Lathe fixed steady advice

[dieselsamurai]

Hi so I bought this Lathe steady I saw on FB as i need to machine some 4" tube and my Lathe only came with a traveling one and Im not going to get one in this country



Is quite a beast but for £75 I couldnt really ignore it . Buyer said it came from an Excel D420 lathe

I was going to make one as I need one and I have all the materials I need just the time and effort



So my question is should I modify it or save it and build one using the roller fingers as it saves a ton of machining



below is how much i would need to take off to make it fit (top of rule) the bed of my lathe is 7 1/2" wide and the steady is 6" wide at the base so I can cut the smaller V and to accomodate the larger one i can cut the angle off the front edge of the steady



opinions welcome

 

[pressbrake1]

Modify it
Cast sings less

 

[ukracer]

OMG why can I never find things like that when I need one. Lol

 

[dieselsamurai]

OMG why can I never find things like that when I need one.

I had been looking for ages and this one came up its way too big but i took a punt. Started modifing it today

 

[ukracer]

I had been looking for ages and this one came up its way too big but i took a punt. Started modifing it today

I started building mine today but my bridgeport has stopped turning in fast speeds

 

[dieselsamurai]

I was going to do the same as you with a ring of steel and make the fingers but when I worked out the machining time it just made more sense to buy and modify if one came up. Its a shame to cut the base off but needs must..

Not an expert on bridgeports im afraid I have one coming as soon as my mate is finished with it

 

[Gritineye]

Just modify it.

I cut about the same amount of this one and fitted it to a section off the base of a spare tailstock.

You can see the base was at an angle so it might have come off some sort of grinder.

I sawed off the bottom then fly cut it square on my lathe.

It was free cos no one knew what it came off.

It's a very good quality piece, way better than my lathe!

 

[dieselsamurai]

Ok so following advice cut it down....


found a bit of scrap for the base



really pleased after much calculation and adjustment fits spot



1mm recess for steady to seat into

 

[dieselsamurai]

Finally sorted thats another project that bites the dust !

 

[dieselsamurai]

Looks good.

I wanted a fixed steady (used far more often than a travelling steady) I grabbed one from epay for a tenner - but picked it up from 110 miles away, so made it a bit more costly.

Only close to 75mm capacity but larger than the standard costly original for my Raglan lathe.

After setting it up for centre height and perfect tracking, along the bed, I was very happy with it. Changed my lathe and a steady came with it - so now I have two!

My inital thought was it was a huge steady - but am thinking that is a 40mm(?) bar, not a 4” tube.

yeah i think its 50mm but just the first bit of bar I had to hand to check it i had it set up right