Been wanting to have one of these for my lathe and finally got around to making it. Had almost everything lying around the shop. Scrap plywood ~ 17" x 48" and a piece ~ 10" x 10". Hardware is all 1/4 x 20 machine bolts/nuts and fender washers. I may replace the wing nuts with knobs to make it a little easier on old hands. The cam action hold down has been in my "extras box" for a couple of years waiting on a worthwhile project. Got it from Woodcraft. The wheels are from an $8 pair of In-Line Skates bought from Goodwill.

 

The "circle" is made of 3 layers of 3/4 plywood. The wheel holders are made of Maple. There is a Maple "guide" on the bottom of the base that helps trap the assembly between the lathe bed rails.

I works pretty well, the wheel holders need a little sanding and bees wax to allow them to slide a bit more freely. The base may be a bit too wide although my large tool rest can allow access to the edge of the turning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking! Comments are always welcome!

 

Very cool Lewis! Nice job. How hard is it to center up?

Excellent!

Better late then never Lew, or sometimes at least! I remember this post well, are you still using the steady rest? Has it performed up to your standards?

Sweet! The skate wheel idea is primo.

I found several builds on Youtube using Skate wheels and then there's Izzy Swan's Hockey puck method, in which you turn down the pucks and insert bearings, seems to make a very durable roller. Izzy said he got a bag of 50 pucks and manufacturing grade bearings for cheap on eBay.

Thanks for all of the kind words!

 

To answer the questions-

 

 

Mike- It is really easy to center the wheels. I just load the work piece. Slide each wheel until it touches and lock down the sliding bar. When I built it, I started with a solid circle and marked the location of the centers based on the position of the steady rest setting on the ways.

 

 

John- Still using it! I did shorten the base plate to allow the tool rest and banjo to get closer to the wheels.

 

 

Ron- Thanks! Skates and skateboard wheels are really useful. I used them on the bottom of my drum sander for mobility. A set of in-line skates, at the thrift shop usually run between $5 and $8- so there's 8 wheels and bearing.

 

 

Mark- Izzy is the master of unique designs! This was just easier for me.

 

Sweet~!! Like the nice hefty slots to support the arms.

 

Where'd ya get the little gold anodize cam clamp head

 

Picked it up at Woodcraft a couple of years ago-

 

 

 

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2001774/8907/Cam-Action-Hold-Down.aspx?reviewPage=0&Anchor=pTabs

 

thx

John Heitz, sp, has a video on YouTube on how he makes them with wood, and they appear to work great.

@lew steady rest up from the archives.

7 hours ago, John Morris said:

@lew steady rest up from the archives.

Thanks!