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Stready Rest

Joined
Sep 20, 2004
Messages
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Location
Elyria, OH
Has anyone used the Oneway spindle steady rest?

I was going to build my own but over the years I have realized
that the time I spend making my own is usually wasted.

I always end up buying something eventually.

Any help would be appreciated.

Don.
 
I have and use one also. Great tool for what it was design to do. Easy to adjust. Little to no marking of the spindles by the rollers.

Per Oneway the spindle steady head will fit on the bowl steady base but not the other way around. Bowl steady apparently has a more sturdy base.
 
It can clamp down to 1/2" spindles. Probably limited to the diameter of the wheels.

Look into the bowl rest, it can be converted to the spindle rest. The spindle rest cannot be converted to the bowl rest though.
 
I have never used a steady to do things like the long stem goblets. I put tissue paper around a wooden block that fits in my live center. This stabilizes the goblet portion while I turn the stem. I try not to put any pressure on the goblet, just enough to stabilize it.
I don't have a oneway steady but when I tried to use my homemade steady, the friction from the wheels (I use inline skate wheels) would break the stem if I didn't start the lathe up real slow or if there was any runout in the grain of the stem. I did try using string steady's such as the ones people use to turn trembleurs. They work but the goblets I turned weren't long enough to warrent the string steady if I had one end attached to the chuck and steadied the other end with the tailstock. I tried using things like a rubber ball or tennis ball but they were never the right size and if I put any pressure at all it just created more vibration.
 
Kids bought me the bowl steady about three years back. Added the spindle on a sunbequent gifting occasion. Spindle is strange to me, in that it's two over one, rather than one over two wheels. A catch wants to climb, I suppose is the reason, but I'm one who cuts as close to the top as possible, and enters the cut top down. Works, but not a big use item.

I use the bowl steady for goblets. I hollow at 9:00, then reverse it after the outside of the container is finished so that it steadies at 3:00. Keeps good hold, and stays out of my way when I'm doing the stem. If you're really long, the spindle would be all right, but it does take up a fair size chunk of spindle.

Had you considered the old bodger's wedged steady? That allows you to make the notched part out of 1/4 or 3/8 UHMW plastic to stay out of the way and you don't really care that much if you overshoot. You can slap a few together and keep 'em on hand, adding to the turning as required.
 
The Oneway spindle steady will not work for making long stem goblets. A string steady would be a better item for that.

The Oneway spindle steady is good for long spindles like table legs or bed posts.
 
its a nice piece of equipment but save your money. Spindle steadies are easy to make from the very small using sealed bearings to large ones using roller blade wheel. Whough for goblets I too prefer a string steady which is even cheaper to make.
 

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