Making a steady rest

[f350ca]

Nice work Mayhem. I've had roller and brass steadies and not sure which one I prefer. The surface has to be relatively smooth for either to work, you or at least I have to turn the surface if at all possible to get it round, its usually slightly oval or some odd shape. Once its smooth the brass runs nice with lots of oil. Cuttings don't bother the brass fingers, they get wiped away, where they just love to go under the rollers. The steady on my 18 inch lathe is heavy enough I have to use the crane to put it on, it has rollers and what I thought was a CHEAP plastic knob to hold the top half closed. Well that plastic knob makes a great relief valve. Was hogging some pretty heavy cuts close to the steady, one of the cuttings went under the roller and blew that knob to pieces. Not sure what would happen if it couldn't open, maybe twist the shaft between the chuck and the steady. Moral of the story, don't rule out the brass fingers, I've never had trouble with them.