Steady rest design parameters

[Brice Rogers]

I design and built a lot of my own tools.

I'm wondering if anyone with a larger lathe (say, 18 plus inch throw) and steady rest actually have used the steady rest at the full capacity. That is, if people with 18 - 24 inch inch lathes actually chuck up things that are 18-24 inches in diameter. I have seen people with large steady rests who were turning smaller things like a chalice. Maybe 4" in diameter.

I can imagine that with a long spindle that a steady may be needed. Maybe an aspect ration well over 5:1. But if a lathe only has a throw of, say, 40 inches or so, that having a steady capable of a swing of, say , 24 inches might be an over kill. If a person was concerned about flexing of a 24 inch diameter spindle, maybe the length would correspond to about 10 feet - - probably much more than most hobby turners work with.

So why am I wondering this? Well, it is important that a steady rest be both strong and stiff. So, if I design a stead with arms that are supported at a distance around 2 feet from an anchored point that they are a lot more flexible that shorter arms. Maybe 95% of most steady usage is with smaller diameter pieces - - say 8 or 9" in diameter ???

Am I missing something? When am I likely to need a steady over, say, 10 inches in diameter?

[Roger Chandler]

Brice, on my G0766 I use a steady rest that has a 19" steel ring made for me by Jeff Nichols back when I had my 18/47 G0698. I modified the base by putting an 8/4 piece of kiln dried lyptus [very dense wood] on it, to raise it up to fit the 22" swing. All four arms are adjustable in and out, and the 10 o'clock arm can be repositioned to allow for the lazer arm on my hollowing rig to work without interference.

The largest hollow form diameter has been about 11 inches so far, which is pretty big. [A lot to hollow!]. If I ever want to go past max capacity, I will just build my own from wood. I have done it before.

[John Keeton]

Brice, doesn't your question depend on what you want to turn? Do you have a desire to hollow pieces approaching your lathe capacity? If so, then your steady should be accordingly larger. I don't think longer arms have significant bearing of the stiffness of a steady if it is properly constructed.

[Paul Williams]

I think a large study rest would just be a nuisance gathering dust around the shop, and hard to set up and use for small turnings.. So I would make a rest sized for my most common turnings and then make a second rest when the day came that I needed one for a unusually large turning.

[Robert Henrickson]

I think a large study rest would just be a nuisance gathering dust around the shop, and hard to set up and use for small turnings.. So I would make a rest sized for my most common turnings and then make a second rest when the day came that I needed one for a unusually large turning.

I would heartily second this, and John Keeton's comment. Don't build for what might happen, build for what you DO. It's not that hard to build one or two if needed. And, having said that, you may not need them as much as you might think you would.

A long time ago, I made spindle steadies in two or three sizes, because "they'll be useful/needed". Since then, I have turned a LOT of long skinny spindles (up to 1x1x18, with portions <<3/8" diameter), but those steadies have NEVER been used yet -- I have yet to find a need for them. I have almost never used a steady for hollowing (2 or 3 out of 150?).

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Not sure I really understand what your getting at here. A steady rest should be made so that it's wheels come together at the center of the lathes spindle. Example a 12" swing lathe needs a center steady where the wheels come together at center, 6" above the lathe bed. A 24" swing lathe needs a center steady where the wheels come together at center 12" above the lathe bed.

[John Keeton]

True, Joe, but it is possible to build a steady that rises off the bed and has a smaller ring that centers on the lathe. I think the OP was concerned about having a steady large enough to turn large forms and yet use it for smaller spindle work with extended arms that might not be solid enough fully extended.

[Clint Bach]

I built a steady rest for my g0766 that will hold a 21 inch diameter work piece. It's main use is to hollow drum shells. I have two sets of arms for smaller or full capacity turnings. I never understood round steady rest frames. Mine is rectacular/square. The arms and wheels can tuck into the corners for full capacity in the smallest space. Round ones look cool I must admit but are harder to build and more expensive. I built mine for almost no expense. Scrap steel from my resource pile and a few bolts and thrift store roller blade wheels. Maybe $ 5.... Out of pocket. Plus welding rods....

I just can't understand those round frames. Such a waste of money and capacity....

clint

[Adam Petersen]

Do you have any pictures of that Clint? I think what you say makes perfect sense and am looking to make one myself. That price is about my range right now! LOL.

[John K Jordan]

If you want to turn a massive vessel held in a chuck, you might want to make a large steady rest. David Marks posted some pictures of his vessel:

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I often turn small diameter spindles and don't use or need a steady rest. It would just get in the way and would have to be specially designed for thin spindles. For example, these are over 2' long and go from about 1/2" down to 1/16":

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This one is longer and larger diameter, hickory. The point is a steady rest is not absolutely necessary for even this kind of turning.

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I do use the "left hand steady rest" technique for spindles, steadying with the left hand with the skew in the right. I wouldn't try that with a big vessel!

JKJ

[Brice Rogers]

I guess that it boils down to what I anticipate turning. That is something that others have responded. I think that it is unlikely that I will be hollowing something close to 2 feet in diameter and almost 4 feet long. I do have a plan to turn a 6 to 8 inch diameter x 2 or 3 foot long hollow forms. But for that, I don't need a 22 inch diameter steady.

So, I think that I am going to adapt a smaller steady rest for use on my larger lathe. I'll post pictures later.

If I ever decide to turn something really huge, then (like Roger mentioned) I'll build a bigger one.

[Bert Delisle]

I launched a hollow form once and that experience convinced me to build a steady rest for my Vl300. As I doubt I will ever turn a hollow form that requires a full diameter steady I just made a base to fit the ways and mounted a steady ring with roller blade wheels. The diameter of the ring is about 14" and with wheels mounted on either side of the main ring it can hold a spindle as small as 3/8" easily however it normally gets used on 8-12" diameter locations near the tailstock end of the form. Strength / Mass not an issue for the type of projects I use it for, as the name suggests "steady rest" just applies counter action to the cutting action. If a vessel is seriously out of balance then get out the welder. I round my blanks to balanced before hollowing with the steady. That's my $0.02 worth.
Bert

[Bill Jobe]

Posted on wrong thread.

[Brice Rogers]

John, That is really pretty huge! But as I look at it (even though huge), it is about 1/2 the capacity of the steady.

Right now, I'm planning to adapt a smaller steady that I already built for use with my larger lathe and IF I decide to turn something bigger, I'll build a new one.

[Brice Rogers]

I built a riser to raise a previously built steady rest. I was originally planning of gluing up some plywood but decided to use a 6" x 6" box iron that I had laying around. It raised the original steady by 6-3/8". It is absolutely rock solid. What I liked is that it did not require any mods to my old steady.

To make it pretty, I sprayed it with some paint that is close to Grizzly's.

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[Hayes Rutherford]

I don't think you are missing anything and make perfectly good sense.

I have 25" swing and felt as you do that there was no need for a steady that could accommodate that. I built mine so it will do 16" which should be plenty for my needs. You just need to make the bottom legs taller.
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[Brice Rogers]

Hayes, your steady looks pretty rigid. Nice going.