UNIMATS ARE NEAT BUT???

R

riversidedan

H-M Supporter - Silver Member
H-M Supporter - Silver Member
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Feb 17, 2021
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Been watching some videos on unimats and am getting interested......already have a 7x14 lathe and sold a grizzly 4x6 micro lathe
last year.........
Even tho there cute and well made am having problems envisioning what projects they can do I cant do on a HF table mill.......
Tho the part that turns me on is the mill ! but, what can u make??? Seen some videos about the mill however doesn't really show anyone making parts unless I've missed something...........if you own one of these what have u made on the mill part And how useful can these be ??
 
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:grin big: :grin big: Man! So great to see that I am not alone…. But I managed to delete all the saved links, deleted the saved FB Marketplace listings, etc.

Good luck resisting the temptation…
 
They are far more portable, and potentially more accurate than a 7" mini-lathe.

They were originally marketed as a combination hobby tool, in addition to the mill / drill press option which you do run across quite frequently, at one time they sold accessories to turn them into a little jigsaw, table saw, and grinder. Other than the milling column, these other accessories are not common and can be expensive.

Unimats are not much bigger than a watchmakers lathe, and a more accurate watch makers spindle was even an accessory offered for them. It is probably not unfair to consider them a budget watch or clock makers lathe.

They are neat, I have no need for one, but I do want one. Lack of need keeps me patient waiting for one to turn up nearby and cheap enough to overwhelm my better judgement. ;)
 
Aaron_W said:
They are far more portable, and potentially more accurate than a 7" mini-lathe.

They were originally marketed as a combination hobby tool, in addition to the mill / drill press option which you do run across quite frequently, at one time they sold accessories to turn them into a little jigsaw, table saw, and grinder. Other than the milling column, these other accessories are not common and can be expensive.

Unimats are not much bigger than a watchmakers lathe, and a more accurate watch makers spindle was even an accessory offered for them. It is probably not unfair to consider them a budget watch or clock makers lathe.

They are neat, I have no need for one, but I do want one. Lack of need keeps me patient waiting for one to turn up nearby and cheap enough to overwhelm my better judgement. ;)
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Agreed! I know us guys love to tinker and play cuzz thats our nature , but if I happen to run across one dirt cheap in decent shape don't think will be able to resist....just cuzz:grin:
 
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The last 'Unimat' was the (Asian) Unimat 4, which was a clone more or less of the (Austrian) Unimat 3. The Sieg c0/Axminster ?/Grizzly mentioned by the OP are clones of the U4. Not sure if exact clones, the Grizzly has a 4" swing, the U3 has a 3.5". Wanna know why the OP sold the Grizzly.

I had a U3 years ago, it wasn't great. I sold it off piecemeal, everything but the bed. I bought 2 suitable chunks of aluminum, was contemplating (re)building an experimemtal lathe around the bed. I already had small batch of m14x1 3 jaw chucks, went and bought a Sieg C0 spindle. But I haven't started. I really need to set up my big(ger) lathe. Haven't started that either. Someone help me get started.
 
You and me Aaron, we'll get it done, we'll beat back the hordes. Tomorrow or the day after. Don't worry. I can already feel it happening.
 
The Unimat 3 as a lathe can do really precise work, they run very smooth.

They are more limited as milling machines but will be OK for occasional work.
 
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