Thanks Thanks:  0
Needs Pictures Needs Pictures:  0
Picture(s) thanks Picture(s) thanks:  0
Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Northern Beaches, NSW
    Posts
    287

    Default First time use of fixed steady :)

    As the title says, I used my fixed steady for the first time yesterday. Ive read many a post about the steady chewing the bar stock under the fingers, so approached it with some care and caution.

    To my surprise it was all pretty easy & straight forward and the steady fingers left very little marking on my aluminium stock.
    Fixed Steady in action by Jon_Kelly, on Flickr

    The biggest problem I had was that I couldn't centre drill the free end to support the stock with the tailstock whilst I adjusted the fingers to support before moving the tailstock away to work on the end.


    After some head-scratching I resorted to putting the ally into the 3 jaw (unsupported at the free end) and adjusted the bottom two fingers to meet the stock whilst eyeballing the live centre in the tailstock close to the end of the stock. This was just about accurate enough for the washer that I needed to cut off the end but is defiantly a "Heath Robinson" approach.

    Question:
    How do you centre drill the end of the bar stock / how do you align the stock to enable you to adjust the fingers into position?

    Maybe I should Youtube it, but Im away from home with work and haven't got any Youtube bandwidth

    Thx
    Jon

  2. # ADS
    Google Adsense Advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many





     
  3. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    sydney
    Posts
    880

    Default

    Hi Jon,

    It might just be the photo I looked at, but do you have the 260 fixed steady? The bar looked a bit skew-if. I bought a 9" steady and have to use a riser to get it to the correct centre height.

    Ben.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    sydney
    Age
    64
    Posts
    3,566

    Default

    If the stock is long and cant be fitted through the spindle you would normally mark out for the centre and drill it in a drill press or drill it with a hand drill. ( a pair of jennies,centre finder or vee block and height gauge for marking out ).

    A 3 jaw chuck is not really a good choice when working with a fixed steady with the job unsupported with the tailstock as the stock can have a tendency to walk out of the chuck.

    If you use a 4 jaw and indicate near the jaws to get it almost running true and then move to the outboard end near your steady and adjust the bottom fingers to a similar reading it will be pretty close,you would then need to return to the chuck end and repeat until true,you could set up 2 indicators to save time if available,almost the same way to set up a longer piece of stock if not using a steady.

    If you have room when using the fixed steady place a piece of cardboard or similar on the tailstock end of the steady to reduce the chance of swarf getting between the fingers and the job,the top adjusting screw on these steadies makes it easy to hold something in place.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Northern Beaches, NSW
    Posts
    287

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by bwal74 View Post
    Hi Jon,

    It might just be the photo I looked at, but do you have the 260 fixed steady? The bar looked a bit skew-if. I bought a 9" steady and have to use a riser to get it to the correct centre height.

    Ben.
    Ben,
    Its a 260 steady, courtesy of Mal

    R
    J

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Northern Beaches, NSW
    Posts
    287

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by pipeclay View Post
    If the stock is long and cant be fitted through the spindle you would normally mark out for the centre and drill it in a drill press or drill it with a hand drill. ( a pair of jennies,centre finder or vee block and height gauge for marking out ).

    A 3 jaw chuck is not really a good choice when working with a fixed steady with the job unsupported with the tailstock as the stock can have a tendency to walk out of the chuck.

    If you use a 4 jaw and indicate near the jaws to get it almost running true and then move to the outboard end near your steady and adjust the bottom fingers to a similar reading it will be pretty close,you would then need to return to the chuck end and repeat until true,you could set up 2 indicators to save time if available,almost the same way to set up a longer piece of stock if not using a steady.

    If you have room when using the fixed steady place a piece of cardboard or similar on the tailstock end of the steady to reduce the chance of swarf getting between the fingers and the job,the top adjusting screw on these steadies makes it easy to hold something in place.
    Thanks Peter,
    As you eluded to, I couldn't get the bar through the headstock, hence my problem. I did think about marking our with a pair of jennies but as I couldn't get the stock into the drill press abandoned that idea. Never thought to drill by hand!

    Advice noted re 3 & 4 jaw's.

    Good advice / tip re card-board - I'll be sure to do that next time.

    Thanks
    J

Similar Threads

  1. Fixed Steady Advice
    By DSEL74 in forum METALWORK FORUM
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 30th November 2014, 08:28 PM
  2. Dialling in long shaft on fixed steady
    By YarrD in forum METALWORK FORUM
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 13th December 2013, 11:14 PM
  3. fixed steady
    By morrisman in forum METALWORK FORUM
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 24th February 2013, 09:31 AM
  4. Fixed Steady Identification?
    By Metalman in forum METALWORK FORUM
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 3rd April 2012, 11:58 AM
  5. Home made fixed steady
    By morrisman in forum METALWORK FORUM
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 1st December 2011, 07:59 PM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •