Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines
The Regular Stuff: Chat, Buy, Sell, Off Topic, etc. => General Discussion - Model & Toy Steam Engines – Stirling Cycle – Flame Lickers – Small Antique Originals => Topic started by: txlabman on June 20, 2019, 06:25:12 pm
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Thanks for the update, Charlie, and welcome back...!!!
Gil
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The unimat is a very under estimated machine.
Jan Gunnersson engines, especially the V4 oscillator, well within its capabilities.
Bolted down to a decent 50mm thick baseboard - all the rigidity you need.
I have two unimat 3 on a board back to back, one for drilling and very light milling, one for lathework.
Top whack you can just skim 75mm tube.
Enjoy.
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Nice purchase, it's actually come with everything yould need to make a start. DTI and base, the angle thing is useful for finding the centers of round bar so they can be drilled and turned between centers, even has the catch plate for the lathe dog. The milling attachment pole is a nice feature as is what I think is an angle plate for the cross slide.
Your sure to have loads of fun with it, if you need any more reference material to what's mentioned above then send me your email I've a few plans and bits that might be of interest to you on this steep learning curve.
The unimat isn't the most ridgid of machines so depth of cut has to be reduced slightly but it's a very good lathe especially with the accessories that are with yours.
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Very, very nice .... my mouth is watering to be sure!
Gettin' any of it smoked?
What did you carry in your vest to ward off any of those pesky mosquitos and bears?
I always found that the .44 mag worked fairly well on the skeeters .... but I suspect much less so on the bears. ;c)
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Where'bouts in Alaska are you going fishing Charlie?
Salt water, lake, river, stream?
What'cha gonna catch?
I am headed home on the last leg of my Alaska adventure. Fished for 10 days. 5 days at Bear Claw Lodge on the Agulowak River for Sockeye and Rainbow Trout and then 5 days on the Nushagak River for King Salmon.
Species caught:
Sockeye Salmon
King Salmon
Rainbow Trout
Grayling
Arctic Char
Dolly Varden
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Charlie, can I go with??? If not, bring me back a big balloon of cold air. I'm from Texas, but this summer is starting off HOT.
I really like your lathe purchase. I've had my Sherline lathe for a few years and realize you can spend a lifetime learning. Thinking about getting a mill, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
Have fun!
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Where'bouts in Alaska are you going fishing Charlie?
Salt water, lake, river, stream?
What'cha gonna catch?
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Good stuff Charlie! You will never regret having a lathe.
Enjoy your Alaska fishing trip..!!!
And hopefully you can show us some pictures after you return.
Gil
Thanks Gil. I will definitely post some pictures! And looks like I am leaving at a good time as we may have our first 100+ degree day today to kick off the Summer Solstice.
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Congrats. :)
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A lathe ? .... Now you're in for it!!! ;c)
Congrats Charlie
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Good stuff Charlie! You will never regret having a lathe.
Enjoy your Alaska fishing trip..!!!
And hopefully you can show us some pictures after you return.
Gil
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A good investment Charlie, I'm no expert on these but the Unimat range is reckoned to be decent quality and you look to have plenty of bits to get you going. A good read is 'The Amateurs Lathe' by LH Sparey which although first printed in 1948 is still available and covers pretty much all the basic processes. There are of course references to such historic workshop essentials as whale oil and asbestos....
Decent eye protection is a must, if you haven't used a lathe before then it's a steep learning curve as I have found out. My tiny machine is as basic as they came (late 1940's!) but has proved indispensable in the last few years since I got it. Certainly adds a new dimension to the hobby. Well done
Dave
Thanks Dave. A copy of LH Sparey’s book has been ordered. Hopefully, I will get it to read on my trip.
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Thanks for all of your nice feedback guys!
Lots to learn for sure.
First thing is a good cleanup.
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Nice catch, Charlie!
Now, go after those fish!
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Nice buy there Charlie, you should be able to have some fun with it.
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A good investment Charlie, I'm no expert on these but the Unimat range is reckoned to be decent quality and you look to have plenty of bits to get you going. A good read is 'The Amateurs Lathe' by LH Sparey which although first printed in 1948 is still available and covers pretty much all the basic processes. There are of course references to such historic workshop essentials as whale oil and asbestos....
Decent eye protection is a must, if you haven't used a lathe before then it's a steep learning curve as I have found out. My tiny machine is as basic as they came (late 1940's!) but has proved indispensable in the last few years since I got it. Certainly adds a new dimension to the hobby. Well done
Dave
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Looks like the start of an exciting new phase of the hobby Charlie - well done!
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Nice haul Charlie and it looks like it came with a lot of useful bits and pieces.
Soon you'll wonder how you ever lived without a lathe.......they are that handy.
Jim speaks the truth, you got loads of accessories that would cost more than the lathe, my lathe was one of the best things I have ever purchased.
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Oh dear
If you thought you were on a slippery slope with steam engines .
Just wait until you start playing with the lathe
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Nice haul Charlie and it looks like it came with a lot of useful bits and pieces.
Soon you'll wonder how you ever lived without a lathe.......they are that handy.
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Congratulations Charlie
Great looking lathe and it looks like it came with lots of cool stuff.
Hope you enjoy your new toy and build heaps of bits, there's nothing better than the feeling that " I made that"
All the best
Gary.
P.S. hope you catch lots of fish.
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Very excited for you Charlie! Hope you have lots of fun learning to use it and can't wait to see what you make. ;)
Thanks Nick. I am going to go slow. Lots to learn and keep me busy. First thing is to get a sturdy metal table to mount it on.
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Very excited for you Charlie! Hope you have lots of fun learning to use it and can't wait to see what you make. ;)
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I bought a lathe off of eBay. It's a Unimat DB200. Pretty complete. It arrived today and I got everything unboxed. Cleaned off some of the excess filth and made sure everything was working. So for so good.
I have been reading "Metal Lathe Operations. Featuring Sherline & Unimat", by Uwe Burghaus. Uwe is the owner of www.LatheCity.com and makes aftermarket parts and accessories for Sherline and Unimat lathes. I also downloaded the user manual (for free) and I have been watching tons of YouTube videos on the Unimat. I know there are massive limitations on this lathe, but I hope it will be a good first lathe for me to learn on.
Unfortunately, I am leaving for Alaska on Sunday to go fishing and won't be able to do anything further until I get back on July 3rd.
Here is a picture from the eBay listing: