Modifying a Steady Rest to fit lathe bed

[SMFKT205SA]

I have a South Bend SBL400 that did not come to me with a steady rest. I have found a steady rest that may work but is short by an eighth of an inch in height. It also misses the Vee way laterally by an eighth of an inch. Fixing the flat is the easy part. The Vee could be built up with welding with cast iron electrodes and machined to the right dimensions. The Vee is where the real problem is. I would like to get some opinions here as to how others might approach this and possible solutions. I have looked for a direct replacement but none available so far. Thanks.

 

[michiganbuck]

looks like you are not getting much help here. Might you shim the flat and the V to fit the steady to a shaft sticking out of your chuck or a collet? Then match the shims with to-fit spacers, and braze them in place. with care, you should be able to get + .010 fairly straight and true to mill or grind to fit.

Might just use paint stir sticks and masking tape build-up to make the sizes needed. braze flat strip and braze like brazing on a TCT tip..heat it till it flows and set it.

 

[Bakafish]

looks like you are not getting much help here. Might you shim the flat and the V to fit the steady to a shaft sticking out of your chuck or a collet? Then match the shims with to-fit spacers, and braze them in place. with care, you should be able to get + .010 fairly straight and true to mill or grind to fit.

Might just use paint stir sticks and masking tape build-up to make the sizes needed. braze flat strip and braze like brazing on a TCT tip..heat it till it flows and set it.

I like this idea, locating it with a quality piece of rod stock. Rather than brazing it though, it may be easier to use metal filled epoxy with release agent or seran wrap over the ways to bridge that small of a gap.

 

[kenton]

If you have enough meat you could mill enough off the bottom to fit a plate milled to have the correct height and centering.

 

[michiganbuck]

If you have enough meat you could mill enough off the bottom to fit a plate milled to have the correct height and centering.

If you did this, and then if having a surface grinder you could make the fit to your lath bed dead nuts...and bolt on the plate so as to have no welding deflection.

 

[SMFKT205SA]

Many thanks to everyone responding. I did put an arbor in the tailstock to center up the steady rest to get the measurements. I should have said the steady rest is .125 short and the Vee is .125 off center and needs to move towards the apron/operator side to match the vee way . I can shim the flat but moving the Vee is not going to be easy.

 

[michiganbuck]

You can shim it up to height and center, One shim for the flat and two for the V.
Then attach shims to the steady with screws, or braze them with braze ribbon.

Here is the process to braze using brass shim stock.
Heat till the brass floes/melts, slide it a little then hold it in place until cool.
Note the brazing will add height to the finished assembly.

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Note; no fingerprints on anything doing this.
I used to hold a part between centers and then bring my steady jaws, or just one jaw to .001 (or what) away.