Thanks TM51 I wound up an painted the steady as you have probably noticed in the thread where I used it in conjunction with the long boring bar and the wood blocks to line bore locations on a part I was repairing http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/q...1971#post95223
I have used the steady many times its light weight being made from mostly 10ga & 3/16" steel is actually another plus I can easily store it in a cabinet high up on the wall without having to strain a gut reaching for it
I am not as satisfied with the single bearing balls making contact with a rotating shaft as I would like but they do roll freely enough and so far have not caused a problem I keep a lot of lube on them just as if I were using brass buttons so that helps.I have a pair of rings to make a 10" steady just haven't had time to make it yet. only this one since the turning parts will be much larger diameters I will use full bearings for the rollers.