baitbegger i first used the steady on some aspen that was turned very thin and used it on 12" diameter walnut that it was very helpful on said:
Without knowing your hold method, I'll say that a steady is at least fair protection against a dismount even on a semi-major oh #*&!. Still, especially on a green piece, it makes sense to check the chuck snug whenever you turn off the lathe to move your rest, especially if you've got a crush hold rather than a fit hold. Reason enough to buy and use a tool, I'd say. Has to be at least as valid a purchase as paying a premium for someone's "name grind" gouge, eh?
Aspen flexes pretty badly even at 3/8 (@12") , especially wet, so a steady is going to be a help to keep uniform thickness where you otherwise might have problems thinning the long grain and skating the end. Only walnut I've turned was dry, but seemed to hold still pretty well. Good thing I don't get much of it, because it makes me sneeze.
Remember not to scrub the wheels across the piece, and you should have little problem with friction melting. Where you can't avoid it, because you have an inconvenient shape you want to use it on, you may have to live with minor scrub. It'll wipe easily, but may have compressed and heated the wood underneath, so you'll want to do a preventive water set of the grain before final hand sanding.
