Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
Actually the way bars are supposed to extend from the tailstock end. They were part of the wood turning kit and were meant to extend the working length of the bed by allowing you to install the tailstock outside the end of the lathe bed. They are part # DB230-1. 
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
This is the type of motor most of us bought:?
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Re: Thanks + introduction
Welcome, Sean!
Happy to have you as a forum member.
I am just another fellow forum member
here and I also share the same hobby.
Dick
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Hello all,
Thanks to Marcus and all the group co-owners for taking action to resolve the moderation difficulty. ?It's very nice to be able to post to the group.
As an introduction: my name is Sean, I am located in Sunnyvale, CA. ?I have lived in California for approximately 13 years after moving here from North Carolina. ?I acquired a Unimat SL-1000 around a year ago, and I have been slowly rebuilding and reconditioning it as I gain the skills and confidence to do so. ?The SL is my first lathe, but I also own a desktop CNC mill that I like very much and use often.
I am still learning how to operate and maintain this machine, and I am looking forward to engaging with you all on the subject. ?I have many questions for those more-informed and better-experienced than myself, but I will save them for another time.
Cheers,
Sean
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
Good evening,
Many apologies for not giving the actual motor details in my previous post.
On Amazon, search for HUSUPER 550w Sewing Machine Servo Motor. ?91.89 Stirling as of an hour ago.
kindest regards,
David
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Re: Helping Beginners start....
I would find some reading material like the Machinists Bedside Reader by Guy Lautard and google around to find TAB Books, who produced a ton of home tech project material. Digging through the Files section in this group will also get you messing around with your Unimat.?
if you¡¯re concerned about millimetres, just print a conversion chart off the net and get a 6¡± dial or digital caliper. With the Unimat limitations, I¡¯m equally comfortable with mm and thous and a chart is just backup.?
DW
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Re: Helping Beginners start....
Welcome to my world!
Bill in OKC
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
Zitat von "OldToolmaker via groups.io" <old_toolmaker@...>:
Emco original.. long time ago..
Lui
> Lui,
> Thank you for the explanation. Was this kit an ?after market? kit or
> an original Unimat marketed kit?
> Dick
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
Lui,
Thank you for the explanation. Was this kit an ¡°after market¡± kit or an original Unimat marketed kit?
Dick
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
Zitat von "OldToolmaker via groups.io" <old_toolmaker@...>:
> Hello David
> Your extended way bars are interesting to me. Do they serve a
> purpose? Or did you just use what rod stock you had on hand at the
> time for expediency?
> Dick
The Unimat DB/ SL adjustable T-bar Tool Rest, extended waybars, wood turning spur drive center and three very small chisels = Unimat Woodturning Set
Lui
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
Hello David
Your extended way bars are interesting to me. Do they serve a purpose? Or did you just use what rod stock you had on hand at the time for expediency?
Dick
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
Good morning,
I had several reasons for purchasing this motor.
It was a one click, four day delivery from Amazon, cost ?92 Stirling and is ready to use straight out of the box with no additional parts or work required. It even has an electrical plug fitted.
It weighs less than 4 pounds, the original motor weighs 3.5 pounds. This allows it to be fitted to the original bracket so the lathe can still be set up for milling.
It's very quiet and will run all day, useful in the confined space of my "workshop" ( loft/roof space of house ).
It runs on domestic single phase 230vac.
As to excessive power I have retained a single 6mm belt which I intentionally leave loose. This slips the second things get too much, not that it happens too often.
I am very aware that this is a small lathe I use for making and repairing clock parts, I only use it on brass and free cutting steels.
kindest regards,
David
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
Good morning Guy,
Thanks for taking the time to read my post.
When I acquired the lathe it was in a terrible state and the bed bars required immediate replacement.
As I think at some point in the future I may want the option of longer bars I only purchased one new set. I had to get them from Spain.
It was a bit of a fool's errand really.
If they are extended beyond the tailstock the long travel handle can't be fitted, if they go the headstock way then a standard pulley will not fit.
Anyway, applying the engineers ethos of adapt and overcome I already had a damaged headstock pulley that came with the lathe so I removed the outer beltway from it and it fits fine.
kindest regards,
David
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
I agree with Neil.? The 135 - 150 watt scooter motor works well.? It can be drilled and tapped to match the screw spacing of the original Unimat motor.? The overall weight of the motor is reasonable.?
On Mon, Nov 8, 2021 at 10:43 PM Neil Morrison < neilsmorr@...> wrote: A common upgrade was a 24 volt scooter motor, used for powered wheelchairs. These can be speed controlled down to zero, and provide good power continuously. The power supply is inexpensive, and can run from 110 to 240 volts. Neil
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
A common upgrade was a 24 volt scooter motor, used for powered wheelchairs. These can be speed controlled down to zero, and provide good power continuously. The power supply is inexpensive, and can run from 110 to 240 volts. Neil
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
Oh dear, I'm about to get my self into trouble again. I too run a similar setup on my unimat with a "large" DC motor doing the driving. I run a toothed wheel drive system with only one fixed ratio (about 2.5 :1 reduction). The motor is ~ 400 watts and I have installed a small DC circuit breaker in the line to the motor (6 amp). so if I do "crash" then the results are not too bad. The thing to remember about this sort of setup is that when one dispenses with the multiple pulley ratio's you need a much larger motor to get the correct torque at low speeds. The big benefit is that a quick twist of the speed reference pot and you have any speed that you can desire with out having to stop and change belts or worry about stalling. Its perfect for handling "large" diameter turning where you need to vary the chuck speed continuously as the cutting bit gets closer to the centre.  And yes I know its dirty. But thats honest dirt ( actually a hard wood dust) from making a wooden bush. Note the home made tool holder and home made copy of the indexing attachment.? Bob
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Re: Alternative motor for the Unimat SL
David, ? Very nice looking, but with that much power on such a small lathe you are leaving yourself open to bending or tearing apart the headstock or the support rods.? It is kind of like those guys who put an excessively large engine in an otherwise stock car and end up ripping off the driveshaft or differential because of the excessive torque developed by the engine.? You may want to consider fastening the drive pulley with a soft shear pin (usually soft aluminum) that will give way before ruining the spindle should jam.? ? Best wishes, ? Jerry F.? ?
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From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David via groups.io
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2021 8:21 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Unimat] Alternative motor for the Unimat SL? This is my first post to the site so apologies if I ramble a little.
First of all, many thanks to all involved in sorting out the recent situation. I am a retired combustion engineer from the steel industry and have developed an interest in the repair of grandfather clock movements. Very quickly it became apparent that some form of lathe was required for this and after much internet searching, during which I found this site, went for the EMCO Unimat SL due to it's compact size. After repairing, repainting and general repairs the original motor was refitted but I found it too noisy and time restrained. The lathe also came with an old 90w sewing machine motor controlled via a foot pedal. I tried this but it proved problematic due to not being able to control my left foot and the old motor was not powerful enough to achieve higher speeds under load. After research I bought a 230v 550w DC servo motor from Amazon, designed for an industrial sewing machine. It was simplicity itself to fit and is more than adequate for my needs Very quiet, up to 4500 rpm and reversible at the touch of a button. It comes with sufficient brackets to fit most needs. I inverted the original motor bracket and mounted it through the idler pulley bearing hole. This gives the ability to adjust belt tension as well.? It has a very efficient electrical braking system, sensible as it is designed for a sewing machine and an operator would not want it to run on if they were in difficulty. It will stop, with a thump, from 4500 rpm to zero in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately for a Unimat SL this leaves more than enough momentum in the chuck for it to screw itself off and end up anywhere in the workshop, at speed. This motor braking is simple to turn off in the parameters of the controller, but by default it is set to maximum. The normally foot pedal activated on/off and speed control switch was fitted in an appropriate place for hand operation and the return spring removed. This switch increases the motor speed in steps from 0 to 100% of the desired speed set in the main motor controller. It does this with a Hall effect sensor with a magnet. There is a hole in the top of the switch and this means it does occasionally get swarf on it and in it. This would eventually cause electrical problems. As part of a normal lathe clean down I inspect and remove any debris to avoid this. Some photographs of the setup have been included for your perusal. I am very happy to provide any information you may require. ?
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Re: Helping Beginners start....
Hi Dave:
I've started working wood in millimeters and it is surprising how much easier it is. No question to work in 1/8" or 1/16" and all the jumping around with full inches and fractions. Mostly I work in cm, but it is an easy jump to mm. I highly recommend it.
When you knurl, the wheels will slip sideways to match the pattern. It is just important to get a deep pattern started at first. Plus I knurl on my big lathe, but would recomment a sissors type knurl on the Unimat, if you must.
Carl.
On 11/08/2021 3:06 PM Dave Seiter <d.seiter@...> wrote:
I'm so accustomed to accurate measurements that when I work with wood (I build sets for two local theater groups), I feel uncomfortable about the wide pencil marks and relatively course measurements, so I end up measuring things multiple times.? Usually length, confirm length, check where I want the saw blade to actually cut relative to the pencil mark, and then confirm length after the cut.? It's silly, because many times a 1/8"- 1/4" tolerance is fine.
-Dave
On Monday, November 8, 2021, 05:50:28 AM PST, OldToolmaker via groups.io <old_toolmaker@...> wrote:
Bill,
Forgetting our last measurement is common amongst us older folks.?
The old adage is ¡°measure twice - cut once¡±
Sometimes I end up measuring 3 times.
Dick
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Re: Helping Beginners start....
Hi Gang:
Dad used to say: "I cut it off twice and it is still too short!"
Carl.
On 11/08/2021 3:01 PM Davis Johnson <davis@...> wrote:
Short! Short! Short!
I hate it when I can't even get the joke right!
On 11/8/21 14:52, Davis Johnson wrote:
I hate it when I cut something three times and it is still too long!
On 11/8/21 14:36, Carl wrote:
Hi Dick:
I tend to do it the other way, cut 3 times and then measure.
Carl.
Bill,
Forgetting our last measurement is common amongst us older folks.?
The old adage is ¡°measure twice - cut once¡±
Sometimes I end up measuring 3 times.
Dick
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Re: Helping Beginners start....
I forgot to mention that my knurling is on a Logan or Clausing; I've never attempted (that I can recall) trying to knurl on the unimat.
-Dave
On Monday, November 8, 2021, 08:56:47 AM PST, Jeffrey Kropp <jeffreykropp1@...> wrote:
? ? ?I gave up trying to knurl on Unimat - simply not rigid enough (or maybe my limited machining skills).? Yes, the knurl pattern and workpiece diameter must be coordinated.??
On Mon, Nov 8, 2021 at 11:02 AM Guy Winton < kooldude@...> wrote:
Wow - I'd love to have one of those!
On November 6, 2021 at 9:22 PM Pete <pmerriam9@...> wrote:
John/Tamra
I believe the German u-boats might have carried the Hommel UWG lathe, seen here:
These were very interesting machine tools.
Peter
On 11/6/2021 10:04 PM, John Pratchios wrote:
Tamra;
It has been said that German U-Boats carried a small metal lathe similar to Unimats.
I remember seeing the American Edelstaal Unimat advertised in the ads in the back of Popular Mechanics and Mechanix Illustrated magazines in the very early ¡®60s.when I was a teenager (I¡¯m now 73). The price was $99 at the time. I wanted one very badly back then but $99 was a lot back then.
I did get one in 1971 when my newly wed wife¡¯s Uncle who worked at Sears could get a great discount at Sears who was selling them at that time. I still only ended up with a very basic SL-1000 with a couple of accessories. Since around 2000 I added accessories obtained on eBay and now have most of what I ever wanted, but now I want to convert one to CNC.
Best regards,
John
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OldToolmaker
Dave W
Bill in OKC too
Carl