OT - Steady Rest
 

I am new to the group and not real good at doing detailed searches so this
topic may have been addressed in the past.

I am looking for a steady rest for my Jet full size lathe (14"). Woodcraft
has their own with bearings, OneWay has theirs for about $110 with rubber
wheels and then I see some homemade units that look really slick using the
roller blade type of wheels.

Question is: Throw me some opinions of what works and what does not work.
I really like the idea of making my own but I went to a sporting goods store
and just to buy inline skate wheels with the bearings and you can drop
anywhere from $40 to an insane $100+. My kids are grown and gone or I would
snag some from their old skates that we probably threw away a few years ago.
(ARGGGGHHH).

Thanks folks in advance for the help.

John.

OT - Steady Rest
 

"JJM" wrote : (clip)just to buy inline skate wheels with the bearings and
you can drop
anywhere from $40 to an insane $100+. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Flea markets or thrift stores. You can probably get by for under $5.

OT - Steady Rest
 

"JJM" writes:

I am new to the group and not real good at doing detailed searches so this
topic may have been addressed in the past.

I am looking for a steady rest for my Jet full size lathe (14"). Woodcraft
has their own with bearings, OneWay has theirs for about $110 with rubber
wheels and then I see some homemade units that look really slick using the
roller blade type of wheels.


I have both, and the one with metal bearings was nearly useless to me.
It was hard to adjust, a pain to put on and off, and when I used it,
it left compressed wood and marks where I held the wood.

The Oneway is easy to set up and install, and easy to adjust. I think
the Woodcraft one one you describe is made for metal lathes. It had
no brand name on it, but I got it at a Woodcraft store. Maybe someone
can adjust it so it's just right, but I gave up.

OT - Steady Rest
 

On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 19:07:11 -0400, "JJM" wrote:
Good will!!!
2nd hand stores
yard sales

I am new to the group and not real good at doing detailed searches so this
topic may have been addressed in the past.

I am looking for a steady rest for my Jet full size lathe (14"). Woodcraft
has their own with bearings, OneWay has theirs for about $110 with rubber
wheels and then I see some homemade units that look really slick using the
roller blade type of wheels.

Question is: Throw me some opinions of what works and what does not work.
I really like the idea of making my own but I went to a sporting goods store
and just to buy inline skate wheels with the bearings and you can drop
anywhere from $40 to an insane $100+. My kids are grown and gone or I would
snag some from their old skates that we probably threw away a few years ago.
(ARGGGGHHH).

Thanks folks in advance for the help.

John.

OT - Steady Rest
 

Hi John

I would go for a home made steady rest, they are not that hard to make
at all, and there are several plans out there.
As for the wheels, yes you should go for the inline skate wheels, not
the hard metal ones or just ball bearings.
I was very lucky, happen to see a set that had been priced down to
$9.-- I think it was, couldn't believe it, brand new high quality set
that somehow had only 7 wheels in the sealed pack, but that just don't
happen to often, so yes go to any Goodwill or a recycle place, maybe a
skating ring/place around where broken ones might be discarded.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo


On Apr 19, 7:07 pm, "JJM" wrote:
I am new to the group and not real good at doing detailed searches so this
topic may have been addressed in the past.

I am looking for a steady rest for my Jet full size lathe (14"). Woodcraft
has their own with bearings, OneWay has theirs for about $110 with rubber
wheels and then I see some homemade units that look really slick using the
roller blade type of wheels.

Question is: Throw me some opinions of what works and what does not work.
I really like the idea of making my own but I went to a sporting goods store
and just to buy inline skate wheels with the bearings and you can drop
anywhere from $40 to an insane $100+. My kids are grown and gone or I would
snag some from their old skates that we probably threw away a few years ago.
(ARGGGGHHH).

Thanks folks in advance for the help.

John.

OT - Steady Rest
 

JJM wrote:
I am new to the group and not real good at doing detailed searches so this
topic may have been addressed in the past.

I am looking for a steady rest for my Jet full size lathe (14"). Woodcraft
has their own with bearings, OneWay has theirs for about $110 with rubber
wheels and then I see some homemade units that look really slick using the
roller blade type of wheels.

Question is: Throw me some opinions of what works and what does not work.
I really like the idea of making my own but I went to a sporting goods store
and just to buy inline skate wheels with the bearings and you can drop
anywhere from $40 to an insane $100+. My kids are grown and gone or I would
snag some from their old skates that we probably threw away a few years ago.
(ARGGGGHHH).

Thanks folks in advance for the help.

John.



freecycle.org


Bill


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OT - Steady Rest
 

On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:45:32 -0400, Bill in Detroit
wrote:

JJM wrote:
I am new to the group and not real good at doing detailed searches so this
topic may have been addressed in the past.

I am looking for a steady rest for my Jet full size lathe (14"). Woodcraft
has their own with bearings, OneWay has theirs for about $110 with rubber
wheels and then I see some homemade units that look really slick using the
roller blade type of wheels.

Question is: Throw me some opinions of what works and what does not work.
I really like the idea of making my own but I went to a sporting goods store
and just to buy inline skate wheels with the bearings and you can drop
anywhere from $40 to an insane $100+. My kids are grown and gone or I would
snag some from their old skates that we probably threw away a few years ago.
(ARGGGGHHH).

Thanks folks in advance for the help.

John.



freecycle.org


Bill

OT - Steady Rest
 

"JJM" wrote in message
...
I am new to the group and not real good at doing detailed searches so this
topic may have been addressed in the past.

I am looking for a steady rest for my Jet full size lathe (14").
Woodcraft has their own with bearings, OneWay has theirs for about $110
with rubber wheels and then I see some homemade units that look really
slick using the roller blade type of wheels.

Question is: Throw me some opinions of what works and what does not work.
I really like the idea of making my own but I went to a sporting goods
store and just to buy inline skate wheels with the bearings and you can
drop anywhere from $40 to an insane $100+. My kids are grown and gone or
I would snag some from their old skates that we probably threw away a few
years ago. (ARGGGGHHH).

Thanks folks in advance for the help.


You haven't told us what you're trying to steady. Makes a big difference.
Spindle steadies are on the far side of the object, and are designed to
counter thrust down and away. They can be as simple as a notch and wedge,
which notch can be modified with a file to suit the contour of the piece
being steadied. Bowl steadies are on the near side and counter up and
toward. Easy to think of what you want in a homebuilt steady by looking at
commercial ones like the Oneway.

Soft surfaces, as mentioned, beat hard ones, especially convex soft surfaces
like the inline rollers skates use. I bought a replacement set at Wally
world for about twelve bucks for my steady. The convex wheel form allows
contact against sloping surfaces with minimum scrubbing. So your steady
should mount to get the support opposite the tool position when cutting, and
be adjustable to diameter. Nice dense Baltic Birch can make one, though
with fathers' day coming, I might be tempted to do what I did and put the
Oneway on my wish list.

OT - Steady Rest
 

JJM wrote:
I am new to the group and not real good at doing detailed searches so this
topic may have been addressed in the past.

I am looking for a steady rest for my Jet full size lathe (14"). Woodcraft
has their own with bearings, OneWay has theirs for about $110 with rubber
wheels and then I see some homemade units that look really slick using the
roller blade type of wheels.

Question is: Throw me some opinions of what works and what does not work.
I really like the idea of making my own but I went to a sporting goods store
and just to buy inline skate wheels with the bearings and you can drop
anywhere from $40 to an insane $100+. My kids are grown and gone or I would
snag some from their old skates that we probably threw away a few years ago.
(ARGGGGHHH).

Thanks folks in advance for the help.

John.


I have been reading this newsgroup for a good while and have learned
much from all the contributors.

I built a steady rest based on some other jigs I use on my lathe. It
uses in-line skate wheels. I have used it for finishing the bottom of
hollow vessels and working thin spindles and it works excellently. You
can put as much pressure on your work piece as needed with the adjusting
nuts and it is very steady.

I used 1/2"x2" bar steel with 3/4" threaded rod for the support, 1/2"
bolt for the T-nut underneath and 1/8"x1" bar steel for the wheel
brackets. The spacer bushings on the 3/4" threaded rod for the wheel
brackets are cut from pvc water pipe. Any or all of it could be made
from oak or some other hardwood. I originally planned to weld ends on
the wheel brackets but tested it before I did and like the ability to
slide the top single wheel brackets to completely remove them from the
support without loosening the threaded rod nuts very much. The ability
to slide the wheels sideways a bit, allows adjustment to center the
rotating work. This is one of the neatest fixtures I have built and
used. My threaded rods are 10" on center only because they are the
base supports for another jig I use. Also, the wheel bracket is in the
way of the work piece if the wheels are separated more than this jigs
allows. The bottom bracket could be make longer to support larger
pieces, but the wheels cannot be spaced much farther apart with this design.

I drilled extra holes in the supports to provide other positions for the
wheels for various diameter work. The top and bottom wheel brackets can
be exchanged for additional wheel positions.

I will copy this post with photo's to alt.binary.pictures.woodworking

Thank you all for the helpful responses on this newsgroup.

Fred
Concord, NC

OT - Steady Rest
 

Leo,

A special thanks. It never dawned on me that we have a Goodwill about 6
miles away. Stopped by and bought a practically new pair of skates. Wheels
were hardly scuffed. Willing to bet they were somebody's wrong size.
Picked them up for $15.

Thanks. Now I have to get to work on that steady.

John

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi John

I would go for a home made steady rest, they are not that hard to make
at all, and there are several plans out there.
As for the wheels, yes you should go for the inline skate wheels, not
the hard metal ones or just ball bearings.
I was very lucky, happen to see a set that had been priced down to
$9.-- I think it was, couldn't believe it, brand new high quality set
that somehow had only 7 wheels in the sealed pack, but that just don't
happen to often, so yes go to any Goodwill or a recycle place, maybe a
skating ring/place around where broken ones might be discarded.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo


On Apr 19, 7:07 pm, "JJM" wrote:
I am new to the group and not real good at doing detailed searches so
this
topic may have been addressed in the past.

I am looking for a steady rest for my Jet full size lathe (14").
Woodcraft
has their own with bearings, OneWay has theirs for about $110 with rubber
wheels and then I see some homemade units that look really slick using
the
roller blade type of wheels.

Question is: Throw me some opinions of what works and what does not
work.
I really like the idea of making my own but I went to a sporting goods
store
and just to buy inline skate wheels with the bearings and you can drop
anywhere from $40 to an insane $100+. My kids are grown and gone or I
would
snag some from their old skates that we probably threw away a few years
ago.
(ARGGGGHHH).

Thanks folks in advance for the help.

John.

OT - Steady Rest
 

I have a oneway spindle steady. It was well worth the $100. I too have a Jet
1442. It's very simple (fast) to adjust; loosen a few wing nuts, close it
like sissors and tighten up the nuts.

Some if the home made designs, such as the one recently posted on ABPW are
not nearly as elegant.

If the parts are handy and cheap I would try home made, otherwise I would
just buy one.

-Steve


"JJM" wrote in message
...
I am new to the group and not real good at doing detailed searches so this
topic may have been addressed in the past.

I am looking for a steady rest for my Jet full size lathe (14").
Woodcraft has their own with bearings, OneWay has theirs for about $110
with rubber wheels and then I see some homemade units that look really
slick using the roller blade type of wheels.

Question is: Throw me some opinions of what works and what does not work.
I really like the idea of making my own but I went to a sporting goods
store and just to buy inline skate wheels with the bearings and you can
drop anywhere from $40 to an insane $100+. My kids are grown and gone or
I would snag some from their old skates that we probably threw away a few
years ago. (ARGGGGHHH).

Thanks folks in advance for the help.

John.




--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

OT - Steady Rest
 

"Stephen M" wrote in message
.. .
I have a oneway spindle steady. It was well worth the $100. I too have a
Jet 1442. It's very simple (fast) to adjust; loosen a few wing nuts, close
it like sissors and tighten up the nuts.

Some if the home made designs, such as the one recently posted on ABPW are
not nearly as elegant.

If the parts are handy and cheap I would try home made, otherwise I would
just buy one.


Good rig. In case you haven't got one, I find that one of those 3/4
ratcheting box wrenches are a handy as can be for tightening and loosening
it from the ways.

You have the spindle too? Less attractive, though the kids got one for me.

OT - Steady Rest
 

Go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and get a used pair of skates $2.00 you
will have eight wheel.

Walter H. Klaus


"JJM" wrote in message
...
I am new to the group and not real good at doing detailed searches so this
topic may have been addressed in the past.

I am looking for a steady rest for my Jet full size lathe (14").
Woodcraft has their own with bearings, OneWay has theirs for about $110
with rubber wheels and then I see some homemade units that look really
slick using the roller blade type of wheels.

Question is: Throw me some opinions of what works and what does not work.
I really like the idea of making my own but I went to a sporting goods
store and just to buy inline skate wheels with the bearings and you can
drop anywhere from $40 to an insane $100+. My kids are grown and gone or
I would snag some from their old skates that we probably threw away a few
years ago. (ARGGGGHHH).

Thanks folks in advance for the help.

John.