Steady Rest Help

[barnett]

I've never used a steady rest on my lathe before today, I had some trouble with the work pulling toward the tailstock as I was trying to face the end of the 2 1/4" bar I was turning, any suggestions ?

Thanks, Tom

 

[Jimsehr]

If stock is not concentric it will work out of chuck. Indicate it true where the steady jaws rest.
jimsehr

 

[joshua43214]

It is possible to have the stock appear to be running true at the rest end, but actually be running off at an angle. The rest will force the work to run "true" when in fact it is off center.
You should sweep the front and the top of the work to make sure it is inline with the axis. use a hammer to adjust the work so it is aligned with the axis.
This will require that you set the work in the steady, and sweep it with an indicator mounted on the carriage while adjusting the steady. Once the steady is adjusted, you will have to remove it temporarily to move the carriage to the right for facing.
If the work is not too heavy, sometimes you can just indicate at the end with the steady open just like you would center work in a 4jaw. When the work is not inline with the axis, it will appear to have two high spots opposite each other, and two low spots 90* from them (it is oval in cross section.

When the work is too long and heavy to be held in the chuck with out support for setting up the steady, you can make a dummy bar. You would turn a stub of the same diameter as the work, and adjust the steady up near the chuck. Then just move the chuck into position for the actual work.

lastly, if the rest is a bit sloppy in the bed, gently twist the base counter clockwise when you tighten it. This will give a bias to the tracking and force the work back into the chuck. Think of the pads or rollers as being a nut and the work as being a threadless screw and it will make sense.

 

[barnett]

Thanks for the help, I'll give it a try

 

[skinny_jim]

If you were able to locate on a dead Center at the headstock end that would help keep things square as well. Joshua 43214 has given you a couple of options to try.


Jim

 

[janvanruth]

mount steady close to chuck, adjust the steady to the shaft, open the steady, move the steady to end of the shaft and close the steady, ready

 

[Wreck™Wreck]

If the material is held eccentric from the spindle in a steady this will often pull it from the chuck, it also unwise to run a steady on cold formed/extruded rounds, hot rolled rounds and formed and welded tubes and pipe are far far less round.

I suspect that this will be a difficult discussion at best.

Here goes however.

If this is a second operation, the stock having been previously turned or ground for example hold the material in the head stock by whatever means that you have be it 3-jaw, 4-jaw, collett chuck or center. Place a piece of material against the tailstock end and run a center against it lightly. Place a dial indicator on the material where you wish to use the steady, rotate the spindle by hand (if the size of the lathe makes this possible) and gently nudge the stock until you have achieved the run out that you desire.

Now very gently position the steady and adjust the rollers/fingers against the part and you are good to go.

If the stock is not particularly round then bands the width of the steady rollers/fingers are in order.

When I set a steady I run the spindle at the speeds that will be used doing the work and watch the chuck for several minutes for signs of the work leaving on its own. Never launched a part this way yet have come close.

 

[Paul in OKC]

Agree with Wreck, your material has to be trued before you touch the part with the steady rest. When you dial it in, leave the indicator on it while setting the steady and you should be able to keep it right in line. If raw stock, even cold finished, you should skim the od where the steady will ride.

 

[barnett]

Thanks for the replies, now off to the shop

 

[4GSR]

Once you get your SR set and start running, make sure to squirt some oil on the jaws so your work piece does not seize up while its rotating at speed. This is, if you are using a SR with solid jaws and not with rollers. As long as you can see a bead of oil at the edge of the jaws, you're ok. If it goes away, give it some more oil. If you start to hear a squealing noise, it's over with! Better stop an let thing cool off and try again!