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Left hand threaded steady rest fingers

rimcanyon

Diamond
Joined
Sep 28, 2002
Location
Salinas, CA USA
This is pretty unusual I think. I have been working on Sneebot's steady rest castings, and have the castings mostly done at this point, so I am starting on all the misc. parts. I have three steady rests that I have been using to compare and check sizes, etc. One of them has fingers with left hand threaded adjusters. The others are right hand, which is also the case for every other steady rest I have owned. I can't imagine why Monarch would have made them both ways. Anyone else have left-hand threaded finger adjusters?

Both of these are from square dial steady rests. The one on the right has a left hand threaded adjuster.

IMG_0971.jpg
 
This is pretty unusual I think. I have been working on Sneebot's steady rest castings, and have the castings mostly done at this point, so I am starting on all the misc. parts. I have three steady rests that I have been using to compare and check sizes, etc. One of them has fingers with left hand threaded adjusters. The others are right hand, which is also the case for every other steady rest I have owned. I can't imagine why Monarch would have made them both ways. Anyone else have left-hand threaded finger adjusters?

Both of these are from square dial steady rests. The one on the right has a left hand threaded adjuster.

View attachment 309418

not here but definitely an interesting find
 
The lathe work at the bottom of the threaded rod on the one on the right looks a little unprofessional .
 
I seemed to remember coming across this also, I will check my steady rests I have as well?
IIRC, the left hand ones were from a low height round dial rest?

Kevin
 
The brass/bronze finger looks different also. And the end of the bolt looks flatter. The finger might be shop made not Monarch made.

Hal
 
The chrome plated part of the adjuster has left hand threads also. Both the left and right threaded parts are identical in fit and finish. The relief at the top of the threaded portion of the rod also occurs on the right hand threaded parts. I once had a steady rest with a broken finger adjuster, and that is where it had broken.

Here is a picture of the other two left hand threaded adjusters:

IMG_0973.jpg
 
On the steady rest for my 1977 10EE one of the three screws is L.H. It's the one on the bottom finger on the side where the steady rest opens, though I suppose it's possible that over the years the fingers' locations could have been switched around.

I bought this used from the late Al Sharon.

David
 
On the steady rest for my 1977 10EE one of the three screws is L.H. It's the one on the bottom finger on the side where the steady rest opens, though I suppose it's possible that over the years the fingers' locations could have been switched around.

I bought this used from the late Al Sharon.

David

Dave, interesting. Al always had something unique, I enjoyed my visits to Sonora.

The steady with the left hand threads came from a Monarch collector in Arizona. It has a couple interesting stamps on it: the bottom clamp plate has a machine i.d.: 42887, and the body of the steady rest is stamped: AF303782. I guess I could call Terrie and find out if the machine 42887 was ordered with left hand threaded adjusters.
 
I have two of those just as you show in your picture. I was wondering about the left hand thread as well! I got them in a big pile of parts, and they are NOS, covered in some sort of cosmoline goo.

Did follow rests have these in LH thread?
 
If you look at square-dial parts sheet 111, the threaded portion of the adjuster is part EE-1615 and it's only called out on one of the three assemblies, therefore they're all the same. So on square-dials, at least, they all have the same thread.

For round-dials, the screws are parts E11-30, -37 and -47. All are identified as simply "Adjusting Screw". Similarly, the mating part, the "Binder Screws" (E11-32, -38 and -48),all appear to be the same. It wouldn't do to have a customer that needed a left-handed screw order and receive a right-handed screw, so I bet that they're all supposed to have the same thread.

Cal
 
I have one steady with left hand threads and the other has right hand, both are new height rests?
I have some spare fingers that are a mix of both as well.....the follow rest I have is left hand thread?

All these are Monarch parts.....I’m wondering if at some point in production a decision was made to change to R.H. threads?

Kevin
 
My 1940 machine has RH threads on both the steady and the follower rest, and both are original to the machine. The follower rest and the steady for the 59 machine are both left hand threads. I never realized it before but the fingers on the later model follower are identical to those on the steady and are interchangeable. That is not the case on the 1940 machine, the follower rest fingers are quite a bit wider.
 
The binder screw and the adjusting screw need to have the same thread. So you think that if I ordered a binder screw and it came in with the wrong thread, I would "grok" that was OK? You think Monarch enjoyed a good old fashioned game of "thread roulette", thinking it would amuse their customers?

Cal
 
Another data point:
I've had two steadies- the first had right hand threads. The second which I believe
came with a 1990s machine had LH threads. For me, the RH threads make more sense in use.
 
I am not at home to check mine (and I have never used it..I might add) , but when turning the knob, do the fingers move in or out when turning clockwise? or anticlockwise. Thats the only reason I can think that they would do this was from some arcane operator standpoint.
 
I am not at home to check mine (and I have never used it..I might add) , but when turning the knob, do the fingers move in or out when turning clockwise? or anticlockwise. Thats the only reason I can think that they would do this was from some arcane operator standpoint.

RH thread turns clockwise to move the fingers in.
 
Thats what I thought. I can think of no reason for a left handed thread in this application. I am trying to envision using this on the lathe, and reaching over adjusting the knobs.... not a clue. For silliness sake, I imagined standing at the lathe, with the steady rest on my right with a heavy bar in it. To tighten the adjuster on the back using my left hand, , @8:00, it would be easier (for me) to turn that adjuster anti-clockwise,(LH thread to move the finger in) from where I'm standing to push a heavy bar to center, with that small knob. Just a thought.
 
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