Aurora Mark Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Hello, I am looking to try and find a nice mini lathe that would lend itself nicely for the making of landing gear legs, brass barrels, and other smaller items like that. Looking online has really given me little help with which one to pick. So, I'm wondering if anyone here has one, uses one, or has used one that they feel would be a worthwhile purchase. Thank you kindly for all your help in advance, Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Uncool Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Hi there, Mark! I'm currently lookin' for a mini-lathe as well; the ones I found 'bout were either too big (there was this one which was labelled as to be a mini-lathe 'n' had a 7" x 14" bed... ), or too expensive. So I'll join ya in yer enquiry on this same thread, if ya don't mind. Cheers, Unc² Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RotorheadTX Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 I picked up one of the Unimat-1 combo-tools several years ago. Unimat It seems to have a lot of potential, but I could never work out how the cutting tool is supposed to held in place. Another ARCer "RiderFan" was complementary of the Unimat machine, but mine has mostly collected dust. I did tool a few things from acrylic rod, and was pleased with the result. Trying to do metal caused a lot of chatter, mainly because I couldn't figure out a solid mounting of the cutter. The other thread... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Sherline and Taig are excellent quality, small lathes. A 7x14 lathe was mentioned above; those are much larger. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lesthegringo Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 I have the Teig 14" lathe as sold by machine mart, harbor freight tools and grizzly tools. They are good, but need to be adjusted and used carefully as they are not super precision - you get what you pay for. However if you do spend the time to 'tune' it, as long as you use a good vernier or micrometer they are capable of turning out some nice parts. The biggest thing to be aware of is the backlash that comes with using fairly crude threaded leadscrews and also gib strips with not very good surface finish. The only real weakness is the electronic speed control, which has failed twice on mine, but you can buy replacements. Fignoggle also make improved parts to increase the accuracy and reduce the backlash, they even do a CNC kit if you want to go nuts. Cronos tools in Dunstable also do a good range of accessories. Search the net for sites that talk about these and the parts for them, there's some great info out there Hope this helps Les Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aurora Mark Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 Thank you for your input, I really appreciate it. This is definitely giving me a lot of good insight into what type of lathe I'll be looking at picking up. Thankfully for the next few projects I don't just need one yet, but soon... so I suppose it's time to start collecting the beans for a purchase in the future. Cheers, Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fantom Flyer Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 I have a fairly 'long in the tooth' Unimat 3 I used when I was making Model railway locomotives. The machine is not quite watchmakers precise, but it is good enough for 99% of our needs. The newer Unimat One is probably as good. As you are going to stick to brass/aluminium/plastic then look out for the original Unimat SL. A variety of precision components can be acquired for these although the Unimat SL may prove challenging as they ceased to be made 30 years ago perhaps? I have an old SL that has had almost no use, I will advise (if you are still interested') as to its current serviceability. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fantom Flyer Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Just realised you are in Canada! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nfiler Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 I have a Sherline lathe/mill that I think is the best miniature lathe around. It was expensive when I bought it a long time ago and is even more so now. But it is a precision tool capable of doing very close tolerance work. Sherline is a first class operation from top to bottom. I have called them with questions and advice and ended up talking to guys in their shop who actually do use the tools. Frequently ended up talking for an hour or so just discussing how and with what tools it could do the current project. It would be easy to sink a thousand bucks or so into the lathe/mill combination and a few accessories, but you could make almost anything out of any material with very close tolerances. The downside of any of these is the learning curve and the need for added parts/accessories for almost any project. Being able to operate one of these effectively for a variety of projects is another hobby in itself. While they clearly have applications in our hobby, unless you can afford serious money and have projects that would require frequent use, you probably could make an electric drill clamped down do most turning tasks. I love my Sherline, and it even converts to a vertical mill, which I actually use more than the lathe. But it is overkill for most normal modeling tasks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Budzik Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 The Unimat SL was an inexpensive way of getting into miniature machine work. The rod ways are far from being rigid and the motor has always been ... shall we say weak. I actually own three of them ... Figure 1: I have a Unimat SL head mounted on a much more rigid set-up. Figure 2: One of my Unimat 3's with an SL mounted in back so I can machine on center. Figure 3: A Unimat SL that I use for turning junk like plastic and aluminum. Whatever you get, you need to have a good selection of accessories. If you have never run a machine in the past, be prepared for a steep learning curve. These things don't just pop out of the box ready to go. Even for simple tasks like this ... Paul Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fantom Flyer Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 I fully concur with Paul, apart from the lathe, you need a decent guide book or attend some classes and practice, expect some disasters before you get it right. The Unimat 3 is prepared for use but many of the accessories need turning to make them fit and fit with precision. I have seen the new Unimat and was very taken with it, but i have spent a fair amount on my '3' so I shall stick with it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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