Steady rest, follow rest, make or adapt

[kb58]

So, yeah, that. I've never seen one for sale separately, so I've been thinking about how to end up with one or both.

It seems like making one shouldn't be that hard, starting with a big piece of aluminum plate and going to town with a mill. As much as I'd like to do that, has anyone found a different brand lathe where its steady rest will drop right onto a TSL-lathe? I'm asking because it's likely that the TSL lathes were "modeled" or even copied from some other lathe, hence my question. I know it's a stretch, but knowing the answer helps justify the decision in either direction.

 

[benmychree]

I have made steady and follow rests in the past, some were weld fabricated steel, one was steel machine burnt to shape, and a couple, I made patterns for and had them cast in iron.

 

[addertooth]

A couple of pictures posted of your lathe would probably help people out here. Brand names get slapped on lathes/mills all the time. There is a lot of re-branding in the mini-lathe industry.

 

[pontiac428]

Steady rests and follow rests (lunettes) are not precision attachments. They are simple and the flexibility of use comes from adjustable fingers. This means any variety of error can exist in the body of the rest, and be nullified during setup. They do not have to be made out of a monocoque casting, they do not have to be very strong.

Rests must fit their respective base, then form a hoop of a useful size around the work on the spindle axis. This means you can make a base that fits your bed, then make a ring (or half hoop for a lunette), machine it for fingers, weld the base and ring together, and go to work. Most lunettes can be profile cut out of a piece of plate and fitted with fingers and mounting holes.

To me, the most important feature of a rest (aside from obviously being steady) is the finger mechanism and how that affects the ease of setup. Roller fingers are nice because they mar the work less, but plain brass works equally well if your goal is precision. Fine thread adjusters are a lot nicer to use than slots and fixing bolts. Either type is doable in a shop with a mill and a lathe. Building your own would be less stress than looking for a true factory replacement.

 

[zamboni2354]

Maybe modify something like this?

lathe follower rest | eBay

<p>lathe follower rest. Condition is "Used". This is a larger follower rest of unknown maker . It has roller bearings at the rests and looks to be in great condition . It has a number 17 cast into the side . Dimensions from table to bearings is 6.5 inches and mounting holes are 12 inches apart .</p>

www.ebay.com

There's a steady, or was a steady on eBay but was high priced. I saw one listed about a year ago that was listed as unknown brand but was a Taki that went pretty cheap. Steady's are much more common, so im sure you'll be able to find one in time. Those followers seem as rare as the taper attachment!

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

 

[kb58]

A couple of pictures posted of your lathe would probably help people out here. Brand names get slapped on lathes/mills all the time. There is a lot of re-branding in the mini-lathe industry.

I didn't supply pictures because I assumed that everyone in this Takisawa/Yuasa/Webb subforum has or knows what a TSL-800 lathe is, but I agree about the rebranding.

To everyone else, thank you very much for the replies. Okay, so it's true, they don't have to be precise, giving that the whole point is adjustability, and shouldn't be hard to make. I admit that in 20 years of owning an old Grizzly lathe, I think I used the steady rest one time. Making one is probably says more about me looking for an excuse to build something than anything else, but it would be nice to have just in case, and would help the resale value, if it ever came to that. Thanks again!

 

[pontiac428]

I understand how you could go a long time without needing a steady/follow rest. But f you ever machine stuff for axles, barrels, hydraulics, or draw pumps, those rests are indispensable.

 

[cathead]

The most memorable steady rest I have ever seen was made from the ring gear out of an automobile rear end.
It looked to be about 10 inches in diameter, all the teeth still intact. It seems to me it was cut into several pieces
and resectioned so it would open and close with a swivel. The fingers were adjustable of course made of steel
with some brass or bronze added to the tips. It looked like it was a case of making do with what was at hand at
the time. I have made several steadys or follower rests made of very heavy wall pipe. There are photos in
my gallery of the builds. I wish I had a photo of the ring gear steady to post but it was over 20 years ago that
I saw it. It belonged to a friend of mine and mentor who passed away some years ago.

 

[kb58]

A ~1" length of large pipe, with maybe 1/2" wall thickness, would be something that's probably fairly easy to find in a steel yard as a cut-off.