Asian made steady rest for ood South Bend 13 inch lathe

[cannonmakerken]

I bought a steady rest from Tools 4Cheap I have trouble with the fingers staying in place on the part I'm turning I put jam nuts on the lock down screws to try to keep the locking screws from backing off but some times it doesn't help am I the only one that has problems with it, my lathe is an old 13 inch
Soth Bend lathe thanks Ken

 

[markba633csi]

Post a picture maybe we can suggest some improvements
MS

 

[Doubleeboy]

sounds like you might have a vibration problem and or the part is not dialed in correctly or maybe has too rough a surface and is setting up vibration. The fingers should not be coming loose, if part is round, dialed in, and has relatively smooth surface.

 

[cannonmakerken]

I dial indicated it in my 4 jaw chuck and turned it in my 4jaw chuck and tail stock center,I'm making a firing civil war cannon and after I turned it I put it on my steady rest and when boring it one finger might back of a little bit and I must stop the lathe and readjust the finger the part is smooth and on center.I wish I could get an original steady rest for a 13inch SouthBend lathe but they want a hefty price for a used one I'm thinking about making a home made steady rest maybe I'll have better luck that way.

 

[just old al]

I might suggest a hardware problem, then. If the finger is loosening sufficiently to drop back something is allowing it to move. What quality is the hardware holding the finger - if it's the typical Chinese garbage provided with most accessories throw it away and buy some grade 8/10.9 (Imperial/Metric) to replace it with - and tighten it properly.

 

[cannonmakerken]

I might try that or I'll finish making a home made steady rest with all thread fingers and i'll make some brass tips that will thread on to those I wonder would any type of brass work for the tips when I worked in a machine shop just out of highschool in the late 70s they made their own steady rests for their old lathes and they worked ok I'll have to show you a picture of this steady rest I bought from Tools4Cheap its kind of rink a dink.