mac davis wrote in
:

On Wed, 06 Sep 2006 22:34:36 GMT, Herman de Vries
wrote:

I got in on this post late, but Tim, if you want to take a look at the
design I came up with for building your own, see it on my webpage at

www.hdv.net under "Tips"

The direct link to a instruction file on how to make it is:

http://www.hdv.net/tips/Making%20a%20Steady%20Rest.htm

This thing has been copied hundreds of times by now, and everyone that
has made it likes it because it's simply, extremely sturdy and cheap
to make.

Herm

Herm... you lost me at "1½” square steel tubing and weld in ¾”
threaded rod"... Not being a welder, I'm outta luck there...

Do you think that there be a lot less stability if the threaded rod
were fastened to the square tube with bolts and lock washers?

Also, would there be any advantage to having maybe 2 rollers on the
bottom, to center the work, or is it already self-centering?

thanks!



"Tim Schubach" wrote in
m:

I still have my first lathe given to me by my parents decades ago.
Recently, I had need of a steady rest, and picked one up at the
local Woodcrafter's store only to find out that a steady rest built
for a 12" lathe doesn't fit a 10" lathe - DUH!

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 also feel like I should put a bumper sticker on the smaller lathe:
My other lathe is a 16". And I do have a home made steady rest for
it.

Thanks
Tim



Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm


Tim, sorry to be late in responding. The advantage to welding the
threaded rod into the holes in the sqaure tubing is to give you a bit
more capacity on the lower crosspiece. If you had a nut on the top of the
square tubing, your lower cross piece could not be lowered as much. You
would lose the width of the nut in capacity.

There is already 2 wheels on the bottom crosspiece, so I presume you mean
the top crosspiece. No need for it. The piece centers itself well. By
using light adjustments on the ends of the bottom crosspiece you can get
the bottom wheels touching the work at precisely the same time. A half
turn or so upward on each nut will keep the piece centered. The top wheel
just ensures that the centering won't be lost. I guess you could put two
wheels on the top too, if you wished.