Author Topic: An improved travelling steady for a Cowells  (Read 5720 times)

Offline Jo

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An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« on: January 11, 2013, 01:52:23 PM »
Those of you who have been following my DTC will have heard me muttering about having problems with my Cowells travelling steady and it not supporting the work properly :ShakeHead:. Today I decided to make a replacement based on a really simple design I have been using on my Hobbymat ;).

The problem with the original support it that the rear finger is not parallel and the two pointed ends of the fingers will not come close enough to support the really small stuff that I often find myself machining. This is the original Cowells travelling steady alongside my Hobbymat L shaped steady and the bit of scrap which I am using to make the new one:



The outline drawing for the steady is simply copying the original but without the hook at the top that can get in the way whilst you are working :disappointed::



So first job hacksaw out the wanted part:



Mill and fettle the aluminium to shape, then drill the new 5mm mounting hole. The hole is offset from the side of the steady by 4mm, rather than on the centre line to allow me to use thicker material for the steady and to allow clearance not to hit the cross slide:



The supporting finger was then taken out of a old mains earth plug pin which had a 4mm slot milled down the centre. Then the new steady drilled was tapped 4mm for an Allen screw. I know two screw would be more secure than one but the type of forces involved a second is not needed and restricts movement and hence what you can do with the fingers to steady the work. So an hour later here we have a new steady:





 :pinkelephant: :pinkelephant:

Back to hunting for the knocking on the DTC :-\.

Jo
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Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2013, 02:12:05 PM »
Jo,
Nice work. You made me check and my Cowells traveling steady has the straight finger so I only have to make the brass part with a groove for small work. Nice tip.

Dan
ShaylocoDan

Offline propforward

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Re: An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2013, 02:23:24 PM »
That is a really great and simple idea. I can see a steady like that being very useful - another special tool to add to the list!
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

Offline Don1966

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Re: An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2013, 04:06:22 PM »
Jo nice set up, but forgive me if I may sound stupid. Why not just reverse the fingers in your cowells steady that would give you the flat you are looking for or simply just reshape it. It could also be replaced with another piece of brass of your shape.

Don

Offline Jo

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Re: An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2013, 04:19:39 PM »
Don,

I cannot turn the existing finger around bacause the face would still not be square to the work. I looked into making a funny dog legged finger to provide a vertical face but it was too much hassle. And the steady would still have the hook over the top that obscures the view of what you are doing and blocks the light.

You may have also noticed that I have mounted the finger on the left hand side rather than the right hand side of the mount. By doing this I can have the finger dead opposite the cutting tool to provide maximum support or fractionally back from it and use a gash piece of brass mounted on the finger screw, if you then drill through the gash finger and this steady will then act as a box tool ;).

Jo
« Last Edit: January 11, 2013, 04:34:17 PM by Jo »
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

Offline Don1966

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Re: An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2013, 05:13:47 PM »
Thank you Jo for clarifying that for me, I knew it had to be something that I wasn't seeing.

Don

Online BillTodd

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Re: An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« Reply #6 on: January 11, 2013, 07:13:27 PM »
I found having an adjustable top-stop (for want of a better word) useful. One can just have it sticking out enough to support the job without it getting in the way

HLV-H close up steady:


Offline Jo

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Re: An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2013, 08:38:15 PM »
 :o I like that Bill. I might have to pinch that idea for a travelling steady for the Prazimat 8).

Jo
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Offline craynerd

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An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2013, 08:53:27 PM »
Fab! I like that Jo. Thanks for posting.

Offline steamer

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Re: An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2013, 10:48:28 PM »
I'll need to put one of those on one of my tool holders!

Dave
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Offline zeeprogrammer

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Re: An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« Reply #10 on: January 12, 2013, 12:12:55 AM »
Couple of nice ideas here. Goes in my folder of 'nice ideas'.
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
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Offline Johnb

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Re: An improved travelling steady for a Cowells
« Reply #11 on: January 12, 2013, 11:03:35 AM »
Nice one Jo. That is now on my list for the kitchen workshop.
John Browning. Member of Ickenham and District SME

 

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