Finely adjustable steady rest device

Abstract

The steady rest has a working cover plate and a right cover plate sandwiched therebetween. The working cover plate has upper and lower guide tracks received within the cavities. The center plate is movably disposed between the working cover plate and the right cover plate. The center plate slidably engages upper and lower gripper arms which are movable relative to the working cover plate between clamped and retracted positions. Tapered rails are disposed in the rail recesses of the working cover plate. The rails are movable relative to one another to finely and precisely adjust the position at which the workpiece is clamped and moved horizontally or vertically when the gripper arms are in the clamped position.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17 / 680,891, filed Feb. 25, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a finely adjustable steady rest apparatus for positioning a rotationally symmetric workpiece. [Background technology]

[0003] Adjustable steady rest devices are commonly used to secure a workpiece during machining operations such as grinding, turning, milling, boring, etc. In such devices, a gripping arm secures the workpiece while a cutting tool, such as a grinding wheel, blade or bit, removes material from the workpiece. Known steady rests include mechanisms for adjusting the position or location of the gripping arm, and thus the workpiece, to ensure accuracy of the machining operation.

[0004] End users expect adjustment mechanisms to be accurate, finely adjustable, repeatable, and reliable. Reducing the number of parts, especially the number of moving parts, is beneficial. This increases the reliability of the mechanism and reduces the chance of moving parts coming into contact with contaminants. Additionally, reducing the number of parts has the potential to reduce manufacturing costs and complexity.

[0005] Against this background, it would be desirable to provide an improved device that allows for more precise adjustment while minimizing the number of parts required to effect such adjustment. It would be desirable to have a mechanism that allows for a more precise adjustment device.

[0006] Ideally, such equipment would be designed to facilitate repair operations with minimal downtime.

[0007] Among the documents considered in the preparation of this application are USPN 9,174,317 and 8,955,419, which are incorporated herein by reference to the extent they do not conflict with the disclosure herein. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a steady rest apparatus for accurately positioning a workpiece that is rotated and subjected to forces by one or more machine tools. One steady rest has a working cover plate (described further below) and a right side cover plate (when viewed from the rear). Between these plates is a center plate (which moves parallel to the X or horizontal axis). The working cover plate has a pair of recesses that house two guide tracks that ultimately affect fine adjustment of the displacement of the upper and lower gripping arms that secure the workpiece.

[0009] Within the guide track, the roller guide moves in a defined, precise and predictable manner.

[0010] The center plate slidably engages upper and lower gripping arms that are movable between a closed clamping position and an open, retracted position to releasably secure the workpiece, and in the closed clamping position the workpiece can be finely repositioned horizontally and vertically.

[0011] Fine, predictable and precise horizontal and vertical adjustment of the gripped workpiece is possible.

[0012] The drawings described herein are intended to illustrate selected embodiments rather than all possible embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a portion of an adjustable steady rest apparatus with the right cover plate removed for clarity. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the steady rest device. [Diagram 3] Figure 3A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the steady rest apparatus taken along line BB in Figure 3B. Figure 3B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the steady rest apparatus with the right cover plate removed. [Figure 4] Figure 4A shows the various components when performing vertical adjustment. Figure 4B shows the various components when performing vertical adjustment. [Diagram 5] Figure 5A shows the various components when performing a level adjustment. Figure 5B shows the various components when performing a level adjustment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 further illustrates the horizontal displacement of the clamped workpiece by rotating the adjustment screw. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 further illustrates the vertical displacement of the clamped workpiece by rotation of another adjustment screw. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

[0015] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Components of a typical steady rest device 1-7, in one embodiment, an adjustable steady rest apparatus (hereinafter "steady rest") 10 is provided that is configured to clamp and potentially fine-tune the position of a workpiece 12 by horizontal or vertical displacement during a machining operation (e.g., grinding or turning). In one embodiment, the steady rest 10 preferably has a working cover plate 14, a right side (from the perspective of FIG. 3A) cover plate 16, and a center plate 18 sandwiched therebetween.

[0017] The steady rest 10 is adapted to grasp and displace a workpiece 12 vertically (FIGS. 4A, 4B and 7) or horizontally (FIGS. 5A, 5B and 6).

[0018] Steady rest 10 includes side and lower gripping arms 20, 22 (FIG. 1) and a cylinder / piston actuation mechanism 24 (FIG. 2) that are capable of moving center plate 18 and gripping arms 20, 22 between a clamped position in which steady rest 10 grips workpiece 12 and a retracted position in which workpiece 12 is released and gripping arms 20, 22 are retracted into steady rest 10, as described in more detail below.

[0019] The work cover plate 14 is a generally rigid flat plate having a plurality of threaded and non-threaded mounting openings 32 (FIG. 2). Upper and lower sliding plates 28, 30 (FIG. 1) are attached (directly or indirectly) to the work cover plate 14. The center plate 18 is configured to slide between the sliding plates 28, 30. The upper and lower sliding plates 28, 30 have threaded and / or non-threaded openings 32 that align with the openings 26 in the work cover plate 14.

[0020] The right cover plate 16 (FIG. 3A) has openings that align with the openings 32 in the sliding plates 28, 30 and the openings 26 in the work cover plate 14. Bolts 40 or other fasteners are received partially or entirely through the openings to secure the work and right cover plates 14, 16 to each other and to the sliding plates 28, 30. The center plate 18 is sandwiched therebetween (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) and is horizontally movable between the side plates 28, 30.

[0021] The work side and right side cover plates 14, 16 and the sliding plates 28, 30 cooperate to define a cavity 43 in which guide tracks 44, 46 are movably received. The guide tracks 44, 46 are adapted to move horizontally under the influence of an engagement spring 42 (FIG. 1).

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the work cover plate 14 receives upper and lower guide tracks 44, 46 that are received within a cavity 43 (FIG. 1). Each of the guide tracks 44, 46 preferably has an elongated leg 50 and a relatively shorter leg 52 (FIG. 2). The legs 50 of the upper and lower guide tracks 44, 46 preferably extend parallel to one another and parallel to the longitudinal axis -X (FIG. 6). Each of the shorter legs 52 extends laterally outwardly from a corresponding one end of the long leg 50 in a direction away from the workpiece 12 (i.e., an acute angle is formed between the long leg 50 and the shorter leg 52).

[0023] A number of components work together to displace the workpiece vertically (FIGS. 4A, 4B and 7) and horizontally (FIGS. 5A, 5B and 6) to displace the gripping arms 20, 22 and the workpiece 12 clamped to them in precise, predictable and finely metered amounts.

[0024] Shaped rails 58, 60 (FIG. 1), respectively, cooperate in a manner described below to provide fine vertical and horizontal displacement of the workpiece 12 with predictable precision. The rails are slidably movable within the rail recesses 48 independently of one another (see, e.g., FIGS. 2-7). The vertical rail 58 has a flat surface 70 (enlarged view, FIG. 7) that abuts the horizontal rail and opposing surfaces having angled portions 62, 64 that meet on opposite sides of a flat intermediate portion.

[0025] The work cover plate 14 has threaded openings 92, 94 (FIG. 1) extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis XX and communicating with the rail recess 48 (FIG. 2). Adjustment screws or rods 96, 98 (FIGS. 2, 6-7) threadably engage the threaded openings 92, 94, respectively, and extend into the rail recess 48. Preferably, about 100 threads per inch are provided to allow fine adjustment. The upper or vertical adjustment rod 98 has an end that abuts the end of a rail 58 that finely adjusts the position of the workpiece vertically ("vertical rail 58"). The lower or horizontal adjustment rod 96 has an end 100 that abuts the end of a rail 60 (FIG. 5A) that finely adjusts the position of the workpiece horizontally ("horizontal rail" 60).

[0026] An engagement spring 104 is disposed between a bottom wall 106 of the rail recess 48 and a corresponding one of the vertical and horizontal rails 58, 60 (FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A and 5B). The spring 104 biases the rails 58, 60 into contact with the axial ends 100, 102 of the adjustment rods 96, 98. In this manner, the rails 58, 60 move toward and away from the bottom wall 106 (in the directions shown in FIGS. 4-5) as the adjustment rods 96, 98 move in and out of the rail recess 48 along the threaded openings 92, 94.

[0027] As the position of the horizontal adjustment rod 96 (FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6) is adjusted by the screw, the horizontal rail 60 slides against the wall of the rail recess 48. There is a relative angle (θ) between the wall and the side 72 of the horizontal rail 60 (FIGS. 5A and enlarged view, FIG. 5B). Thus, movement of the horizontal rail 60 along the wall 56 causes corresponding movement of the vertical rail 58 toward or away from the wall 56 in a direction along or parallel to the longitudinal X-axis.

[0028] Intersecting channels 112, 114 (FIGS. 2, 3A, 3B) formed in the central plate 18 slidably receive the gripping arms 20, 22. The upper channel 112 receives the upper arm 20. The lower channel 114 receives the lower arm 22. A slot 116 extends into the upper channel 112. The longitudinal axis of the slot 116 extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the upper channel 112, as does the slot in the lower channel 114. The upper and lower channels 112, 114 are angled relative to their respective longitudinal axes and relative to each other. The upper and lower channels 112, 114 intersect with each other to form a generally X-shaped pattern. The channels 112, 114 are configured to allow the upper and lower gripping arms 20, 22 to move without interfering with each other. As will be described in more detail below, upper gripping arm 20 is slidably received in upper channel 112 and lower gripping arm 22 is slidably received in lower channel 114 .

[0029] Gripping fingers 118 extend from center plate 18 between upper and lower channels 112, 114 (FIG. 3B). Gripping fingers 118 cooperate with gripping fingers 119 on upper and lower gripping arms 20, 22 to grip and finely displace workpiece 12 when steady rest 10 is in the clamped position (FIGS. 4-7).

[0030] Another end of center plate 18 has a generally T-shaped opening 124 that receives a similarly shaped end 126 of a ramrod 128 of actuation mechanism 24, as shown in Figure 3B.

[0031] Each of the upper and lower gripping arms 20, 22 preferably includes an elongated upper portion 130 and a relatively shorter lower portion 132 (FIG. 2). The upper and lower portions 130, 132 are preferably angled relative to one another. The gripping fingers 119 extend from the lower portions 130, 132 toward one another.

[0032] The upper portions 130 of the gripping arms 20, 22 have pins or roller guides 134, 135 projecting therefrom and extending into corresponding ones of the upper and lower guide tracks 44, 46. As shown in FIG. 2, the pin 134 of the upper gripping arm 20 extends through the slot 116 into the lower guide track 46. In this manner, the axial end of the pin 134 slidably engages the groove 54 of the lower guide track 46. The pin 135 of the lower gripping arm 22 extends into the upper guide track 44. The axial end of the pin 135 slidably engages the groove 54 of the upper guide track 44. The pins 134, 135 have bushings 140, 142 that are slidably received in the lower and upper guide tracks 46, 44, respectively (FIG. 3B).

[0033] 2 and 3B, the actuation mechanism 24 includes a housing 144 having a chamber 148, a piston 146, and a ramrod 128. The housing 144 has a flange 145 that is bolted or otherwise attached to the working cover plate 14 and / or the right cover plate 16. The housing 144 and the piston 146 define fluid chambers 148, 150 that communicate with upper and lower ports 152, 154, respectively (FIG. 2). The piston 146 is attached to the ramrod 128 and separates the fluid chambers 148, 150. The ports 152, 154 are in fluid communication with a source of actuation fluid (e.g., compressed air or preferably actuation fluid). A fluid control (not shown) can control the flow of actuation fluid into and out of the ports 152, 154.

[0034] To move the piston 146 and ramrod 128 away from the workpiece 12, the controller causes hydraulic fluid to flow into fluid chamber 150 while exhausting fluid from the other fluid chamber 148. To move the piston 146 and ramrod 128 towards the workpiece 12, the controller causes hydraulic fluid to flow into fluid chamber 148 while exhausting fluid from fluid chamber 150. Because the ramrod 128 is connected to the center plate 18, movement of the piston 146 and ramrod 128 towards and away from the workpiece 12 corresponds to movement of the center plate 18 towards and away from the workpiece 12.

[0035] Although the actuation mechanism 24 is described above as being a fluid-actuated device, it should be understood that any type of actuator may be used (e.g., an electric motor or other electromechanical device). Preferably, the fluid is a liquid.

[0036] In conventional steady rests, threaded (tapped) holes are provided directly in the working and right cover plates 14, 16. If the threads are damaged, the cover plates themselves often need to be replaced. Such work requires downtime and associated costs. However, in the steady rest apparatus disclosed herein, most repairs (if necessary) are limited to replacement of the level and / or threaded adjustment rods 96, 98 and associated lock nuts, the brass block with receiving openings defined therein, the roller bearings or bushings 140, 142, and the seals in the cylinder 24. Such a step is economically advantageous compared to conventional approaches.

[0037] As described herein, the vertical threaded adjustment rod 98 is on the left side (as viewed from FIG. 1). In an alternative embodiment, the vertical threaded adjustment rod 98 and associated components may be located on the right side.

[0038] Typical steady rest device operation (a) Clamping and releasing the clamp 1-7, the operation of the exemplary embodiment of the steady rest apparatus 10 will now be described. As mentioned above, the actuation mechanism 24 is capable of moving the center plate 18 and gripping arms 20, 22 between a clamped position in which the steady rest 10 grips the workpiece 12 and a retracted position in which the workpiece 12 is released and the gripping arms 20, 22 are retracted into the steady rest 10.

[0039] The steady rest 10 can be finely, precisely, and predictably adjusted to shift the position of the workpiece 12 relative to the steady rest 10 when the workpiece 12 is in the clamped position (see FIGS. 4-7). For example, a 90° rotation of the vertical or horizontal adjustment rods 96, 98 can displace the gripped workpiece by one micron while still holding the workpiece in place despite forces acting on it from the machining operation and the rotating mass of the workpiece. Such precision is not possible with conventional steady rests.

[0040] To move the steady rest 10 from the retracted position to the clamped position, hydraulic fluid is pumped into chamber 148 of the actuation mechanism 24 and hydraulic fluid (if present) is expelled from chamber 150 (FIG. 2), which causes the piston 146 and ramrod 128 to move toward the workpiece 12 (i.e., toward the right relative to the frame of reference in FIG. 3B).

[0041] The center plate 18, along with the ramrod 128, moves along the longitudinal X-axis relative to the work plate 14 and right side plate 16. As the center plate 18 and gripper arms 20, 22 move toward the clamped position, the pins 134, 135 and bushings 140, 142 slide along the legs 50 of the corresponding guide tracks 44, 46. As the ramrod 128 and center plate 18 continue to move along the longitudinal X-axis toward the workpiece 12, the bushings 140, 142 contact the surfaces 49, 51, respectively, of the guide tracks 44, 46 (FIG. 5B).

[0042] Preferably, rails 58, 60 engage one another under the effect of a sliding interference fit. In one embodiment, there is a slope of about 1° between faces 64 and 47, and between faces 62 and 45 (zoomed view, FIG. 7). There is a corresponding slope of about 1° between faces 56 and 72.

[0043] Once the bushings 142, 140 contact the guide tracks 44, 46 and thus the surfaces 62, 64 of the vertical rail 58 (FIGS. 4A and 7), the ramrod 128 and center plate 18 continue to move along the longitudinal X-axis toward the workpiece 12, causing the pins 134, 135 (FIG. 2) and bushings 140, 142 to slide laterally outwardly along the lower legs 52 of the guide tracks 44, 46. As the roller guides 134, 135 and bushings 140, 142 slide laterally outwardly along the lower legs 52 of the guide tracks 44, 46, the protruding ends (i.e., lower portions 132) of the gripping arms 20, 22 move toward each other, the direction of movement being perpendicular to the longitudinal X-axis. The gripping arms 20 , 22 slide within the channels 112 , 114 , respectively, relative to the central plate 18 until the gripping fingers 119 of the gripping arms 20 , 22 contact the gripping fingers 118 of the central plate 18 to securely clamp the workpiece 12 .

[0044] To move the steady rest 10 from the clamped position to the retracted position (FIG. 7), hydraulic fluid is pumped into chamber 150 of actuation mechanism 24 and hydraulic fluid (if present) is evacuated from the other chamber 148. This causes the piston 146, ramrod 128 and center plate 18 to move relative to the working and right cover plates 14, 16 away from the workpiece 12 after it has released it. Such movement reverses the movement of the gripper arms 20, 22 described above.

[0045] (b) The workpiece is displaced horizontally and vertically. 4-7, adjustment rods (fine threads, approximately 100 threads per inch) 96, 98 can be turned to fine tune the position to which the clamped workpiece 12 is moved by the gripping fingers 118, 119.

[0046] 6, to move the workpiece 12 horizontally toward the work and right cover plates 14, 16, the user rotates the horizontal adjustment rod 96 in a direction that causes movement of the horizontal rail 60. Such movement occurs in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal X-axis within the recess 48. The engagement spring 90 biases the rails 96, 98 upward.

[0047] There is a slight inclination angle (θ, approximately 0.92° to 1.08°, preferably 1.00°) between the horizontal rail 60 and the wall of the recess 48. This results in a wedge effect that influences and restricts the movement of the guide tracks 44, 46 against the rail 58.

[0048] By moving the horizontal guide rail 60 upwardly under the influence of the associated engagement springs 90 (FIGS. 5B, 6), the location along the guide tracks 44,46 where the bushings 140,142 contact the guide tracks 44,46 also moves outward.

[0049] 6-7 show generally how rotation of one or both adjustment screws 96, 98 moves the clamped workpiece inward or outward (FIG. 6) and / or upward and downward (FIG. 7).

[0050] For example, a user rotates adjustment rod 98 to move the position where gripper fingers 118, 119 precisely move workpiece 12 vertically. As an example, a 90° clockwise displacement raises workpiece 12 by 1 micron. Conversely, a counterclockwise displacement lowers the workpiece by a corresponding amount.

[0051] It should be understood that intermediate adjustments may be made and the displacement is not limited to 90° increments and decrements.

[0052] Steady rest 10 may be used to hold a workpiece 12 in a grinding operation. However, it should be understood that the principles of the present disclosure may also be applied to steady rests configured for turning operations and / or other machining or manufacturing operations.

[0053] The above description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, may be interchangeable and used in selected embodiments even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be modified in various ways. Such modifications are not to be considered as departures from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10 Steady Rest Device 12 Workpiece 14 Work cover plate 16 Right side cover plate 18 Center Plate 20 Upper gripping arm 22 Lower gripping arm 24 Operating mechanism 26 Opening 28 Upper sliding plate 30 Lower sliding plate 32 Opening 40 Volts 42 Engagement spring 43 Cavity 44 Upper guide track 45 Sidewall, Top Track 46 Lower guide track 47 Lower track sidewall 48 Rail recess 49 Inner wall of upper guide track 50 Long and slender upper legs 52 Inner wall of lower guide track 52 Shorter lower legs 54 Groove 56 Upper Wall 58 Vertical Rail 60 Horizontal Rail 62 Top of vertical rail 64 Bottom of vertical rail 70 Top of horizontal rail 72 Bottom of horizontal rail 90 Spring 92 Threaded Opening 94 Threaded Opening 96 Threaded leveling rod 98 Threaded vertical adjustment rod 100 96 shaft end 102 98 shaft end 104 Spring Pair 106 48 Second Wall 108 18 Front Page 110 18, page 2 112 Upper cross channel (cross-shaped opening, cross channel) 114 Lower Cross Channel 116 Slots 118 Grasping Fingers 119 Grasping Finger Arm 124 T-shaped opening 126 128 T-shaped opening 128 24 Ramrod 130 Elongated first portion of gripping arm 132 Shorter second part of gripping arm 134 pin 135 pin 140 Bushing 142 Bushing 144 Case 145 Flange 146 Piston 148 First Fluid Chamber 150 Second Fluid Chamber 152 Port 154 Port

Claims

1. 1. A steady rest for gripping and fine positioning a workpiece, comprising: A working cover plate and a right side cover plate; a center plate disposed between the working cover plate and the right side cover plate and configured for sliding movement therebetween, the center plate having upper and lower cross channels for engaging upper and lower gripping arms, the gripping arms being movable relative to the working cover plate and the right side cover plate between a clamped position and a retracted position, the center plate having a rail recess and a pair of cavities in which upper and lower guide tracks are received, respectively; a tapered horizontal rail located within the rail recess and configured to horizontally displace the workpiece; a vertical rail having a flat surface abutting the horizontal rail and an opposing surface having an inclined portion abutting on opposite sides of the flat intermediate portion, the vertical rail being configured to move the workpiece vertically; The horizontal rail and the vertical rail are received within the rail recess; the horizontal rail and the vertical rail contact the rail recess and each other while controlling the position of the gripper arm; A steady rest, wherein the horizontal rail and the vertical rail are movable relative to one another within the rail recesses to adjust the position relative to the working cover plate and the right cover plate at which the work piece is clamped when the upper and lower gripping arms are in the clamped position.

2. 2. The steady rest of claim 1, further comprising a horizontal threaded adjustment rod and a vertical threaded adjustment rod threadably received in an opening in the work cover plate and extending into the rail recess, the horizontal threaded adjustment rod adjacent to the horizontal rail and rotatable to adjust a position of the horizontal rail, and the vertical threaded adjustment rod adjacent to the vertical rail and rotatable to adjust a position of the vertical rail.

3. 3. The steady rest of claim 2, further comprising an engagement spring biasing said horizontal rail and said vertical rail into contact with a top wall of said rail recess.

4. 2. The steady rest of claim 1, wherein the vertical rail comprises a flat surface that slidably engages the horizontal rail and an opposing surface, and the inclined portion has a surface that is inclined at an angle θ, where θ is greater than or equal to 0.92° and less than or equal to 1.08°.

5. 2. The steady rest of claim 1, wherein the horizontal rail has a flat surface that slidably engages the vertical rail and an opposing surface that slidably engages a wall of the rail recess, the flat surface and the wall being inclined at an angle θ, where θ is greater than or equal to 0.92° and less than or equal to 1.08°.

6. 2. The steady rest of claim 1, wherein the upper and lower gripping arms have pins extending therefrom and slidably received in the upper and lower guide tracks disposed within the cavity of the work cover plate.

7. 7. The steady rest of claim 6, wherein said upper and lower guide tracks each have an elongated leg and a shorter leg extending therefrom.

8. 10. The steady rest of claim 1, further comprising an actuation mechanism including a housing having a fluid chamber and a piston disposed between the chamber and a ramrod, the housing being secured to the work cover plate and / or the right side cover plate.

9. 9. The steady rest of claim 8, wherein the housing and the piston define fluid chambers in fluid communication with respective upper and lower ports, the ports being in fluid communication with a source of hydraulic fluid and a fluid control device capable of controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid into and out of the ports.

10. 10. The steady rest of claim 1, wherein a 90° rotation of either the vertical or horizontal adjustment rods displaces the gripped workpiece by 1 micron while holding it in place, even under the forces of machining operations and the rotating mass of the workpiece.

11. 10. A method for moving a steady rest according to claim 1 from a retracted position to a clamped position, comprising the steps of: injecting hydraulic fluid into a chamber of an actuation mechanism and expelling at least a portion of the hydraulic fluid from the chamber to move a piston toward the workpiece; axially moving the center plate along with the piston relative to the work plate and the right side plate; and sliding pins and bushings along corresponding legs of the guide tracks as the center plate and gripper arms move toward the clamping position so that the bushings contact a surface of the guide tracks and so that the pins and bushings slide laterally outwardly along lower legs of the guide tracks, whereby the protruding ends of the gripper arms move toward each other and contact and securely clamp the workpiece.

12. 13. A method for horizontally moving a clamped workpiece using the steady rest of claim 1, comprising the steps of: rotating a vertical adjustment rod in a direction that causes movement of the horizontal rail under the influence of an engagement spring, such movement occurring under the constraint of an inclination angle (θ, between about 0.92° and 1.08°) between the horizontal rail and a wall of the rail recess such that a wedge effect influences and constrains movement of the guide track against the rail; and moving the horizontal guide rail upwardly under the influence of an associated engagement spring also moves outwardly the location along the guide track where the bushing contacts the guide track, thereby displacing the workpiece horizontally; and rotating one or both adjustment screws causes the clamped workpiece to move inward or outward.

13. 13. A method for vertically moving a clamped workpiece using the steady rest of claim 1, comprising the steps of: rotating a vertical adjustment rod in a direction that causes movement of the vertical rail under the influence of an engagement spring, such movement occurring under the constraint of an inclination angle (θ, between about 0.92° and 1.08°) between the vertical rail and a wall of the rail recess such that a wedge effect influences and constrains movement of the guide track against the rail; and moving the vertical rail upwardly under the influence of an associated engagement spring, thereby vertically moving the location along the guide track where the bushing contacts the guide track, thereby vertically displacing the workpiece.

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