- Joined
- Jul 2, 2014
- Messages
- 7,594
Chip problems with steady rests can be reduced considerably by putting a shield between the cutting tool and the steady rest. A piece of light cardboard (like a cereal box) is enough to shield the rollers or rubbing tips from swarf, abrasives, and other problems. The shield can be attached to the outer ring of the steady rest. It should be as snug as possible to the O.D. of the work and large in overall diameter. Ordinary cast iron or bronze tips on steady rest fingers work very well as long as they are kept well lubricated and not run at excessive speed. The area that the steady rest rubs on will be quite visible after machining, but is normally only to a very light depth, and so can be removed easily if a little extra material is left on the O.D. in that area or simply polished out if the O.D. dimension is not critical. Roller bearings will also mark the metal, though not as much, unless they get swarf or grit under them, which can make marks deeper and uglier than the sliding tips do. In either case, prevention is way better than cure."Roller steady rests are fine, until a chip gets caught and dings up your work;
John,
thanks for the info on using bearings on the steady rest. I was just about to modify mine with bearings. Your caution has
made me seriously rethink (unthink) my idea.