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  1. #1
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    Default DIY Travelling Steady

    Now keep in mind I don't have the equipment, training or skills most of you guys do so be kind. No milling machine was used all done the hard way by hand or in the Myford.

    I made a travelling steady for my Myford lathe it is 90% complete. I still need to cut the corners off the brass so the there is just a 4mm flat onto the work, and I Need to add a 3mm Plate to the side of the base so the steady presses up on the saddle.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  2. #2
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    Default



    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  3. #3
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    Heidelberg, Victoria
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    Default Where's the pics?

    It didn't happen if there's no pictures.

    Ken

  4. #4
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    Default

    Yes there is lol
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  5. #5
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    Default

    Ken are you like me, keep misplacing the glasses Nice work DSEL
    Kryn

  6. #6
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    Jul 2008
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    near Warragul, Victoria
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    Default Neat

    That's a neat job considering the basic tools you have

    It may be just me, but when I use steadies with those sliding fingers , the fingers always seem to work themselves loose no matter how tight you tighten the bolt .

    I prefer the threaded fingers , you adjust the fingers by turning the head of the fingers which thread into the body of the steady

    Mike

  7. #7
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    Oct 2011
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    Norwood-ish, Adelaide
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    Quote Originally Posted by DSEL74 View Post
    Now keep in mind I don't have the equipment, training or skills most of you guys do so be kind. No milling machine was used all done the hard way by hand or in the Myford.
    Nothing wrong with that - I'd probably do more hand work myself if it was not for my chronic laziness.

    Michael

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael G View Post
    Nothing wrong with that - I'd probably do more hand work myself if it was not for my chronic laziness.

    Michael

    I suffer from the same condition too, Michael, just to make you feel a bit better about it.
    Kryn

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by morrisman View Post
    That's a neat job considering the basic tools you have

    It may be just me, but when I use steadies with those sliding fingers , the fingers always seem to work themselves loose no matter how tight you tighten the bolt .

    I prefer the threaded fingers , you adjust the fingers by turning the head of the fingers which thread into the body of the steady

    Mike
    I agree on the design but due to the thickness of material I had available & ease of manufacture went this way.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  10. #10
    Ueee's Avatar
    Ueee is offline Blacksmith, Cabinetmaker, Machinist, Messmaker
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    Default

    Hi Dale,
    How about you make up a pair of L shaped parts and drill and tap the through the short part. Weld them on and add an adjustment bolt/thumbscrew and lock nut.

    Cheers
    Ew
    1915 17"x50" LeBlond heavy duty Lathe, 24" Queen city shaper, 1970's G Vernier FV.3.TO Universal Mill, 1958 Blohm HFS 6 surface grinder, 1942 Rivett 715 Lathe, 14"x40" Antrac Lathe, Startrite H225 Bandsaw, 1949 Hercus Camelback Drill press, 1947 Holbrook C10 Lathe.

  11. #11
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    Default

    That's a good idea Ewan. The Myford is only small and cuts will be light. so I will try it as is and if it moves I'll incorporate the tabs and thumbscrews. I had to make this to
    Machine a rod down for friend. so not even something I needed for myself at this stage.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  12. #12
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DSEL74 View Post
    That's a good idea Ewan. The Myford is only small and cuts will be light. so I will try it as is and if it moves I'll incorporate the tabs and thumbscrews. I had to make this to
    Machine a rod down for friend. so not even something I needed for myself at this stage.
    Hi Dale,

    Nice work, a bit rugged but nice. Both my Myford fixed and traveling steady's are like yours with a securing bolt through the fingers.

    Now since you mentioned machining down a rod, I have a device that is simply a length of bar made so that it fits in the tool holder. It has a 3/4" brass bush with a 1/2" diameter hole in it fitted at the outer end with a 1/4" hole drilled into the brass bush through into the 1/2" hole. This 1/4" hole has a threaded hole cross drilled through it. I think mine is OBA, might even be 1BA, anyway a short length of a broken center drill goes into the 1/4" hole and is secured by the grub screw. The toolbit is ground like a left hand lathe tool. In use the rod is clamped in the chuck and goes through the brass bush and is machined to size by the reground center drill. You have to remember that the toolbit needs to be upside down. Depending upon the size of rod that you are machining you may need to adjust the brass bush size.

    If I can lay my hands on this device quickly I will post pictures of it.

    PS. Happy new year all.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by BaronJ View Post
    Hi Dale,

    Nice work, a bit rugged but nice. Both my Myford fixed and traveling steady's are like yours with a securing bolt through the fingers.

    Now since you mentioned machining down a rod, I have a device that is simply a length of bar made so that it fits in the tool holder. It has a 3/4" brass bush with a 1/2" diameter hole in it fitted at the outer end with a 1/4" hole drilled into the brass bush through into the 1/2" hole. This 1/4" hole has a threaded hole cross drilled through it. I think mine is OBA, might even be 1BA, anyway a short length of a broken center drill goes into the 1/4" hole and is secured by the grub screw. The toolbit is ground like a left hand lathe tool. In use the rod is clamped in the chuck and goes through the brass bush and is machined to size by the reground center drill. You have to remember that the toolbit needs to be upside down. Depending upon the size of rod that you are machining you may need to adjust the brass bush size.

    If I can lay my hands on this device quickly I will post pictures of it.

    I agree it's ruggedly handsome! But it isn't finished yet, once it has been tested it will probably get a wash, shave & hair cut.

    Would the device your talking about take a long 12mmDia bronze rod down to 6mm? Or would you need to have several bushes and take it in nominal increments? How many bushes would be required?
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by DSEL74 View Post
    I agree it's ruggedly handsome! But it isn't finished yet, once it has been tested it will probably get a wash, shave & hair cut.

    Would the device your talking about take a long 12mmDia bronze rod down to 6mm? Or would you need to have several bushes and take it in nominal increments? How many bushes would be required?
    Hi Dale,

    I've had a quick route about in the workshop this morning and I can't find the dammed thing, so I've done a sketch of the device I'm talking about.

    But to answer your question, I recall only taking a millimeter or thereabouts off at a time. I did purchase a traveling steady later but found that in use it tended to get swarf under the fingers and damage the surface finish, so I preferred the described tool I think that because the swarf falls downwards and you can blow it away the surface finish is better. I've seen a similar tool where the bottom part has been machined away making it look a bit like a curled finger.

    Rod Turning tool.jpg
    I've described this as made from 20 mm plate, but in my original one I cheated somewhat and used a bit of 1/2" round bar for the piece that fit into the tool holder of the Myford and filed a flat on one side so that it went into the slot. The oblong piece on the end was just welded onto the bar fitted into a recess. The whole thing was put into the tool holder and drilled by putting the drill bit in the chuck and opening it out to 3/4". The biggest drill I had at that time. The brass piece was simply a short bit of bar cut to fit in the hole and drilled. Again using a drill in the lathe chuck. The threaded holes were drilled using a drill press and the 1/4" hole cross drilled by dropping the shaft through the hole in the press drill table. I used alan hex grub screws to secure the toolbit. Adjustment was by crudely tapping the toolbit with a hammer.

    I originally made this over 30 years ago and it was done to turn down 6 mm brass rod over a 7" length so that it would be a sliding fit in some 6 mm X 0.65 drawn brass tube. Just for those curious folks, I was making stub tuners at the time.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  15. #15
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    Default

    Thanks again, those dimensions on the drawing are they decimal inches?
    So the way to go would be use the steady to hog off the bulk and this tool for finishing cuts.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

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