Hi Peter, nice steady.
Can I ask what material you used. I have mine 3D printed in PLA and I'm waiting for the small bearings to go on the end of the 3 legs before I can use it.
Do the legs wear much?

Primed by the earlier post of a 3d printed steady rest for a Unimat SL or DB, I was inspired to create my own for my Unimat 3.

Cool... I ordered a few. Thanks for sharing.?

?If you remember the old Lindsay Publications Reprints of old machinist, machinery and technical books. Here is where they wound up and they are on sale again!
?
Jeff

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Hello Dick:

You are right, the body is mild steel where you need to cut. That is how I did the threads on my ER32 Chuck:

/g/Unimat/photo/195716/4?p=Name,,er32,20,1,0,0

Carl.

Hi Carl,

I was assuming the chuck body was able to be machined and not too hard.
That makes it very doable.
Dick

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Hi Gang:

This is almost what I do, the big difference I put a dowel pin in the lathe for the drill chuck to clamp on. If the dowel pin is running true, the clamping surfaces of the chuck are too. Then I'm very gentle about drilling / boring before the tapping. And I think it reaches the possible limits of a three jaw drill chuck to be consistent.

Next I should get an Albrecht chuck for my Unimat, they are the best.

Carl.

--
James Batchelor?
Dunfermline, Fife, UK.?
07805 207238

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Keith

I think you would be surprised by the number of people visiting this site gleaning great ideas.

Just because not everyone contributes, that does not mean it's not appreciated .

I'm not into making models but do lots of repairs .

My oven door hinges would not be the same without pins made on the unimat .

Great forum

Ray ( In UK)

Looking at the activity numbers we are having the best month for a good few years now. With everyone being in isolation, shut down, lock up or lock in it's a good job we still have our forum to help keep us amused. Not many months ago it looked like it mught have shut down for lack of interest, but it staggered on. Just as well!


Keith

I am one of the new members, though I have been interested in Unimat lathes and machining on a bigger scale for many years.

I have noticed an increase in interest in these little lathes and I think thanks to youtube and more recently lockdown there has been a resurgence in crafts in general.

I would like to say also that IMO the old group was confusing to use and difficult to find through a web search. I put off joining many many times because of that.?

When I got my Unimat SL it had a 3 jaw chuck and a 4 jaw chuck, not self centering. I bought a 10mm drill chuck that had a B2 I believe taper in it. I clamped the drill chuck in the 4 jaw chuck and made sure it was running true. I bored out the back to 11mm and then put the M12x1 tap in using a fixed centre in the tailstock to make sure it was aligned. I tapped the M12x1 then bored the 12mm section. It worked fine with only a small run-out.

Keith,
That sounds like a good method to insure close T.I.R. I have an existing 1/4” Emco drill chuck with T.I.R. issues since new back in the fifties or sixties. It is threaded 12mm x1mm and has around .005” T.I.R. runout. I also have two new old stock 1/4” Supreme key drill chucks with a Jacobs taper having an 8mm taper shanks to fit the watchmakers spindle. They both have a small amount of runout. I would have expected better TIR from this tooling but it is acceptable.
Dick

Looking at the activity numbers we are having the best month for a good few years now. With everyone being in isolation, shut down, lock up or lock in it's a good job we still have our forum to help keep us amused. Not many months ago it looked like it mught have shut down for lack of interest, but it staggered on. Just as well!


Keith

On Fri, Apr 24, 2020 at 08:33 PM, OldToolmaker wrote:

Hi Carl,
I have a question for you. When you tapped the drill chucks to M12 x 1mm how did you ensure good concentricity (runout)?
Dick

When I did it I used a tailstock ram with an ER11 collet on it to drill the 11 mm hole - I suppose a drill chuck would do just as well but the sall collets give me more working space. I have a short 11 mm drill with the shank turned down that came to me as a broken drill in an assortment of drills someone else was throwing out. The M12 × 1 tap I have has a 12 mm shank, so I clamp that straight into the tailstock itself, with no chuck or collet. Finally I finish the register with a 12 mm machine reamer that also fits direct into the tailstock. As the reamer is a little worn it cuts slightly undersize, so it is a slightly tight fit on the register. (There is endless debate about whether chucks and such locate on the register or the thread. All I can say is that the tooling I make definitely locates on the 12 mm register - it has no choice. There is no clearance there, and there is in the thread, so the register wins every time.)

The way to get good concentricity is to do the M12 thread and register first, then turn the job around and screw it direct onto the spindle before doing the rest. I get extremely low runout figures every time I use my various tool and collet holders..

Incidentally I have made most of the tools from 15 mm hexagonal brass bar. The hexagon gives you spanner flats to unscrew the thing, and grips really well in the three jaw chuck. The brass cuts freely so it is easy (easier) to get accuracy, and it doesn't wear enough to worry bout for the odd jobs I do. In a toolroom it would be hardened steel and ground finishes, but brass is good enough for me.

Since my DB/SL went abroad I need to make up equivalent tooling for my Unimat 3. To start with I have a nice bit of 17 mm hex bar on the shelf.


Keith

Hi Carl,
I have a question for you. When you tapped the drill chucks to M12 x 1mm how did you ensure good concentricity (runout)?
Dick

Hi William,
Do you have any pictures of the Extended Way Bars. I understand the principle but I would like to see a picture of the extended bars mounted on the Uni.
Thanks
Dick

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Hi Gang:

Years ago when I bought my Unimat, 1973, I started acquiring tooling. The first tool everyone with a Unimat should have is the M12x1 tap. This will allow you to make tooling to fit the spindle. I went to the hardware store and bought a 1/4" Rigid drill chuck and tapped it. Since I have done 3/8" and 1/2" chucks.

Next I had access to scrap tools from factories. So I would cut off longer drill bits to be short enough and also turned the shank down to 1/4". I still have the 5/8" four flute drill that still cuts fine.

If you search look for "Screw Machine Drills" or Stub drills. These are about half the length of jobbers drills and are a good fit. Why half length drill sets cost twice as much is a mystery to me. But they are nice and I often skip center drilling since they flex less. I first used them drilling holes for pop rivets in the floor of my school bus. I had broken all the jobber drills when they flexed, when the stub drills arrived, I don't think I broke a one!

I think setting up the Unimat and working around its limitations is a wonderful puzzle.

Have fun, Carl.