One thing I dont think has been mentioned - May or may not be an issue for you - weight of the steady rest. These heavy duty rests many have mentioned weigh a lot - perhaps some folks can weigh them and post it.
Another item - Lyle jamieson is a good resource on this, he does a lot of hf’s and does not use a steady rest. The process used - the sequence of how the piece is cut down and hollowed - is the major driver of whether a steady rest is needed.
I dont agree that the rest needs to be super stout. With proper sequencing of cutting the piece down the loads are minimized. I use a Carter multi-rest, made of AL, light and easy to handle, but I rarely need it after watching Lyle’s video on the subject.
Another item - Lyle jamieson is a good resource on this, he does a lot of hf’s and does not use a steady rest. The process used - the sequence of how the piece is cut down and hollowed - is the major driver of whether a steady rest is needed.
I dont agree that the rest needs to be super stout. With proper sequencing of cutting the piece down the loads are minimized. I use a Carter multi-rest, made of AL, light and easy to handle, but I rarely need it after watching Lyle’s video on the subject.
