Post by springcrocus on Dec 12, 2021 17:57:58 GMT
Travelling steady
I've never had either a travelling or fixed steady for my lathe although I did cobble together something from an old car disc brake when I needed to support the smokebox on the Britannia. However, it's no good for what I need at the moment so I decided to make something a bit more appropriate. To get started, I needed a decent-sized chunk of mild steel to make the main body from and a quick look at M-Machine's stocklist showed some CDS2 tube about 6.1/2" dia x 3/4" wall and a 1" length of this was duly obtained. It needed quite a lot of machining to get this cleaned up all round and finishing at 3/4" wide. As is sometimes the case, it faced of better using a boring bar rather than a face-and-turn tool.
With the turning complete, I set up the rotary table on the mill and set about milling some slots for the fingers. I'm re-using the roller-bearing fingers that I made for the previous fabrication which are 16mm wide. The split-point was marked out first, followed by drilling the holes for the M5 retaining screws and then milling the slots for the fingers.
With the work still on the rotary table, a 2" wide flat was milled on the bottom to allow it to be bolted to a riser block. I also spotted either side of the split-point where the hinge pins would go. Then the ring was cut and the four end-faces cleaned up. A pair of 6.5mm holes were drilled in the lower piece and counterbored with a 10mm end mill to take a couple of 1/4" BSF cap screws (because I have them) for the riser block. A 1/4" slot was then milled in each half to accomodate the hinge bar.
The riser block, base plate, hinge bar and pins were made next. The fingers have also been tidied up.
The steady was assembled with the hinge bar and pins and clamped to an angle plate so that the locking flange could be machined.
The steady was flipped upright and the hole for the locking screw made. I also drilled a couple of small holes for a pair of locating dowels. Then the steady was stripped back to individual parts and three holes drilled and tapped adjacent to the finger channels. These are for shouldered screws to allow fine adjustment of the finger positions.
I've made a simple locking screw for this rather than a pivoting screw with slot in the upper half. Here it is mounted on the saddle in one of its two positions.
And here it is being set up for it's first job, to face the front boss of the assembled wheelset. The tool position will be set using the compound slide.
I now have a travelling steady and, with a different base, I will be able to turn it into a fixed steady very quickly. Two tools for the price of one.
Regards, Steve
I've never had either a travelling or fixed steady for my lathe although I did cobble together something from an old car disc brake when I needed to support the smokebox on the Britannia. However, it's no good for what I need at the moment so I decided to make something a bit more appropriate. To get started, I needed a decent-sized chunk of mild steel to make the main body from and a quick look at M-Machine's stocklist showed some CDS2 tube about 6.1/2" dia x 3/4" wall and a 1" length of this was duly obtained. It needed quite a lot of machining to get this cleaned up all round and finishing at 3/4" wide. As is sometimes the case, it faced of better using a boring bar rather than a face-and-turn tool.
With the turning complete, I set up the rotary table on the mill and set about milling some slots for the fingers. I'm re-using the roller-bearing fingers that I made for the previous fabrication which are 16mm wide. The split-point was marked out first, followed by drilling the holes for the M5 retaining screws and then milling the slots for the fingers.
With the work still on the rotary table, a 2" wide flat was milled on the bottom to allow it to be bolted to a riser block. I also spotted either side of the split-point where the hinge pins would go. Then the ring was cut and the four end-faces cleaned up. A pair of 6.5mm holes were drilled in the lower piece and counterbored with a 10mm end mill to take a couple of 1/4" BSF cap screws (because I have them) for the riser block. A 1/4" slot was then milled in each half to accomodate the hinge bar.
The riser block, base plate, hinge bar and pins were made next. The fingers have also been tidied up.
The steady was assembled with the hinge bar and pins and clamped to an angle plate so that the locking flange could be machined.
The steady was flipped upright and the hole for the locking screw made. I also drilled a couple of small holes for a pair of locating dowels. Then the steady was stripped back to individual parts and three holes drilled and tapped adjacent to the finger channels. These are for shouldered screws to allow fine adjustment of the finger positions.
I've made a simple locking screw for this rather than a pivoting screw with slot in the upper half. Here it is mounted on the saddle in one of its two positions.
And here it is being set up for it's first job, to face the front boss of the assembled wheelset. The tool position will be set using the compound slide.
I now have a travelling steady and, with a different base, I will be able to turn it into a fixed steady very quickly. Two tools for the price of one.
Regards, Steve
