45 replies to this topic

[Isaac S.]

Got a deal on this '50s Unimat SL1000 (the primarily same DB200 is the one from the '60s). It was in rough and dirty condition but with a lot of work I got it running smooth with lots of oil and WD40 and changed the belts to a slightly faster setting. It's very fun and much cheaper than a new China lathe. A dead center is coming for the tailshaft. 

 

 

 

[Alchemist]

That looks awesome , Isaac!

 

May I inquire what your first project might be please?

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Ernie

[Dave Crevie]

My first home lathe was that very same model. Worked fine for very small stuff.
 
Two things I did to improve accuracy; I got a piece of 3/8" diameter ground and polished rod about six inches long, and chucked it in the chuck. I mounted a dial indicator in the tool holder, and while turning the chuck by hand, noticed how close the chuck ran to on center. I was able to use a half-round diamond file to work the insides of the jaws until the rod ran true, both up close to the chuck and at the far end.
 
Then I ran the indicator along the rod using the carriage and fidgeted with the headstock until there was no run-out along its length.
 
Once that is done, the accuracy is as good as anything else. You still can't take any heavy cuts, but it will work fine for most hobby applications.

[Isaac S.]

Thanks, Ernie. I just faced a Associated Jet gear so I guess that was my first project.

The Harbor freight bits work well. I'm gonna see how it does as a tire truer with an X-Acto knife.

[Isaac S.]

Thanks, Dave.

[mreibman]

Good on you, Isaac!

I enjoy my Unimat (DB200). I like putting arms in it and truing the stacks.
 
Good advice on using a buddy bar to line up the head and tail stocks.

[Isaac S.]

Thanks, Mike. I will take your and Dave's advice.

[John Streisguth]

Make sure you wear safety glasses (if you don't already do so...).

[Phil Smith]

Nice! Is that a four-jaw chuck?

[Isaac S.]

Phil, yes, it is the standard independent four-jaw chuck. A self-centering drill style chuck is coming also. It will be a little easier to work with small items with it.

[Martin]

Hey, Isaac,

Great addition to your tool colection.
 
I use my mini lathe to trim/true tires. It works great. I made a Dremel tool holder so I can spin a sanding drum to make the grind.

[Isaac S.]

Very cool.

Speaking of Dremels, I made this for my Dremel a few days ago. It is made out of a scrap Cuc chassis and Russkit bracket. It actually holds everything very well.
 

[Racer36]

I picked this one up a while back. I’m not sure if it’s ever been used before I got it.

 

[Phil Smith]

Phil, yes it is the standard independent four-jaw chuck. A self-centering drill style chuck is coming also. It will be a little easier to work with small items with it. 

 

Isaac, that's great! I have a Micro Mark mini lathe that has a three-jaw chuck, which is very limiting. Pretty worthless really.

[Isaac S.]

Dennis, that's awesome. That thing is worth over $750 these days. 

[Bill from NH]

Isaac, you'll find the Unimat comes in very handy. I bought a new one in 1970 for about  $165 & spent at least twice that much for tooling since. It's been some of the best money I ever spent.Did you get a tool post & clamp with yours? If you did, they make a precision drill press with a small capacity. Not knowing how it was used, you may want to repack the headstock bearings with new grease. I've done this once & never had to replace the bearings. There used to be rubber-coated rope drive belts available that had a much longer life than the stock rubber ones. Now days, you may be able to buy urethane belts, but I'm not sure. Much of my early tooling buys were done with the Sears Tool Catalog. I also used Campbell Tools in Springfield, OH, but they are now closed too. A Google search  & an eBay scan may give you names for current Unimat item sellers. Yahoo once had a Unimat forum but I question if it still exists. One other item I use is Heathkit motor speed control built in the 70's. I belt my lathe for high speed but plug it into the speed control. I get variable speed control from stop to almost full high speed. If I need full speed, the control unit has a toggle switch that all the variable speed circuitry. This particular unit has enough wattage to safely operate the Unimat motor under load.

 

The one time I cut tires in my apartment, I was cleaning up orange dust for the next three months.    It went everywhere.

 

My one regret is not also buying a collet headstock. I figured that was something I'd never need, but I was wrong. I could have often used one if I had had it.

[Isaac S.]

Thanks Bill. No, I didn't get the tool post and surface plate with mine. The used ones with them are over $500.  But I do already have a drill press available.

 

I will have to replace belts eventually and modern polyurthane ones are available. And yes, I will probably spend quite a bit on accessories. The bearings aren't too worn or noisy but the grease is almost 60 years old so I will probably someday take the headstock spindle out and take the bearings apart. Modern grease takes a lot more than the vintage stuff anyways.

 

It has had a long life but was treated well except for the once when it was dropped and that bent the main screw. I had to fix this to get it to spin right but now it works good. 

[Bill from NH]

For my bearings, I bought a can of white automotive grease in a department store. It'll outlive me, There used to be a guy named Mike in western MA who sold new Unimat items online. If I can find a URL, I'll email it to you for a look. I'm not sure he's still around.

[dc-65x]

Hi Isaac,

 

It's great to see your interest in tools.  

 

Here's a link to a good resource for small tool guys like us:

 

LittleMachineShop.com

[Bill Seitz]

I've been thinking about a Sherline lathe and mill for awhile. Got serious enough to visit Sherline on my last trip to San Diego and was very impressed. However, I still haven't pulled the trigger. One of these days....

[Dave Crevie]

The Sherline is the better choice simply because it has dovetail ways. The rod system of the Unimat allows too much slop with no way to adjust it out.

For a friend I took his worn carriage and cross slide and bored them to take bronze bushings. I slit one bushing in each so the lock screws could still be used. Even so, the carriage would get tight at the tailstock end of the travel because the round rails were not perfectly parallel.

[Bill Seitz]

I've observed the Chinese mini-machines which are cheaper, but they're made of cast iron and quite heavy. My shop setup needs machines I can move around and place in storage when not in use, and the Sherline's being aluminum are much more adaptable to my needs. I had some questions the sales guy at Sherline could not answer, and he had their tool and die maker come speak with me. I also got a full tour of the facility. I work in the aerospace industry, and this could be any one of the small machine shops that supply us metal parts. Sherline also makes custom machines for specific customer needs. Their mini cam grinder has been adapted to make replacement fuel pump cams for older helicopters, and an extra long bed lathe cranks out custom pool cues. Very impressed.

[Dave Crevie]

Unimats use cast iron bases/frames. Cast iron is more dimensionally stable, which is why real lathes are set on cast iron beds. They won't settle like other materials. 

 

The last place I worked had a 24" swing by 120" long bed lathe with a gantry type milling head. It was used to make things like splined turbine shafts. While I worked there it was checked every three months and never needed to be re-trammed. That was in an old building. I set up six Colchester 16" lathes, of varying lengths, in a new building and they had to be checked monthly as the concrete floor was setting. Still, I might find a loose jack screw but the beds remained straight and true. 

[Bill from NH]

Isaac, my Unimat,bought new in 1970, is a Model: SL-1000. I assume it came from REHCO, as that was the only distributor the raceway, where I got it, ordered from. It may have been sitting on a distributor's shelves for a few years.

 

My name plate looks like this one,

 

 

 

[Isaac S.]

Bill Seitz, I agree with Dave, steel is a more stable and long lasting material. Aluminum will settle and frame will either need to be adjusted or it will be non-precise. The Unimat beds are actually an aluminum alloy that is quite light. Only very early SL's have steel beds from what I know. But it did settle over 60+ years and I adjusted the main rails to provide an accurate, straight surface. My Unimat is about 35-40 pounds, easily movable. The newer Unimat 3 might be a little lighter even and are still available for a fairly good price.