He's talking about hand-cranking the spindle to avoid crashing the cutter into the chuck while threading a shaft or screw. Like the mini-lathes, with a stock motor it's far too easy to have the Unimat lathe turning way too fast for comfort when threading to a shoulder. Hand-cranking gives complete control over the process at the cost of speed.?
William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)
Aphorisms to live by: Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.? SEMPER GUMBY!
Expect in one hand, expectorate in the other. See which one gets full first.
On Friday, March 28, 2025 at 07:12:55 AM CDT, Quinn Golden via groups.io <quinngolden@...> wrote:
Not sure what you mean? ? There are three hand wheels, one for each carriage and the cross slide. ?I¡¯m sure you mean something different that I don¡¯t understand.?
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Maybe just a lock nut?
Neil
On Sat., Mar. 29, 2025, 5:56 p.m. OldToolmaker via , <old_toolmaker= [email protected]> wrote: What I am describing is hand crank for the Unimat main spindle to facilitate low speed single point threading. I have used this same method on my 7¡±x 11 mini lathe. I use a threaded rod for a thread master.
Dick
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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
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Re: Small grooves - advice / suggestions please!
Hi Phil,
?
I'm in need of a tool holder similar to yours.? Could you let me know where you purchased it?? I have purchased the carbide inserts but can't locate a tool holder to use with them!
?
Regards,
?
Myron
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What I am describing is hand crank for the Unimat main spindle to facilitate low speed single point threading. I have used this same method on my 7¡±x 11 mini lathe. I use a threaded rod for a thread master.
Dick
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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
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Re: Small grooves - advice / suggestions please!
Those looking for guitar nut and saddle files check out Stewmac @.
On the same page on line they have a number of other files used in lutherie.
Hope this link proves useful to all.
?
Bill in NC
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Search Engine List see? Excel below
?
Dave?
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Re: Small grooves - advice / suggestions please!
Anther option for fine grooves is to use a piercing saw - the blades go down to very thin, and are never very thick. The problem then is controlling the depth, but I favour having a top fret, so the nut sets the string spacing and the fret sets the string height.
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? ? ?How about Craig's list?
On Fri, Mar 28, 2025 at 9:32?PM OldToolmaker via <old_toolmaker= [email protected]> wrote: Jerry,
I have decided on a different method of selling. I will sell locally with an Auction House. No shipping required. I use my own truck.
Dick
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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
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Jerry,
I have decided on a different method of selling. I will sell locally with an Auction House. No shipping required. I use my own truck.
Dick
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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
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If shipping, make sure it is properly packed and protected.? My ¡°upper¡± Kennedy cabinet was shipped just 100 miles and suffered a large dent in it when dropped by the shipper.? I felt bad for the seller as he refunded me a good part of the selling price for me to accept it as damaged rather than to return it.? ??I then spent some ¡°quality time¡± with a ball-peen hammer and a hand dolly and taught myself how to pound out most of the dent. ? Jerry F. ?
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From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Andrei via groups.io
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2025 5:37 AM
To: [email protected]; old_toolmaker@...; Timothy Jump
Subject: Re: [Unimat] Downsizing My Shop? I am sure people are interested in you kennedy tool chests, but those can't be shipped at a reasonable price.
I have had no responses so far. I am considering an Auction Website. 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
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Re: Small grooves - advice / suggestions please!
I have cut long vee grooves in aluminium using 90¡ã pointed burrs, and I found they needed some lubrication - I used car screenwash, as I had some handy. The problem is that at the point the surface speed approaches zero, so it clogs up. In other work engraving plastics we found the milling cutters are better than single edge engravers on acetal, but the single edge cutters worked much better on rigid PVC. The milling cutters melted the PVC, which then jammed everything up and broke the cutter. So it might help t have a choice of cutter types.
?
Regarding string spacing, i used to think about the space between adjacent strings, which is the gap left to get your fingers in, so I widened the spacing towards the basses, taking into account the thicker strings. I applied that particularly to a six string electric bass I made many years ago. The neck proportions and string spacing were based on typical classical guitars. It worked very well.
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Hi:
Some folks
have made a hand crank for the spindle, make thread cutting
easier, but slower. It should be easy to make one, just thread
it M12x1 to replace the spindle nut. Do provide a way of
clamping the thread so backing up does not loosen the spindle. I
made this hand crank for a small drill press to make tapping
easier:
Carl.
On 3/28/2025 8:12 AM, Quinn Golden via
groups.io wrote:
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Not sure what you mean? ? There are three hand wheels, one
for each carriage and the cross slide. ?I¡¯m sure you mean
something different that I don¡¯t understand.?
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Or you could
make it a stop on Vacation, Minnesota has some cool places to
visit: like Leach Lake!
Carl.
On 3/28/2025 9:04 AM, OldToolmaker via
groups.io wrote:
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Yes, but local interested buyers can pick up locally.
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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
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Yes, but local interested buyers can pick up locally.
--
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
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Contact me via email off line and we can discuss.
Dick
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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
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I am sure people are interested in you kennedy tool chests, but those can't be shipped at a reasonable price.
Get
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
I have had no responses so far.
I am considering an Auction Website.
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
|
I have had no responses so far.
I am considering an Auction Website.
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
|
Not sure what you mean? ? There are three hand wheels, one for each carriage and the cross slide. ?I¡¯m sure you mean something different that I don¡¯t understand.?
|
Re: Small grooves - advice / suggestions please!
Thanks Keith - your link led me to investigate engraving bits, I'm going to try some of these.
?
As I mentioned above I'm hoping I can get more than adequate spacing precision using the U3 milling attachment and an indicator.
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The 'nut' will be a piece of angle attached by three screws to the body, so easily replaced if plans (or string diameters) change. Strings can be bought in sets, or singly, so I don't think they will become unavailable.
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Great tip on improving a flat file though!
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Re: Small grooves - advice / suggestions please!
Thanks Elliot, good suggestion. I'm thinking now that I will use the milling attachment, and can set up a dial indicator to get the exact spacing between the strings (rather wide at 11mm).
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I do like to find specialist stores though with good quality items, jewellery suppliers is a great idea.
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Bill in OKC too
OldToolmaker
davesmith1800
Carl