When Should I Get A Steady Rest?

A steady rest is certainly one of the best accessories to have for turning applications if you have a use for one. Like any tool, it's a good thing to have if you need one but basically takes up space in the shop if or when you don't. 

Your shop may or may not; it depends a great deal on what type of parts your shop regularly produces. Some will never need one, and others need a steady rest on almost every lathe they have. 

Function Of A Steady Rest

The job of a steady rest is to stabilize workpieces as they are being turned. The typical steady rest is almost like a mechanical pincer or claw, with two jaws and often enough a post in the middle. The jaws tighten onto the workpiece and hold it steady. Typically, rotation is allowed for by rollers in the steady rest's jaws. 

As the workpiece rotates, the jaws hold the centerline and the workpiece that's being turned never oscillates, wobbles or vibrates. This keeps the cuts precise and you end up with the part that you wanted to make in the first place. 

Obviously, any workpiece has to be stably held when turning, but a steady rest is typically only called for in certain applications, most commonly - though not always - when the bar in question is of relatively long length. 

Common Applications Of Steady Rests

As mentioned, workpiece length is what determines whether a steady rest is an appropriate accessory to acquire for your shop. Shorter workpieces, which are held stably by the lathe chuck alone, typically don't require one as they are just not needed. 

Common parts that require use of a steady rest include axles and shafts for the automotive industry, many parts common in oil drilling, or in turning long solid bars for other applications such as Olympic bars as fitness equipment. 

Steady rests are also used in milling, or in secondary tasks such as ID drilling, boring end face bolt hole patterns and so on; when the workpiece must be rotated but held steady, a steady rest is a necessary piece of equipment. 

Here you should consider the kind of parts that are typically produced in your shop. Every metalworking shop is different; some have a very specialized practice that produce specific parts for very specific clients and customers. 

Others, especially job shops, take on virtually any work that comes through the shop's doors. Some shops specialize in automotive parts, some in aerospace, and so on; it depends almost entirely on what your shop is typically or predictably going to need to produce. 

If you think that your shop should invest in a steady rest system, or if you're wondering if a steady rest is a good thing for your shop to add to your machines, contact us! ATS Systems has forged a reputation for excellent service, and it's our mission to make sure that you have the equipment you need to optimize your metalworking shop's capabilities to deliver. Contact us to request your quote today!