone is interested:
6061 for the ring  .. I will be removing another 1/2 ... 1/4 from each side internally. I think the extra space will be helpful
Mild Steel for the finger material.  I know.. mild against mild, but it's not going to be moving much. The left hand screw will also be mild steel. The caps .. don't know yet, will see what I have vs what fits.


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## woodchucker (Jan 14, 2022)

Janderso said:


> Looks like you are on your way. Looks great so far.Not an easy project, imho.


Actually it doesn't seem very hard. I am more leery about making new wheel centers for my Delta Surface grinder. I have to hit those angles perfectly. As you know on your balancing shaft. But the hubs are internal and have me procrastinating. I don't need them that bad.

This is a small project.. Look at those model engines those guys are building... Those are hard projects.  Small in scale (that's hard), more critical in size, way more parts.  Mine is just so I can hold longer parts that seem to hit me more frequently and with the small bore on the spindle often requires me to spin wheels figuring out what to do. My half dead center and small center get a work out often.. but how to center drill becomes a big issue...

ok I wrote a book for a simple thing.. Thank you.


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## woodchucker (Jan 14, 2022)

How are the pictures working out?


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## SLK001 (Jan 14, 2022)

woodchucker said:


> How are the pictures working out?



Your pictures are very nice - good and large.  Much better than your very first picture using Imgur.


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## woodchucker (Jan 14, 2022)

SLK001 said:


> Your pictures are very nice - good and large.  Much better than your very first picture using Imgur.


they are all imgur, the first one is a link to the imgur stream.


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## woodchucker (Jan 27, 2022)

Gotta fix the knurling. It's not even. Don't know whether to remove, or add. Yes there's a screw up. I thought I was engaging the carriage, and instead the cross slide fed in. I wanted to cleanup the knurl to the end. DOH. I'm not going to re-do it. It's not a show piece, it's a tool.


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## woodchucker (Feb 6, 2022)

I was going to work on one of my wood projects, but I keep hearing this project call my name... Jeff finish me... Better get stronger meds...  

Bored the holes for the 3 fingers, need one more hole for the hole to lock this down on the bed. Going to put it in the ring, rather than the base. It will give more holding power.


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## rabler (Feb 6, 2022)

Won’t the hold down hole/ bolt in the ring interfere with max diameter?


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## Brento (Feb 6, 2022)

I had a steady rest you could have bought from me. I mean it is a casting kit but it would fit your lathe perfect!


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## woodchucker (Feb 6, 2022)

No, I'll counterbore it. , I'll probably use an allen socket cap screw, I am allowing myself room to  remachine the bore of the ring if I ever need more space. I could either bandsaw it, or put it on a plate, clamp it down and turn it.. or clamp it to the mill bed and bore it.

I originally thought I would make it larger before I did the fingers, after looking, I though it could be bigger, but after a while I thought if I have a piece bigger than 3" or 3.5 I need a bigger lathe...  damn, I already know I want a bigger lathe.. 

I have seen steady rests built heavier than this, and I have seen others way lighter than this.  I don't know if I will get what I want from this, but I hope so.


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## rabler (Feb 6, 2022)

I may have said this already-but I need to get a steady and follow rest for the 25x50 Monarch.  For the steady I mai just make a new base for some random large steadyrest.  Or fab something from scratach s is lukely for the follow rest.  Either way, I’ll be interested in how your’s turns out.


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## woodchucker (Feb 7, 2022)

got a little more work done. drilled the dowel pin and locking knobs , as well as the bottoms screw.
I am a little confused, I am using numbers and plans provided , I don't fully understand the double screws, LH and RH do move the fingers. These seem like they would have worked with one screw, not 2.  Oh well, live and learn. I really won't know until I finish it, if I am right or wrong.  I have to run a groove down each finger for the locking screw, and also put the pin in the outer screw nut, and inner screw.  Then work the timing out.
Just thinking out loud.. Time will tell.


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## woodchucker (Feb 26, 2022)

Grooved the fingers, pinned the screw to the cap.  Having thoughts of upping the 1/8 dowel pins for the sleeves, to 3/16. I'm worried that the 1/8 might rip through the Aluminum 6061... It might just be nothing, but thinking the larger bearing surface will resist it better.   Also thinking that I have too much screw. I used Mark's sizes, but they appear to be too much screw.


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## Janderso (Feb 26, 2022)

woodchucker said:


> This started without plans. Then I realized I better get some set up. I can't just wing it like others. I had an idea in my head to use this chunk of Aluminum, after cutting it, is when I realized that I need some idea of sizes of things.. Probably it would have been better to start that way. I needed a little more meat on the thickness to follow the plans. The plans were by Mark Frazier, he translated some SB sizes .. They seem too beefy for a SB9 in my opinion.
> The pics are here on
> 
> 
> ...


I really like your lathe!
Did you restore it or was it like that when you bought it?
Or, are you the original owner?


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## woodchucker (Feb 26, 2022)

Janderso said:


> I really like your lathe!
> Did you restore it or was it like that when you bought it?
> Or, are you the original owner?


hmmmm, see this... this is how I got it for $250, no tooling, no nothing.
And thank you.


https://imgur.com/a/6OT4a


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## woodchucker (Feb 26, 2022)

Well, I couldn't let it rest today. It was bothering me. I took another look and lopped off an an 3/4 to 7/8 if an inch off the fingers themselves.
Then I put flats on the brass ends so I can tighten them or remove them when I put blue loctite on.
Things are starting to come together.  Next job is to pocket the area where the hinge will go. I'll inset some aluminum block in there, epoxy and pin it.


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## woodchucker (Feb 28, 2022)

well I keep making beginner mistakes. I went to make the platform that sits on the ways, squared up a piece, measured, needed .375 in from the end for the  90 degree way. the .375 was the mid point. And went about making the beginner mistake. Mounted the stock in at 45, raised the knee until it touched the top of the piece , moved the quill to the back and raised the knee .375... DOH...  Did you see the error?
Sorry for the lousy pics, my camera keeps focusing on the wrong thing, even though I give it the focal point, it somehow is changing it as I am shooting.  Only if I mount my phone on a tripod does it stop doing that.


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## stevendavis (Mar 24, 2022)

Very nice work on that lathe!!


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## wachuko (Mar 24, 2022)

But looks like you were able to recover from it?  Started again?  Or where you able to fix the mistake in the same stock?


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## woodchucker (Mar 24, 2022)

stevendavis said:


> Very nice work on that lathe!!


Thank you.
Welcome to HM, we are a pretty friendly bunch... Feel free to jump in...
When you ask for an opinion, you will get a hundred different opinions.. It's up to you to figure out which ones fit.
You will find that there ARE experts in certain areas, and they go over and beyond to help you. You just need to provide good info and pics to help them help you.


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## stevendavis (Mar 24, 2022)

Thanks Woodchucker! I'm just getting started and found this site. I'm sure it will be an invaluable source of info for me! Most of what I see here is well beyond me.


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## woodchucker (Mar 24, 2022)

wachuko said:


> But looks like you were able to recover from it?  Started again?  Or where you able to fix the mistake in the same stock?


I left it. I look at it this way, I could re-do it so no one sees my mistake, or leave it , as an annoying reminder of what I did wrong so I don't forget (which I may anyway). This really doesn't harm anything, maybe it makes it a little weaker.. maybe.. I just shortened the piece so it fit..  I watched a youtuber show a method afterwards, but it was WRONG, and since the measurements were not shown, nobody caught it. They went through all these trig calcs, but only 2 values were needed and they solved the entire thing.  I was amazed at how not one person commented on it.


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## woodchucker (Jul 21, 2022)

Did a little work on this today.
Made the riser block cut out.
Next will be the outside shape.


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