True centering steady rest
OwnerRichard J. Lesswayinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A true centering steady rest for rotatably supporting an elongated cylindrical workpiece for a metal working operation on the outer diameter of the workpiece, such as a grinding operation. The steady rest includes a housing in which is slidably mounted a pusher arm carrying a workpiece center wear pad. A pair of side arms are slidably mounted on said pusher arm. Each side arm carries a replaceable wear pad engageable with a workpiece at a point in the range from 90.degree.-140.degree. from the center wear pad. The center and side wear pads are moved into operative engagement with a workpiece when the pusher arm is moved toward the workpiece, and they are disengaged from the workpiece when the pusher arm is moved away from the workpiece.
Claims10
A true centering steady rest for supporting an elongated cylindrical, rotatable workpiece, characterized in that said steady rest includes:
- (a) a housing;
- (b) a pusher arm slidably mounted in said housing for movement axially toward and away from the longitudinal centerline of a workpiece to be supported, and carrying a wear pad for supporting engagement with a workpiece at a first workpiece engagement position and having flat opposite side surfaces;
- (c) a pair of side arms slidably mounted in a pair of side arm angled slots which are disposed in a crisscross manner, and which are formed in said pusher arm, with one side arm slot in one flat side surface of the pusher arm and the other side arm slot in the other flat side surface of the pusher arm;
- (d) said side arms each carry a wear pad for supporting engagement with a workpiece;
- (e) cam means for restraining each of said side arms against movement axially of the longitudinal axis of the said pusher arm but which permits crosswise movement of the side arms relative to the longitudinal axis of said pusher arm and toward and away from a workpiece to move the wear pads carried by the side arms in a straight line on a workpiece radial line that extends to the workpiece longitudinal centerline;
- and,
- (f) means for moving said pusher arm toward and away from said workpiece, whereby when said pusher arm is moved toward the workpiece, the wear pad on the pusher arm and the wear pads on the side arms are moved along straight workpiece radial line travel paths into supporting engagement with the workpiece, and when the pusher arm is moved away from the workpiece, the wear pads are retracted from the workpiece along the same straight workpiece radial line travel paths.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.