Steady Rest

[Firestopper]

Turned out sweet, I can appreciate the tips and trick you shared throughout the build. Been racking my peabrain on how I would drill that 1" hole through 20" of stock.
All I can come up with is a series of custom drill bit extensions but I'm standing by.

 

[Steve Shannon]

IT'S DONE!

Snip...

Thanks for looking and I hope someone can find something useful to take from this.

What I take from so many of your post is a growing sense that I will someday be able to accomplish similar projects. Thank you!

 

[george wilson]

When we were making the 18th. C. fire engine in 1982,I was making all (30) patterns,and then machining them at night at home on my 10" Jet. I found that I couldn't chuck the hose connectors in my smallish steady rest due to dog ears that stuck out to tighten the hoses with via a spanner.

Being very active at that time,I just whipped out some wooden patterns and the Geddy foundry in Williamsburg cast the parts in bronze. I machined those up in jig time,and still have it! It is quite nice. I ought to make pictures and post it!!

I need to make a steady rest for my HLVH,too. They have an offset to clear the carriage. And,they cost $900.00 USED! They are made of aluminum. I need to make myself one of those. I can't use a follower rest because the HLVH has a DRO on it that might be factory done. But,it covers up the holes where the follower is mounted. And,it also covers most of the T slot where the taper attachment would be mounted.

I ought to take it off as I never ever use it! I found a DRO on a vertical mill was very useful,and used it a lot. But not on my lathe.

I'd have to make the taper attachment too,as they are always about $900.00,too!!! This is the trouble with owning an expensive and unique lathe like the HLVH.

Anyway,nice job,Jim!!!

 

[JimDawson]

Thank you George.

Sounds like you have a couple of projects to do

 

[CraigB1960]

Jim, excellent work! Thank you for posting this!

On the other hand, the CNC requires that you think through the entire process before you ever make a chip.

I totally agree with this. I find that I "design as I go" with my manual lathe and mill. I've started to go back to drawing my projects out and thinking through the machining process as if I'm CNC'ing it to reduce waste of material and time.

 

[CraigB1960]

I hate to be the first to tell you, but sound travels 330 m/s or about 1075 ft/s at sea level. I always figure lightning is a little over a mile away if it takes five seconds.


Steve Shannon

That's a Power System Engineer for you! Lightning is not our friend for sure.

 

[george wilson]

I wish I had sense enough to have a CNC mill,but I don't! The nearest thing I can come to milling contours is a Thompson table I picked up,but I don't have the 2 - 80# weights that go on either side.

Back in the 70's,I recall seeing a brand new Thompson table in the crate that they bought. And,that is a "nuclear" machine shop. The old guy who ran it invented the remote hands used to handle radioactive stuff. later on they bought a brand new HLVH. That was SWEEEEEET! Only the guy in charge of the shop would operate it,though(by this time a new guy). No one but me would use MY HLVH when it was at work,either. I guess they were afraid of messing it up since I owned it. It is a DIFFERENT lathe for threading. Easy to make a mistake on since things happen quickly.