Follow Rest Modification

[Mitch Alsup]

Not so much, lately......

Inquiring minds want to know...........

 

[Jimsehr]

I made a tool with 3 rollers that supports the bar in front of the cutting tool. It has a plate with rollers on the chuck side of cutting tool and plate keeps chips away
from rollers.

 

[Joe-R]

The twins put it on the right side of the carriage, and they were smarter than I am.

The twins?
I'm not familiar, can you maybe post a link of what you're referring to please, it sounds interesting though.
Thanks

 

[Joe-R]

I made a tool with 3 rollers that supports the bar in front of the cutting tool. It has a plate with rollers on the chuck side of cutting tool and plate keeps chips away
from rollers.

Hi,

That looks like an effective tool for small diameter turning! Well done IMHO.
I don't know exactly why but it seems that most of the threading I do is on shafts that have a shoulder next to the start of the threads.
Unless I'm missing something, it doesn't look like your tool would accommodate threading where there's a shoulder.
What you've come up with would certainly work on shafting with no shoulder though.

Again, well done!

 

[Jim F]

The twins?
I'm not familiar, can you maybe post a link of what you're referring to please, it sounds interesting though.
Thanks

South Bend.

Started by twin brothers.

 

[nnam]

I made a tool with 3 rollers that supports the bar in front of the cutting tool. It has a plate with rollers on the chuck side of cutting tool and plate keeps chips away
from rollers.

Just wonder, why didn't you call it a follow rest?

 

[nnam]

Hey all,
the follow rest is now, it will be way too far to the left of the start of threads and the cutting tool so it just won't work without modifying something.

Joe

The picture shows the tool mounted on a dovetail. Is it the lathe's bed, such as in a Harding lathe? If so, then this is a steady rest right? Otherwise, maybe you mount it on the cross slide, but the dovetail help it slides for adjust ability.

Abom79 just cut a left hand acme thread, and when it gets small, it starts to fail. Appears to be caused by flex and long rod. It could also be a combination with dull cutter after long cut.

One very good feedback was to cut with a rectangular cutter like a parting tool first. A follow rest or steady rest definitely helps.

Skip to 35 minutes into the video

 

[Jimsehr]

Just wonder, why didn't you call it a follow rest?

I call it my moving steady rest. Also tool is locked on lathe center. And center is independent from cutting tools.

 

[Joe-R]

The picture shows the tool mounted on a dovetail. Is it the lathe's bed, such as in a Harding lathe? If so, then this is a steady rest right? Otherwise, maybe you mount it on the cross slide, but the dovetail help it slides for adjust ability.

Abom79 just cut a left hand acme thread, and when it gets small, it starts to fail. Appears to be caused by flex and long rod. It could also be a combination with dull cutter after long cut.

One very good feedback was to cut with a rectangular cutter like a parting tool first. A follow rest or steady rest definitely helps.

Skip to 35 minutes into the video

The follow rest assembly in the pictures are of a follow rest split in two with an added dovetail block and the whole thing as pictured mounts to the carriage next to the cross slide and moves with the carriage as the threads are being cut. And yes, it is for adjustability.

The guy in the video says at first that it's a rigidity issue but then toward the end he blames it on the lathe for some odd reason.
IMHO, he really needs to be using a follow rest for a leadscrew that long and that small in diameter, the 5 TPI insert at full depth is facing .100" deep, that's a lot of tool pressure on a form tool with such a small shaft and no support at the cutter.
The minor diameter of that leadscrew is only .550" and it's 10 inches long, lot's of room for flex there even for stress proof steel IMHO.

 

[Joe-R]

I call it my moving steady rest.

How bout "A Steady Follow Rest"?
Or maybe a whatchamacallit thingamabob, either way, as long as it gets the job done!!