About to give up on this follow rest - am I not understanding it, or is it not too useful?

[Tio Loco]

I bought a die holder for my lathe and it didn't seem to hold the die flat enough for my liking. With the admittedly cheap die, it rocked. It gave me no confidence that the die would start correctly. Perhaps I don't understand how it should work, but I'd think one would want to have the die supported uniformly on the back face. I am definitely considering making my own. It seems like it would make a nice lathe project

I have the same issue with some dies in my shop made holder.

Tailstock Die holder

Made from stainless steel. A lot of lathe work, and somenmill work. single point threading, mt3 taper turning. first time turning between centers, used a diy lathe dog made from 1/2 steel plate and 3/8 bolts.. Not actually tried it yet .. It was fun to make, learned alot.

www.hobby-machinist.com

Just shim behind the die to stop the rocking. A fiber washer works great.

 

[SLK001]

The follower should lead the cutter - yours is right on top. The follower should also rub your work - yours has a gap between it and the work. If you are seeing a lot of tearing of the work, you will have to file off any burrs that extend above your work before your next pass. Used correctly, the follower should have zero negative impact on your results. The only impact from using a follower is that you will have to extend the work out an extra amount to accommodate it.

 

[Chipper5783]

Hi Wobbly, welcome to the world of machining. Using a follower rest requires learning more about machining. Like nearly every other machining task there are specific details to learn (i.e. single point threading, parting off, knurling and so on). I have never used the follower rest way you did - sort of as a fun experiment. Over the years I have made 3 long screws (up to 15" long) - it is extremely difficult to eliminate "toolpush" when threading, the follower rest was a life saver. Without the follower rest, the thread size changes significantly along the length.

So my question for the follower rest haters, how do you manage thread size on a long screw, when you do not have a die?

I found that I could rough out the thread without using the follower rest (sure the follower rest is a pain) - with a very sharp tool, 29° set over, small cuts, lots of rapid tap, etc. Then I cleaned up the kicked up burr and only used the follower rest for the last few finishing passes. The result was very satisfactory (not difficult to get the pitch diameters consistent, and on target, all the way along).

In the correct application, the correct tool is extremely useful.

 

[WobblyHand]

The follower should lead the cutter - yours is right on top. The follower should also rub your work - yours has a gap between it and the work. If you are seeing a lot of tearing of the work, you will have to file off any burrs that extend above your work before your next pass. Used correctly, the follower should have zero negative impact on your results. The only impact from using a follower is that you will have to extend the work out an extra amount to accommodate it.

I ended up moving the cutter before the jaws, so I start threading at the end of the rod. When the photo was taken, nothing was quite set up right, as I was pondering how to use the thing. At the time of the photo, one could say there was an element of exasperation in the air. Prior to thread cutting, the jaws were set to lightly contact the work. There was some tearing of the thread, but it wasn't too bad. Next time, a file will be used between passes.

 

[WobblyHand]

Would it be possible to use a dead center with a thinner tip? This would also be less expensive. If you don't thread to the end of the rod, you don't have to go there with the tool. Maybe just leave a short section turned to minor diameter or measure the thread with wires?

Yes, it would have been easier. Didn't have one. Thought about machining the dead center in my shop, but stopped when I realized that I'd need an MT3 to MT2 adapter just to do the machining. Turning to the minor diameter of the rod is an interesting idea, so I'll add that to my bag of tricks.

As for wires... During this whole exercise, the realization that there was no way to measure the thread dimensions, prompted me to spring for some wires. In the interim, I just used some nuts and screws as comparison. Everything worked out, even learned a few things, both in this thread, and in the shop.

 

[SLK001]

As for wires... During this whole exercise, the realization that there was no way to measure the thread dimensions, prompted me to spring for some wires. In the interim, I just used some nuts and screws as comparison. Everything worked out, even learned a few things, both in this thread, and in the shop.

Using a nut for a thread check works just fine. You won't know the exact class of the thread, but as a quick test of a thread, it works just fine (and you'd be surprised how often this technique is used!).

But, really, you should have some way to actually measure your threads.

 

[WobblyHand]

Wires are on the way. Supposed to be here by Wednesday. Hopefully, by the end of next week.

 

[savarin]

The problem I have with the following rest is mine is mounted on the left hand side of the carriage.
The set up for the first pass is fine, works ok.
Back to the start of the cut, re-set the fingers to the work and away we go.
BUT, you can only go as far as the distance between the fingers and the tool bit because the fingers now butt against the end of the previous cut preventing any further travel.
I have to stop the machine, relieve the fingers, restart and finish the cut probably leaving a small step or at the least a visible mark.
Using it for threading is slightly easier as the fingers can (hopefully) ride up onto the unthreaded portion If I can leave a length the same size as the thread but if I want to thread up to a shoulder then all bets are off.
Using it cutting away from the headstock has the same problem in starting the cut, stopping to set the fingers then continuing the cut.
I hate it but then again maybe I'm going about it all wrong.
I still hate it though.