I've used the steady rest a few times to support larger diameter work when the tailstock center was in the way. I found that the stock brass pieces didn't retract far enough to suit work which would still fit through the opening in the frame, so I spent some time with files and enlarged the slots in those. The end of those brass pieces weren't square, so fixing that and rounding the ends a bit with fine sandpaper helped, too. Along with a liberal shot of oil when things were moving... :)
