Steady rest for light turning

[Philip Davies]

Many of our most prominent contributors have published their steady rests. There are at least two others who, like me, have used plywood, which is much easier for me to process.

This design is adapted from Rosario Capotosto’s book, “200 Original Shop Aids & Jigs for Woodworkers.


It’s all made from reclaimed materials. The plywood came from a cabinet drop flap, the fingers are beech slats from a cot, the guides are alloy taken from a lazytongs riveter. Even the bolts, ball bearings, etc were scavenged from somewhere.
Here are some of the components:


Another view: