Built a steady rest this weekend

[Dennis Nagle]

I was able to make the ring/base plus bottom plate yesterday.* I will get the square tubing tomorrow and finish it up.*

This thing is HEAVVVVY.* You won't think 51lbs is that heavy but lifting it up onto the lathe when needed will count for a workout.

I haven't touched my welder in a year or so and it shows on the welds.* You can see where I finally get back in the groove.

 

[john lucas]

Its looking good. I bought one used this summer it weighs 88 lbs. talk about heavy. Havent needed to use it yet.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Did you make the ring or buy it? I discovered several months ago that McMaster-Carr sells rings like that. They are used in industrial HVAC ducts where they go through a wall.

 

[Dennis Nagle]

Hi John. 88lbs??? As big as mine is, it should only be 60lbs or so. Yours must be huge.

Hi Bill. Yep, I ordered it from McMaster-Carr. It is the biggest they make at 30" ID. It was $50 shipped. I had all the other steel for the base and such so not bad price wise.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I guess that I need to weigh my Robust steady rest if we are going to have a contest. All that I know for certain is that I am glad it isn't any heavier than it is.

 

[Dennis Nagle]

I have a chainfall above my lathe for large logs. Maybe I'll need it for the SR too.

 

[Dennis Nagle]

I finished building the steady rest and normal tool rest for my carriage.* *I put the spray can there to show the relative size of this beast.* I still have to trim the plate on the tool rest and paint it.* I also have to see if the steady rest is stable before painting it.

 

[Bill Boehme]

That Oliver might be a little on the light side for bowl turning. There was a lathe on display at SWAT that was easily twice or maybe three times as heavy as the Oliver. I forget the name, but it was massive and had a swing of around four feet or more. The owner was wanting to sell it. Maybe he wanted to move up to something bigger.

 

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

That Oliver might be a little on the light side for bowl turning. There was a lathe on display at SWAT that was easily twice or maybe three times as heavy as the Oliver. I forget the name, but it was massive and had a swing of around four feet or more. The owner was wanting to sell it. Maybe he wanted to move up to something bigger.

this one: http://www.aawforum.org/vbforum/showthread.php?t=10385

but it seems Dennis already saw it.

that was quite a machine, wasn't it? I bet he can turn a really cool pen on it!

 

[Dennis Nagle]

I am looking for a table top like a Jet for small stuff. I did make a pen on this beast, but I had to lean way over the tool rest carriage to work it. I can turn 88" outboard and have everything to do it, but the need does not come along very often.