Lathe Steady Rest Wheels

[Larry Frank]

I am going to build a steady rest for my lathe. The most confusing part is the wheels. I will likely buy some inline skate wheels from Amazon. However, there appears to be several different diameters, different materials, and different hardness.

I would appreciate some recommendations on which wheels or which materials etc.

[Peter Mich]

I don’t have much to share about hardness, diameter or materials. However, when I needed wheels for a steady rest a few years ago, I bought a pair of inline skates at Goodwill. Got six wheels rather inexpensively.

[Steve Eure]

Don't overthink it. I made mine with ordinary inline skate wheels. It works great. Mine had 1/4" I.D. bearings. Used a 1/4" bolt to attach to the arms and went to work. Ordinary inline wheels come in a variety of sizes. It really doesn't matter what diameter, as long as they all match.

[John K Jordan]

I am going to build a steady rest for my lathe. The most confusing part is the wheels. I will likely buy some inline skate wheels from Amazon. However, there appears to be several different diameters, different materials, and different hardness.

I would appreciate some recommendations on which wheels or which materials etc.

If you are building a steady rest with wheels all in the same plane (as usually done) the wheel diameter will define the smallest diameter you can support. If wanted for larger diameters such as vases it probably doesn't matter much.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

When I built mine several years ago, there was information I found that recommended using the harder wheels - the thought being softer wheels can actually increase any vibration that may be present. I heeded that advice and have never had a problem with vibration when using it (not saying its a direct cause/effect, but I'm nothing if not cautious).
The other bit of advice is to use either clear or white wheels to avoid marking your work. I do usually leave a little extra band of diameter if I know where the wheels will track so it can be turned off at the finishing stage. It can also help to add masking tape where wheels track.

[Richard Coers]

In some camps, they sternly believe you should use the hardest compound possible. For those folks, in-line skate wheels are not adequate. You can get vibration from a soft compound when it compresses and rebounds. I also use in-line skate wheels, but have developed a technique of slightly compressing the wheels as i tighten down the support bars.

[Brian Brown]

When I made mine. I bought a pair of child's inline skates at target for $9.00 (after Christmas sale). I wouldn't buy a set from Goodwill. The wheels will likely have sand embedded in the rubber. That sand can mar your wood. I also use masking tape for softer more easily damaged woods. I put one round of blue painters tape on the wood, and then several rounds of cheap beige tape on top to keep from leaving a mark on the wood. Good luck.

[Barry McFadden]

I have a steady rest from Oneway tools. When I need replacement wheels I order from them. More expensive than skate wheels but at least I know they are the right ones for the job.

[Mel Fulks]

Brian Brown: “ That sand can mar your wood”

Mel: Or as some call it “your Margo - Logo”,

[Dick Mahany]

I used inline skate wheels that I found online. They were 79mm in dia. Nothing special and work fine.
Steady Rest.jpg

[Ricc Havens]

Not sure if it's appropriate to post a link to another forum. So Moderators please remove if necessary.

on the AAW forum there is an in depth discussion on steady rest wheels that might be of some interest. https://www.aawforum.org/community/t...y-rests.19725/

[Larry Frank]

Good ideas in the thread. I went to Goodwill today and bought a pair of inline skates with eight clear wheels for $5. A real bargain compared to Amazon. I also got the plywood I need and that was expensive. Now, on to finishing the plan and building it.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

Here's the scale of hardness of skate wheels - 78a - 87a - soft and grippy, 88a - 95a - harder and faster, 96a - 101a - harder and faster, for street and parks, 83b - 84b - the hardest available, for technical skaters.
I used the hardest I could find online. (I think they were 101a) - they were still pretty cheap, came in white and had decent bearings supplied. They've held up well, but then its my guess that anything will last virtually forever in this application.