Description

The best steady-rest out there that I’ve ever used, and I’ve only ever used this one. Most prominently, the main design feature is that it is completely collapsible, this makes it easier to get on/off the lathe, plus it takes up almost half as much space when stored away collapsed vs. as a full ring. Also, because of the flat tire shape of the bottom, you’re able to get a larger diameter piece to fit inside of the steady-rest compared to if it was a full circle (with the one sized for my 16″ lathe, I’m still able to get 12″ inside the steady rest. There are 9 different arm locations, so it’s fully adjustable depending on what you’re turning and how much support you need. I used 5 wheels for turning the vase since it’s so heavy, but just 3 arms is great for spindle work since it gets you a much smaller diameter. Lastly, with the use of star knobs, the entire jig is able to be operated without tools and the same is the case with assembly/disassembly.

Don’t see plans to fit the diameter of your lathe? Simply buy the next size down and pad the steady rest up the difference in the radius between your machine and the plans you bought, that will bring the center of the steady up to be centered on your lathe.

This entire jig is built with roughly 1/4 of a sheet of 3/4″ plywood, some roller blade wheels, 5/16″ bolts/nuts/washers, and star knobs (which I made myself).

Plans Include:

1. Print out the full sized template on a plotter (if you don’t have access to one, check your local Staples, FedEx, etc) and trace onto your work pieces
2. Print out the multi-page templates full scale on regular 8.5×11/A4 paper and use the layout grid to tape the pieces together and then trace them out

The entire plan is included in a single PDF document. It is likely that you have a PDF reader installed on your computer already, but if you have trouble opening the file you can use the free program Adobe Reader to view the plans (available here). The checkout process on my site uses PayPal where you can use either your PayPal account or major credit or debit cards. Once your payment has processed, you will receive an email receipt for your purchase and that will contain a link to download your plan. Please be sure to check your inbox for the download link, your spam filters if you don’t see it in your inbox, and if after ~30 minutes you don’t see it in either place or encounter other issues, please feel free to contact me. Note that any downloadable product in my store is not refundable once you have downloaded the file.