As these lathes aren't made anymore I had to wait until a suitable one popped up for sale, in this case on eBay. This one was very reasonably priced although it didn't come with any tools, the milling attachment or even a manual. Fortunately free scanned copies of the original manual (plus the manual for the other Unimat models) are freely available here.
I now have a few tools on order (also thanks to recommendations from Paul) so as yet I haven't tried using the lathe although I have replaced the belts (they were showing serious signs of age) and checked it runs okay. Next up will be to order some brass so that I have something to practice on when the tools arrive, that and tidying the garage so I can set it up in a slightly more sensible environment.
This will really make a difference. Get free cutting brass or mild steel to practice on and ignore stainless steel.
ReplyDeleteYes after my latest experiences with stainless steel I'm not letting it anywhere near the lathe. I'm going to start with some CZ121 brass which is supposed to be good for turning.
DeleteMark it does turn quite well with carbide tips but never let them rub or it surface hardens.
DeleteI've never got on with carbide (brazed tip) tools (I used to turn for a living). I find HSS to be far better to work with and easier to sharpen. Yes HSS does blunt quicker but a bit of work on an oilstone sorts that out.
DeleteTake only light cuts and be very careful how you bolt the bed down. Mine cracked one day for no apparent reason.
ReplyDeleteHi Martin, hope your feeling better.
DeleteI still need to figure out exactly what I'm going to bolt it to, but I'll make sure I'm careful so as not to strain the bed. Mind you given how solid a lump the bed is I'm amazed you had one crack, maybe it had a manufacturing issue that took a while to materialize?
If you do want to turn steel look for EN1a BMS (bright mild steel) which is freecutting. Something to do with the lead content I believe.
ReplyDeletePaul yes it does have lead in.
DeleteMark, it might have been a factory problem, but I used it for ages after it cracked! Never made any difference.
ReplyDeleteBasically an excellent little tool. But don't ever be tempted by the Unimat PC. That is the biggest lemon in turning history.
Worse than a Colchester Mascot?
DeleteInteresting, I thought that the PC had a reasonable reputation but that it sold in such low numbers that it was impossible to find one (info from here). The Unimat 1 from the Cool Tool Company though seems like something to avoid like the plague. The description I've seen suggests that while the bed is aluminium most of the parts, including the chuck and collets, are plastic which sounds like a recipe for disaster.
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ReplyDeleteI'll try again:
DeleteHi Mark,
Congratulations on taking a step out of the comfort zone :-) I wouldn't know where to start with a lathe. Like you I have only used hand tools so far, so it will be interesting to hear of your experiences.
Is there any particular reason it is no longer in production?
It's definitely out of my comfort zone. I'm having problems even with the terminology and that's before I actually try using it. Fortunately Paul has been exceptionally patient with me otherwise I'm not sure I'd have got this far. Now it's just a case of waiting on tools and materials to arrive so I can give it a try.
DeleteI'm not actually sure why this model went out of production. I know it was replaced by the Unimat 4, although they were made in Taiwan and the early versions were apparently not particularly very good. Certainly the currently available Unimat 1 seems like something to avoid given the reports I've read.
Ah ok, thanks for that info. I was making the naive assumption that the most recent available versions would also be the best. But of course, markets don't always work like that!
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