Steady Things Up

[Jeremy Williams]

Things are much better now with hollow form turning ... now that I have a 360 degree spindle steady! Okay, those are just the braggin' rights~!:)

If you've turned on a lathe, then you'll understand the need for a steady rest (something that keeps the workpiece from vibrating, and thus the tool chattering during the cut). I've been wanting one but good quality metal ones are $500+. So ... I had to make another plan...

My neighbor is a metalworker and his job at Phillip Morris comes to an end next year sometime. He's looking for things he can fabricate and sell ... and as we shot around ideas a couple of my wish list items ... a spindle steady and bowl steady ... came up. I showed him some pictures and told him what I liked and didn't like about each design ... he took that to the metal shop and returned with something great!

So, here's a sneak peek at the prototype. It's powder coated to a beautiful finish, uses ABEC 5 rollerblade wheels, and solid as a rock. The spine is one piece (no welds) and the arms has a flat machined in them to make it self aligning. This one is for a 20" swing lathe, but just about any swing is possible. I've run it thru some test runs with extraordinary results ...

http://www.woodwrangler.com/images/steadyrest.jpg

And yes, he'll be offering these to others for sale ... so if you are interested, drop me a private message and I'll give you the info. This one is just the prototype, and we've discussed some minor improvements for future ones ... exciting times!:cool:

[Dave Bureau]

looks pretty nice but how much of the max. diameter are you losing with the wheels positioned the way they are installed now. Looks like you might be maxing out at about 14" on that 20' lathe. I made one for my 16" lathe out of wood with the same size wheels and ran into this problem. I notched out the frame so they could be adjusted further up and now i can get almost 15" inside. What might be the price for these? I might be selling my lathe and getting a 20"

[Jeremy Williams]

Hi Dave

Yes, a couple inches is lost due to the wheels ... exactly how much, will depend on the size of wheel used. We went with a standard rollerblade wheels which is probably larger than what is actually needed, but was readily available. The "arc" is 22" wide, I believe (will have to doublecheck when I get home), but I'll have to check when I get home to see how much space is lost due to the wheels. Personally, I never turn anything that large on my lathe (yet) ... but I'm sure a larger one of these could be made just as well (just more material cost).

The design you have taken on is very interesting ... and creative way to get around that.

The question I had asked to me for which I had no answer (yet) was how larger of an item can you SAFELY turn side one of these. I had though however big you can squeeze into it however I'm not sure. Have you filled yours to capacity? I'd be curious to hear your comments.

Thanks for that reply!

[Dave Bureau]

ive run 12.5" through it. very solid. no problems. I built it for that turning and when i was done there wasnt enough room to fit it. thats why i modified it. maybe you could have a bracket that you attach the wheel stands to that allow more adjustment. Although one might never turn something that big. remember you have a 20" lathe. most are 16 so with that setup you will only get about 11" I think if someone is going to buy one, they would want to get the extra capacity. Just my thoughts. trying to give you ideas for your prototypes. Looks like it would be a good setup though. I like it.

[alex carey]

That is a pretty good looking steady rest. Any idea what the price is going to be yet?

[Allen Neighbors]

Really a nice Steady Rest!! He does professional work.

[Jeff Nicol]

Jeremy, It's been done already! I made one similar a month or so ago but made it so I can get the full 20" radius of the angle ring by mounting the wheel holders on the flat of the angle ring. It works great that way, here is the link to mine:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=104605

Do I get royalties? Just kidding your friend did a great job on yours and I am in the process of making 2 more, but they will be smaller ones for my smaller lathes.

Have a great time with your new steady!

Jeff

[Bernie Weishapl]

I would also be curious of the price. Looks nice and looks solid.

[Tom Lewis]

I like the four wheel design. I made a three wheel steady rest but the top bar that holds the wheel gets in the way of my laser. The four wheel design leaves the top open and nothing gets in the way of the laser.

[Jeremy Williams]

I like the four wheel design. I made a three wheel steady rest but the top bar that holds the wheel gets in the way of my laser. The four wheel design leaves the top open and nothing gets in the way of the laser.

I was thinking about this too. While I don't have a laser, I wondered how that would work. Of course, from what I've read most people seem to buy the laser, then don't use it.

This being a prototype it is open for design change and maybe different "flavors" of it. Obviously a 4-post would cost more to build, and wouldn't add much value to a non-laser user ... but there again, might not add enough cost to warrant having a couple different versions.

In any case, EXCELLENT feedback and suggestions. Many of you are MUCH more experienced with turning than I and a collective set of ideas is better than one. I've spent hours reading online about steady rests and seem so many flavors I can't count (seems there are more for metal workers than wood workers though).

I'm going take all this feedback to my neighbor and see what he thinks. THANKS AGAIN!

[Ron Bontz]

I don't do metal so I would love to know the price for a 16".:)

[jason lambert]

if he sells these let me know a price for my powermatic, I need one.