Question about center steady for mini lathe?

Ok Ok I have kept meaning to build one for myself. If I have time this week I will do so and post it. Do you need a steady for spindle or faceplate work?

Hi Thomas

Owen Lowe put up some pic's around August, very clever and simple, he used UHMW plastic for the bearing surface, I was sure I saved a picture of it but I just can't find it, but someone else does have one, or Owen could maybe put it up again. I know Penn State has one, I don't care much for it, and it's something like $50.-- I seem to recall.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Thomas Clark wrote:

Try this link. There are not any plans but there is a step by step guide.

I have made a similar one myself but I don't have the ability to post photographs.

There is one design change I would make if I did it again.

The three wheel arms one the one above and on mine are at 120 degrees spacing with one at the top. If I get the time to redo I would put one at the bottom and still use the 120 degrees spacing.

The arrangement with one at the top is intuitively the way to make it as we are used to dealing with gravity and the two lower ones give support. When doing turning and applying a gouge to the wood then the wood tries to lift. So it would seem a better idea to have two of the support arms at the top to better support this tendency.

I haven't tried this. Perhaps you would like to be a guinea pig.

BillR

Now thats what I've been looking for! Thanks a ton. I'll get right on it and post a few pics when I get a chance.

Thanks

Thomas Clark

Bill, It seems that putting one wheel at the bottom would be a problem if the gap in the bed ways wasn't wide enough for the wheel arm. Or the arm would have to be narrowed to fit with the resulting loss of rigidity. Also, depending on the base under the lathe, there might not be room for the arm to be extended downward.

Just thoughts.

Matt Heffron Inland Woodturners

Matt,

Glad you spotted that. Went to check. My arms are 1/2" square steel bars with ball races on the action end. They will fit between the beds.

Elation!

Had a look down between the beds and I have webs firming up the bed bars which would stop me sliding the rest along the ways.

Back to the drawing board.

Thanks for thought.

BillR

I can't access BillR's link so this may be redundant. I made mine using Leo Lichtman's suggestion to swing the adjusting arms on bolts instead of sliding in slots or grooves. It was simple to make and easy to set up. I think he posted a pic.

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

Hi Arch

Yes the other Leo did post a Picture, and I saved it and it's > I can't access BillR's link so this may be redundant. I made mine using

Here's one I built for woodturning projects on my little Atlas 618 metal lathe. It's just two pieces of 3/4" hardwood plywood glued together. I recently bought a Jet 1236 woodlathe, so I need to build another, larger one...this time it'll be big enough to allow the use of skate wheels as well as the bearings.

Hello Thomas,

When we were in Australia in September and purchased our Vicmarc VL-100 evs lathe from the factory, I also got a center steady for it that works great. The lathe just arrived about a week ago and Mildred used it to final turn a vase that she had roughed out about a year ago. The center steady we had gotten for the lathe worked very well. It is easy to adjust and fits to the lathe bed very nicely. I don't know of anyone here in the USA that is carrying this item and I don't know how close the lathe bed of the Jet Mini is to the Vicmarc VL-100. The unit is well madeand works great.

Fred Holder

Thomas Clark wrote: