Expanding steady rest

[Alberto-sp]

Helo. I have this steady rest



The ring is 60mm but whith the brass parts I can only fit 52mm. I need to turn a pipe of 55mm OD. So my question is, Can I grind a bit the brass parts to allow the pipe? If the answer is yes, Do I need to apply a special finish to those brass parts? The actual finish is not very good by the way.

Thank you

best regards

 

[francist]

If I were in your shoes I wouldn’t think twice about grinding a bit off the tips of those jaws. You’re only taking off max 2mm per tip and as long as the jaws are solid (ie: not partly hollow on the back or something) it looks like you’ve got lots of material there. I also wouldn’t worry about a finish — the first time you use them it would get probably get worn off anyways.

Try to avoid grinding them on a wheel though, brass (these actually look a bit more like bronze to me but no matter) can have a tendency to plug up the wheel right away so abrasive belt (belt grinder) usually works better.

 

[Alberto-sp]

Thank you!

 

[VicHobbyGuy]

I had the same problem with a similar-looking steady rest (7x14 lathe). I extended the slots in the jaws a bit and that gave me enough extra travel that I didn't need to change the tips. 10 minutes with a round file did the job on all three jaws.

 

[Jake M]

I'm gonna second two first opinions here, if it's at all practicable, I'd lengthen the slot before I ground the ends. There needs to be enough travel in the screws and all that. Those screws (Never saw one first hand) look suspicious of having a shoulder on them that maybe could be moved back a couple of millimeters. And aside from fouling a grinding wheel (which is real, but is recoverable), ESPECIALLY for that small amount, I wouldn't grind those at all. I'd file the end off. One tiny fraction of a grinder grit embedded in those "fingers" could wreck your day, depending on what you're working on, and depending how long it takes to realize it was that, and not a chip that got in there....

 

[Alberto-sp]

Thanks for your answers

 

[woodchucker]

also, you don't want a point at the end of the fingers, a slight flat is fine. It offers more support. So just put it on the grinder each finger standing up so the striations are with the piece instead of across it.