Steady Rest Question

Gut feeling is that it is personal preference.

Al Crandall

>My steady has 4 wheels. Because of restrictions caused by the bracing of the ring, I was forced to move the two lower wheels apart somewhat. Then I moved the two upper wheels apart the same amount so that opposite wheels line up and their support centerlines still pass through the spindle center. My wheel spacing degrees are about 80, 100, 80, 100. It works just great. Go with three and put them wherever you feel like.

Re: Steady Rest Question

Mark Kauder, Phenix City, AL

>There is no reason not to evenly space them around - no matter how many you use - you will not be turning on the outside were the wheels are placed. If you do, you change the diameter, and the wheels will no longer contact the bowl.

Mark

Re: Steady Rest Question

Ric Erkes

>It may depend on your hollowing tools. I use an outrigger support arm that would not work with a steady rest wheel at 9 O'clock.

I also had to adjust my steady rest because of the way I attached my laser support arm. You might not want a wheel at 9 O'clock if you are going to use a laser.

Check your tools to see if they require a certain setup.

Ric

Re: Steady Rest Question

Lee Weed

>Thanks for the responses,

I'm going to stick with the typical 12,4,8 layout to keep it easy. There doesn't seem to be an advantage or disadvantage either way. By putting one at 9:00 and spacing them equally it interferes with the lathe bed.

Lee

Symmetry is key

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA

>Lee,

Well, actually I should say "symmetry of forces is key". Because you're trying to counteract the forces imposed on the blank from your tool contact. Spacing them evenly just distributes the force between the wheels.

You should have contact at as many points as you want, but evenly spaced. I've seen (3) wheeled steady rests with the wheels positioned 120 deg apart. The one I made uses (4) wheels. It was so easy to make, I did it over (2) nights (or so) after work.

Here is the link to the article here on WC

See ya around,

Dominic

Re: Symmetry is key

Lee Weed

>Dominic,

Thanks for the link, I didn't see that one.

I turned a vase out of the Box Elder to about 1/8", it was deflecting pretty bad at that thickness and was hard to get a smooth cut on the inside. The box elder seemed to have a "heavy,wet" side to it making it a little off balance. I'll make the Steady Rest this week and give it another try.

Re: Symmetry is key

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA

>Lee,

You wrote:

I turned a vase out of the Box Elder to about 1/8", it was deflecting pretty bad at that thickness and was hard to get a smooth cut on the inside. The box elder seemed to have a "heavy,wet" side to it making it a little off balance.

I've experienced the same thing as you have with Box Elder. I believe this "effect" is caused by this being a "soft" hardwood. I've found that Box Elder moves about as much as Silver Maple (another soft/hardwood).

Coincidentally, the reason I built the steady rest in the first place was so that I could turn a deep, thin walled box elder bowl.

Another project you might want to think about is a bowl steady. While I know you don't turn many bowls, it does have it's uses. And it's easy to make. I made a version that utilizes components from the steady rest. here is a link to that:

Shop Built Bowl Steady

Good luck with the Box Elder! Be sure to post some pictures of the completed item.

See ya around,

Dominic

Re: Symmetry is key

Keith Tompkins

>Hey Dom! I can testify to the effectiveness of your three-wheel planetary (sounds important, doesn't it) steady rest. The wheel spacing is fine as is...no reason to alter in any way.

It is indeed easy and fun to make, and I find mine indespensible. For my latest project, I needed to hollow three cones, 14" deep, 3/16" wall thickness, 4" diameter at the top, 1 1/2" at the base. the sides of the cone had to be straight(checked with a straight-edge) and the inside match perfectly. It would have been very difficult without the steady.