How to Set Up and Adjust a Steady Rest for Use on Bar Stock

[HMF]

I have read that the procedure below is used to set up and adjust a steady rest for use in holding bar stock on a lathe. Is this correct, or is there a better way?

Thanks,


Nelson

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To adjust a steady rest for any size bar stock, use a combination square blade with a center head to scribe two intersecting lines on the end of the piece of round stock

Chuck one end in a 3 or 4 jaw chuck, and place the steady rest near the tailstock end of the round stock, clamping the steady rest to the bed ways. Then put a center drill in a drill chuck in the tailstock. Adjust the steady rest jaws to center the point of the center drill to the intersection of the scribed lines. This will approximate the centering of the steady rest.

Close and clamp the top of the steady rest and make sure the jaws are in contact with the bar stock to remove all wobble. Use some grease to prevent the jaws from scoring the workpiece. Note: Any work mounted in a lathe for machining is called a workpiece.

Start the lathe spindle, and drill the center hole in the end of the workpiece, the center drill will automatically find the exact center of the workpiece.

You can now loosen the jaws of the steady rest, and put a live or dead center in your tailstock spindle. Tighten the center into the centerhole in the workpiece. You can now reset the steady rest jaws on the workpiece. This centers the steady rest exactly; and if you follow these steps, the workpiece will not crawl out of the chuck.

 

[Cabro32]

Thanks for this info, it came at just the right time. I was trying to figure this out last night.
Joe

 

[HSS]

Dang, thanks for that bit of info. I had asked a while back on the other forum about adjusting the steadyrest on the vertical, and no one had a good method. The way you described seems to me to be spot on. Thanks Nelson

Pat

 

[Amigo]

Stalking horse?

 

[Tony Wells]

Something like this works well also, provided the tailstock quill is true: Clamp an indicator the the end of the bar you wish to machine in a way similar to an Indicol, and sweep the quill. Push/pull the bar with the steady until it is concentric with the quill. It's no different than indicating a hole or a boss on the mill, really.....just backwards. Of course, on a bar that will be center drilled, a flat face is best to achieve accurate drilling, but on a tubular piece, once you indicate it this way, you are ready to cut.

If your tailstock isn't true, fix it!