I made a steady based on some plans in a recent discussion here, and wasn't satisfied with my version of it. After my first attempt, I at least came away with a better idea of what I needed.
One thing that I realized is that horizontal wheel support bars tend to give good spindle support in the vertical direction, but I needed support on the back of the spindle. I came up with the following design, which seems to work pretty well so far.
I'm still adding to it -- specifically adding a clamping mechanism to easily hold both wheel supports together. And not shown is a piece that registers both parts to the lathe bed to keep the steady perpendicular.
But, even as is, it's waaaaay easier to set up. Instead of adjusting 4 separate nuts to apply pressure, I just adjust one clamp, then clamp the whole thing to the lathe bed. Also, you don't have to dismount your spindle to get it on and off.
I'm sure this is a re-invention of the wheel -- any pointers to this type of design would be greatly appreciated for ideas on tweaks.
Regards,
Tom
One thing that I realized is that horizontal wheel support bars tend to give good spindle support in the vertical direction, but I needed support on the back of the spindle. I came up with the following design, which seems to work pretty well so far.
I'm still adding to it -- specifically adding a clamping mechanism to easily hold both wheel supports together. And not shown is a piece that registers both parts to the lathe bed to keep the steady perpendicular.
But, even as is, it's waaaaay easier to set up. Instead of adjusting 4 separate nuts to apply pressure, I just adjust one clamp, then clamp the whole thing to the lathe bed. Also, you don't have to dismount your spindle to get it on and off.
I'm sure this is a re-invention of the wheel -- any pointers to this type of design would be greatly appreciated for ideas on tweaks.
Regards,
Tom
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