Hi Owen

Owen that's a very need setup, KISS all the way, thanks for showing, I
don't think I would have ever considered using the UHMW material for
that, I'd have expected it would just wear away to fast.
This is just to show, "there's always more to learn".


Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Owen Lowe wrote:
In article ,
"Tim Schubach" wrote:

So I've been on the hunt for a smaller version, and have not been successful
so far. Other than building one from scratch, are there any other sources
where I might find one for my smaller lathe?

I do note that you'd rather buy one, however, I offer a couple pics of
the homemade steadies I used on my Delta Midi:

http://users.easystreet.com/onlnlowe/misc/SteadyRest.JPG
http://users.easystreet.com/onlnlowe/misc/SteadyRest2.JPG

The "bearings" are UHMW plastic (ultra-high molecular weight) - this
material is very slippery. I drilled a couple holes of varying diameters
in a few lengths and then cut the hole in half to fit over the wood
spindle to make a pair. You can see the "B" in the second pic to use the
drilled pairs as a set. They're held to the steady and against the wood
by deStacco clamps. I've had very good success with this setup - just
keep the speed under 2500 or so for 1/4" spindles to make sure the
plastic doesn't get too hot and begin smoking.

--
Owen Lowe

Northwest Woodturners
Pacific Northwest Woodturning Guild
___
Tips fer Turnin': Place a sign, easily seen as you switch on your lathe, warning you to remove any and all rings from your fingers. Called degloving, extended hardware can grab your ring and rip it off your finger. A pic for the strong of stomach: www.itim.nsw.gov.au/go/objectid/2A3AC703-1321-1C29-70B067DC88E16BFC/index.cfm

Besides, rings can easily mar the surface of a turning as you check for finished smoothness.