Steady Rest for Emco Maximat 7

[Chuckvee]

Hi all,
I'm a new member, and have an Emco Maximat 7. I'm seeing how scarce Emco parts are, and there don't seem to be many Maximat 7 accessories out there! I was wondering if anyone has adapted another, more common steady rest to the Maximat 7 bed? My ways are flat-topped--like the Atlas 618 / Craftsman 101 6" lathe bed. If I could get the dimensions for the Atlas/Craftsman 6" ways, maybe I would find that the steady rest for that lathe would fit mine with little modification.

OR... perhaps I can adapt a steady for the SIEG C2 7x12 Mini Lathe-- I see those are quite cheap (but have a very different profile for the ways).

I attached the dimensions of my ways to this post. Thanks!
-Chuck

 

[Nutfarmer]

Any chance of making one out of heavy plate for the frame? I have been working on a steady from castings for a Hardinge lathe. One dimension that is needed in addition to the bed is the location of the spindle.

 

[Chuckvee]

Yes, I thought about that, using bandsaw and grinding wheel, but that seems a hard way to go. I'd rather start from something close. The spindle is 3.54" over the plane of the ways. I figure there should be a steady rest for a 7" lathe that I can adapt by adding an adapter, or milling away some material. A steady for a 6" lathe should be easy to adapt, by adding a 1" block with appropriate contours.