A steady rest is a pretty standard accessory for lathe work. It provides additional support for the spinning wood when hollowing (where the wood is supported at only one end) and on long items that tend to vibrate in the middle section.
You can buy commercial steady rests and they come with two wheels, three wheels or (for some reason) four or more wheels but a lot of woodworkers seem to make their own, usually with the "just right" number of three wheels. Fortunately, appropriate wheels are easy enough to come by - I got mine at Lee Valley Tools and they are just repurposed scooter wheels.
You can buy commercial steady rests and they come with two wheels, three wheels or (for some reason) four or more wheels but a lot of woodworkers seem to make their own, usually with the "just right" number of three wheels. Fortunately, appropriate wheels are easy enough to come by - I got mine at Lee Valley Tools and they are just repurposed scooter wheels.
Steady Rest, Size Small
The small steady rest, rendered in sawdust-free digital form
An early use of the small steady rest
I made this smallish steady rest in early 2016 for a narrow vessel I was working on.
The frame is 3/4" MDF and it uses mostly 5/16" hardware. In this early shot, the wheel-securing knobs are on the opposite side to where they eventually ended up.
The frame is 3/4" MDF and it uses mostly 5/16" hardware. In this early shot, the wheel-securing knobs are on the opposite side to where they eventually ended up.
Doing some hollowing
In this shot, I've flipped the rest around to enable the cutter to be placed closer to the wood. I've also switched to 1/4" hardware on the wheels for reasons that I no longer recall.
The wheels can be moved along their slots to acommodate diameters of just under 3/4" to just under 3.5". They are each moved in until they contact the wood and then the securing knobs are tightened to hold them in place.
The wheels can be moved along their slots to acommodate diameters of just under 3/4" to just under 3.5". They are each moved in until they contact the wood and then the securing knobs are tightened to hold them in place.
The effects of vibration
With a long piece on the lathe, cutting near the center often results in vibration of the wood.
This close-up shows the effects; the wood jumps around giving the irregularly-cut effect seen here on the tapered edge.
This close-up shows the effects; the wood jumps around giving the irregularly-cut effect seen here on the tapered edge.
Stabilizing a long piece
In spindle turning, the spindle is supported at both ends but the center tends to vibrate unless the piece is pretty short or thick, resulting in the effects seen above. The steady rest prevents that so that smooth cuts are possible.
The pressure of the wheels on the wood can result in compressed fibers at the contact point, especially on softer woods. If this is going to be a problem, I'll often add some reinforcement to the wood where the wheels track like on this spindle where I've taped a hard plastic ring to the spindle to prevent any compression effects.
The pressure of the wheels on the wood can result in compressed fibers at the contact point, especially on softer woods. If this is going to be a problem, I'll often add some reinforcement to the wood where the wheels track like on this spindle where I've taped a hard plastic ring to the spindle to prevent any compression effects.
Size Large
Later in 2016 I was working on a vessel with a large-enough diameter that it wouldn't fit into the steady rest so obviously I needed a larger version.
The large steady rest, suitable for moderately corpulent vessels
This little four-picture vignette shows the process of putting the rest together; I started with some 3/4" MDF that was a temporary table top I'd made years ago and cut the frame from that. I used the wheels from my smaller unit, added some new mounting hardware and made some longish struts for them.
The sacrificial table top
Cutting out the frame
Mounting base added
Making wheel struts
The steady rest assembled and set up on the lathe
This is the look with it assembled and mounted to the lathe with a large-diameter piece in place.
This larger version can handle diameters between about 1" and 9-1/2".
This larger version can handle diameters between about 1" and 9-1/2".
The steel rod stabilizes the rest
I found that the steady rest wasn't quite steady enough to prevent the frame flexing a bit, so I added a metal strut to stiffen it. It mounted to an existing hole in the lathe and with a clamp on the frame. It was pretty solid after that was in place.
Adjusted for a smaller diameter
Here's another shot of the large steady rest with the stabilizer bar in place, and set for a smaller-diameter piece.
