Is this steady rest too good to modify?

[Dranreb]

I acquired this nice quality rest as payment for a tiny welding job today, the hole is 3" diam, I am thinking of modifying it to fit my Atlas, can anyone identify it?







Bernard

 

[Dranreb]

Took it apart and got it all freed off and moving, to find that, stranger than the offset angled base, the smallest work it will hold is 11/16", rather disappointed with it now....

 

[OldMachinist]

Likely for a cylindrical grinder. You could make brass caps to fit on the posts to reduce the size it will contact.

 

[GaryK]

It's got to open more than you have it shown. There are gear teeth on the guides. It looks like the knobs are travel locks and the knobs on
other side are the pinion gears to move them in and out. With the number of teeth remaining it looks like there is a lot of room to move.

Gary

 

[Daver]

It's got to open more than you have it shown. There are gear teeth on the guides. It looks like the knobs are travel locks and the knobs on
other side are the pinion gears to move them in and out. With the number of teeth remaining it looks like there is a lot of room to move.

Gary

I believe he was disappointed with the minimum size it would hold.

 

[Dranreb]

Likely for a cylindrical grinder. You could make brass caps to fit on the posts to reduce the size it will contact.

Tanks Don, that would make sense, can't see it fitting a lathe. I was also thinking along the lines of brass caps myself, I could pinch a little more travel by lengthening the slots the locking screws fit in, but not enough.

Bernard

 

[GaryK]

I believe he was disappointed with the minimum size it would hold.

You're right. I got it backwards.

 

[Dranreb]

It's got to open more than you have it shown. There are gear teeth on the guides. It looks like the knobs are travel locks and the knobs on
other side are the pinion gears to move them in and out. With the number of teeth remaining it looks like there is a lot of room to move.

Gary

Gary, as Daver has already said, it's the minimum size, you are correct as to how it works though, it is very well made with matching sets of parts numbered.

Thanks for your reply.

Bernard

 

[Daver]

I would think the hardest part of modifying it to fit a lathe would be getting the Height and lateral alignment just perfect so all three fingers came in concentric to the center of the lathe rotation... (Im not sure I said that right, but... Im a newbie).

 

[Dranreb]

I would think the hardest part of modifying it to fit a lathe would be getting the Height and lateral alignment just perfect so all three fingers came in concentric to the center of the lathe rotation... (Im not sure I said that right, but... Im a newbie).

My plan is to cut just enough off the bottom to be able to mount it on the three jaw, then after I have it fixed vertically, I put a block on the bed and then scribe a cut off line, I can then mark the center on that line.

After that it is anybodys guess given the shape of the thing..

Bernard