¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

ctrl + shift + ? for shortcuts
© 2025 Groups.io
  1. Unimat
  2. Messages
Expanded Topics Messages Polls
Date
Re: Tiny clock hands - advice please

 

I think you might be able to reduce the hole size on the minute hand by pounding on the piece in that area to "flatten" it a little more.? The material has to go someplace, and the hole should close a bit.? I would use something with a rounded end, so material is focused to move only to the interior and not the exterior of the piece.? And pound on the back side where it won't show.? I've read about this trick to make a hole smaller from time to time, but don't think I've done it myself.

Another possibility would be to make a very thin busying to enlarge the shaft.? Even the smallest bushing you could make would probably now make the shaft too large and you would then have to open the hole a little.? If so, I would use a very small round file and some patience and trial and error.

Charles E. "Chuck" Kinzer

On Sunday, January 5, 2025 at 09:01:21 AM PST, Peter Brooks via groups.io <peter@...> wrote:


Happy New Year all ! ?I¡¯m after advice from horologists, or just those used to making tiny things!
?
I¡¯m fitting a small quartz clock movement into a small, broken clock. The face is nice, but the available hands that fit the quartz movement aren¡¯t, so I wanted to use the original metal hands. The new shafts are bigger though - 1.5mm > 2mm (minute hand), 2.6mm > 3.5mm (hour hand).
?
I tried to open the minute hand hole up using a spike / bradawl, tapping slowly and very gently. Of course eventually I split it. What isn¡¯t visible from the photo is a slight bush or flange effect around the back of the holes, presumably the holes have been pressed out and this helps the hand stay straight and true on the shaft. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t just try to drill out the holes.
?
Anyway, any advice on how to make new hands (and from what material)? Even gripping them for filing etc. would seem ?very tricky¡­ Or is it possible to rescue the old ones? The minute hand just slops around on the new shaft now.
?
?
Tiny clock hands - advice please

 

Happy New Year all ! ?I¡¯m after advice from horologists, or just those used to making tiny things!
?
I¡¯m fitting a small quartz clock movement into a small, broken clock. The face is nice, but the available hands that fit the quartz movement aren¡¯t, so I wanted to use the original metal hands. The new shafts are bigger though - 1.5mm > 2mm (minute hand), 2.6mm > 3.5mm (hour hand).
?
I tried to open the minute hand hole up using a spike / bradawl, tapping slowly and very gently. Of course eventually I split it. What isn¡¯t visible from the photo is a slight bush or flange effect around the back of the holes, presumably the holes have been pressed out and this helps the hand stay straight and true on the shaft. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t just try to drill out the holes.
?
Anyway, any advice on how to make new hands (and from what material)? Even gripping them for filing etc. would seem ?very tricky¡­ Or is it possible to rescue the old ones? The minute hand just slops around on the new shaft now.
?
?
Re: Unimat 3 Mill/Drill Attachment Question

 

I agree totally with your thoughts!
Dick
--
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/?OFF-SET-tailstock-center-65965#post105972
?SMALL TURRET TOOL POST PLANS?
?LARGE TURRET TOOL POST PLANS
?MINI-LATHE CARRIAGE LOCK PLANS
?SMALL QC TOOL POST PLANS?
?QUICK CHANGE LATHE TURRET
?MINI LATHE COMPOUND PIVOT MODIFICATION
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

On Wed, Jan 1, 2025 at 01:23 PM, Carl wrote:
Getting my finger stuck in the gears really hurt
That's the first thing I thought of when I saw this.
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

My MOST important lesson from the Erector Set Motor was "In running pinch points". Getting my finger stuck in the gears really hurt, but I didn't loose anything.

Carl.

On 1/1/2025 3:58 AM, Gerald Feldman wrote:

The Erector motor can also be easily geared to various speeds and shifted into neutral or reverse.? The Erector was my favorite toy when I was a kid back in the 1950s and learned a lot from it.? I still have my original two sets (an 8-1/2 and later a 12-1/2) with all the parts, as well as a couple of others that I rescued.

?

Jerry F.? ?

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of John Hutnick via groups.io
Sent: Monday, December 30, 2024 9:11 AM
To: Mike Gidley; [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Unimat] Cheap Power Feed Unit

?

For something that you can actually buy, try this Ebay item:

226166478327

It is $7.69 + $3.00 shipping.

We don't need to analyze torque.? If it works, fine.? If it breaks, get something else.

On Ebay, an erector set motor is $12 - 30, depending on condition.

I see a benefit to the Erector motor.? If you are not using it, just pop off the belt.

But you need to create a pulley with something like a manual handwheel.

?
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi Gang:

For a feed rate, count the turns you use by hand. One second per turn perhaps? So 60 rpm might be a good starting point. Although the cuts are so short on the Unimat I never set up the Erector Set motor again.

I do use power feed on my larger lathe / mill.

Carl.

On 12/30/2024 3:24 PM, John Hutnick via groups.io wrote:

For Carl and all of us, we will never need any huge motor gearset shaft to turn our Unimat shafts.? So with these Surplus gear motors, what rpm do we want?? Someone more practiced than me can tell us what leadscrew rpm to produce a slow to moderate cut.? Now how do we connect such a thing and make it so that we can run or take it off.? Minimum machine projects please.
This is where the Erector may be the easiest.? Make a little pulley with a projection that converts it to a handwheel.? That is all you would need.
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

The Erector motor can also be easily geared to various speeds and shifted into neutral or reverse.? The Erector was my favorite toy when I was a kid back in the 1950s and learned a lot from it.? I still have my original two sets (an 8-1/2 and later a 12-1/2) with all the parts, as well as a couple of others that I rescued.

?

Jerry F.? ?

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of John Hutnick via groups.io
Sent: Monday, December 30, 2024 9:11 AM
To: Mike Gidley; [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Unimat] Cheap Power Feed Unit

?

For something that you can actually buy, try this Ebay item:

226166478327

It is $7.69 + $3.00 shipping.

We don't need to analyze torque.? If it works, fine.? If it breaks, get something else.

On Ebay, an erector set motor is $12 - 30, depending on condition.

I see a benefit to the Erector motor.? If you are not using it, just pop off the belt.

But you need to create a pulley with something like a manual handwheel.

?
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

John,
I use 24volt DC motors for my Unimat.
I know I have said this before, but the convenience of variable speed, reversing,and Quiet Operation are a big plus! Just dial your infinite speed-and away you go.
I got the motors and controllers on EBay.
Dick
--
http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/?OFF-SET-tailstock-center-65965#post105972
?SMALL TURRET TOOL POST PLANS?
?LARGE TURRET TOOL POST PLANS
?MINI-LATHE CARRIAGE LOCK PLANS
?SMALL QC TOOL POST PLANS?
?QUICK CHANGE LATHE TURRET
?MINI LATHE COMPOUND PIVOT MODIFICATION
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

Further to my earlier message, I looked at feeds on the 11in Maximat.? Based on what I have done for finer jobs, maybe .002 - .003" would be good for a Unimat.? Any opinions about feed rates?? Now how do we manage this?
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

For Carl and all of us, we will never need any huge motor gearset shaft to turn our Unimat shafts.? So with these Surplus gear motors, what rpm do we want?? Someone more practiced than me can tell us what leadscrew rpm to produce a slow to moderate cut.? Now how do we connect such a thing and make it so that we can run or take it off.? Minimum machine projects please.
This is where the Erector may be the easiest.? Make a little pulley with a projection that converts it to a handwheel.? That is all you would need.
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi Gang:

Surplus Center has a range of DC gear motors. The plus with DC it is easy to build a variable speed control.

An easy to build power supply can be: 1) standard AC light dimmer > 2) 120v to 12v transformer > 3) bridge rectifier to DC

You can judge the torque by the diameter of the output shaft. I first built my train lift with a 5/16" shaft, and when it failed went to a 5/8" shaft, that didn't fail.

Carl.

On 12/30/2024 12:10 PM, John Hutnick via groups.io wrote:

For something that you can actually buy, try this Ebay item:
226166478327
It is $7.69 + $3.00 shipping.
We don't need to analyze torque.? If it works, fine.? If it breaks, get something else.
On Ebay, an erector set motor is $12 - 30, depending on condition.
I see a benefit to the Erector motor.? If you are not using it, just pop off the belt.
But you need to create a pulley with something like a manual handwheel.
?
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

For something that you can actually buy, try this Ebay item:
226166478327
It is $7.69 + $3.00 shipping.
We don't need to analyze torque.? If it works, fine.? If it breaks, get something else.
On Ebay, an erector set motor is $12 - 30, depending on condition.
I see a benefit to the Erector motor.? If you are not using it, just pop off the belt.
But you need to create a pulley with something like a manual handwheel.
?
Re: Unimat 3 Mill/Drill Attachment Question

 

The Wayback site, which I support, can be a little hit or miss on how much of a site is archived. And, sadly, I haven't found where any ISP provided pages have been archived. Sometimes gold, sometimes dross or nothing at all.
?
Ron
Re: Unimat 3 Mill/Drill Attachment Question

 

On Sat, Dec 28, 2024 at 10:00 PM, OldToolmaker wrote:
Ron,
I feel uneasy about having my posts ending up broadcasted on other forums without permission. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just a weird suspicion or not. I know I can¡¯t prevent it.
I just may have to except it as a part of being an an active member of a group.
Dick
I do understand. I now consider that anything released in an email or web post, most places, may as well be considered "Out in the wild." When another regional group I'm a member of moved to groups.io, it lost a long time, I mean since the days of metalworking.rec, member. Smart guy, had managed to avoid almost everything that used html in email. How I have no idea.
?
I agree with another poster. AI for most garden variety internet users is simply another excuse to gather information/data. Just my $.02
?
I haven't noticed any AI appearing paraphrasing in the groups.io summaries in my Yahoo email. Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough.?
?
Ron
?
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

I was lucky to find this motor with a reduction gearbox.
The slowest rev is 19 rpm. and the fastest is faster than by hand.
The end of the lead screw is like a flat bladed screwdriver. So i just cut a slot in the coupling.
Untitled-1.jpg

On Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 9:17?AM key2theattic via <key2theattic=[email protected]> wrote:
Works better than I had hoped for..
?
?
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

Hi Carl,?
This little set-up has a lot of possibilities. Something fun to mess around with and a sight better than a $200+ Unimat power feed unit!
Rick
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi Mr. Key:

I did this for my Unimat DB. Only I used the flexible shaft and a 8mm socket. That way I could drive the cross feed too.

Also if you add a second shaft to the motor you can have two speeds, in both directions!

Carl.

On 12/29/2024 3:26 PM, key2theattic via groups.io wrote:

I just got done cobbling together a cheap power feed unit for my Unimat 3. I used nothing more than an Erector Set motor and 2 of the pulleys that come with most sets. The 1 to 1 pulley ratio actually seems like a nice speed. Can easily make multiple pullies to add options for different speeds. You can use a Unimat belt, too. Haven't tried it under resistance while making a cut yet, but it should do well with light cuts. The video looks like the feed is a bit herky-jerky, but that is just the video - it actually feeds very steadily. Any thoughts?
?
?
?
?
?
Re: Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

Works better than I had hoped for..
?
?

VID_20241229_170817062~2.mp4
VID_20241229_170817062~2.mp4

Cheap Power Feed Unit

 

I just got done cobbling together a cheap power feed unit for my Unimat 3. I used nothing more than an Erector Set motor and 2 of the pulleys that come with most sets. The 1 to 1 pulley ratio actually seems like a nice speed. Can easily make multiple pullies to add options for different speeds. You can use a Unimat belt, too. Haven't tried it under resistance while making a cut yet, but it should do well with light cuts. The video looks like the feed is a bit herky-jerky, but that is just the video - it actually feeds very steadily. Any thoughts?
?
?
?
?
?

VID_20241229_140148853~2.mp4
VID_20241229_140148853~2.mp4

Re: Unimat 3 Mill/Drill Attachment Question

 

They didn't get everything. And stuff they had a few years ago is gone here lately..I was trying to archive a bunch of the metalworking stuff myself, but three hard drive crashes in the past decade or less has lost quite a bit of what I had. It was also not well indexed in the first place, and worse now.

bronchosaurus.com was a website for a guy who was stretching a mini-lathe to get 24" between centers back before the 16" versions were available.? Was in the wayback machine some years ago. Said they had indexed it, but didn't show me anything.?

Bill in OKC?

William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)

Aphorisms to live by:
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.?
SEMPER GUMBY!
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.
Physics doesn't care about your schedule.
The only reason I know anything is because I've done it wrong enough times to START to know better.
Expect in one hand, expectorate in the other. See which one gets full first.



On Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 12:06:49 PM CST, Jkle379184 via groups.io <jkle379184@...> wrote:


Try using the WayBack machine to find old stuff that was once on the internet.?
?Jeff

On Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 10:41:12 AM EST, Bill in OKC too via groups.io <wmrmeyers@...> wrote:


Amen, Brother!

Though I do wish some of the info that was once stored on the internet was better archived.?

Bill in OKC?

William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)

Aphorisms to live by:
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.?
SEMPER GUMBY!
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.
Physics doesn't care about your schedule.
The only reason I know anything is because I've done it wrong enough times to START to know better.
Expect in one hand, expectorate in the other. See which one gets full first.



On Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 12:49:34 AM CST, Peter Brooks via groups.io <peter@...> wrote:


Interesting how terminology has changed over the years, the early ¡®scraping¡¯ of sites has become ¡®mining¡¯¡­
?
Anyone can access ¡®Messages¡¯ on the Unimat groups.io website without being logged in, so it would be relatively simple to re-publish any posts made here to another site. Files, Photos etc. are not freely accessible, which is a good thing.
?
IMHO the recent fad for AI is 99% marketing BS, but it seems to have given the industry a whole new impetus to ¡®collect¡¯ information.
?
I find it amusing that ¡®AI¡¯ will also absorb all the absolute idiocy of internet content, and end up not being all that smart after all¡­
?
On a serious note, I do worry that the world is increasingly obsessed with the vacuous contents of IT tech, and not the real stuff?that actually physically exists in the world. There, AI, put that in your pipe and smoke it.
?
The more time we spend looking at our little lathes the better I think.
561 - 580 of 64868