Sherline Products 1074 Quick Start Manual

WEAR YOUR
SAFETY GLASSES
FORESIGHT IS BETTER
THAN NO SIGHT
READ INSTRUCTIONS
BEFORE OPERATING
All materials have a tendency to deflect away from the
cutting tools when you are turning them in a lathe. This
tendency is especially noticeable on long, slender parts and
long pieces of bar stock. It makes it quite difficult to hold
close tolerances. The best way to hold a long part is with
a center mounted in the tailstock. However, for one reason
or another this is not always possible. As an example, it
may be a piece of stock that you want to center drill so
that you can mount it between centers, or it may be a part
where a center drill hole would ruin the looks of the part.
Whatever the reason, the steady rest provides a means of
supporting the part.
The Sherline steady rest has three adjustable brass blades
mounted in a holder that mounts on the bed of the lathe.
These blades can be set to the diameter of the part to provide
necessary support while it turns.
Another advantage of the steady rest that is often overlooked
is the fact that work that is held in position by the steady rest
FIGURE 1—To drill a hole in the end of a long shaft, the lathe
is set up with a center drill in the drill chuck which is mounted
in the tailstock. The steady rest keeps the shaft from wobbling
and also assures that the hole will be concentric with the outside
diameter of the part.
SHERLINE PRODUCTS INC. • 3235 Executive Ridge • Vista • California 92081-8527 • FAX: (760) 727-7857
Toll Free Order Line: (800) 541-0735 • International/Local/Tech. Assistance: (760) 727-5857 • Internet: www.sherline.com
turns concentrically with its outside diameter. This means
that concentricity is assured when working near the steady
rest because at that point it must be running perfectly true
despite imperfections in the way it is chucked or centered
at either end.

Use of the Steady Rest

The easiest way to set up a steady rest is to first mount
the part to be machined in a collet or 3-jaw chuck. Then
mount the steady rest onto the bed of the lathe and slide it
over the free end of the part and up as close to the chuck
as it will go. The three blades of the steady rest can then be
adjusted in until they just contact the part, supporting it but
not binding it. For small diameter parts it may be necessary
to cut or file off the corners of the blades so they contact
the part without touching each other. While the blades are
close to the chuck, mark where the center of the small
diameter stock contacts the blade. Because the casting is
not extremely precise, the blades may not contact the part
at their center. This does not affect their function. File or
grind off the corners as needed so the blades contact the
part but not each other (See Figure 2).
Once the blades are set and locked in place, the steady rest
A
STEADY
REST
BLADES
SMALL
DIAMETER
REMOVE
PART
CORNERS
FIGURE 2—A) Mark each blade where it contacts the part and
grind off corners for clearance. Note that the contact point may or
may not be at the center of the blade. B) All three blades can now
contact the part without their corners interfering with each other.
Steady Rest
P/N 1074
B
8/11/20