# Unimat SL1000



## Dhal22 (Jan 5, 2020)

I chose an SL1000 for my mini lathe needs.  Could not help myself when I saw the power feed.  Even just to look at the mechanism function was worth the buy.   Everything looks good except for the loose spring/coil.  Any ideas as to what has happened here?

Tia.

David


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## silence dogood (Jan 5, 2020)

I've had one of these for years.  Nice little machine, don't have the power feed, though.  I'm not sure which spring that you are talking about.  If it is the one on the spindle of the headstock, you should be able to adjust it.  At least according to my owners manual, if I read it right.  Get an allen wrench of the proper size and adjust the motor/spindle clamp.  I believe that space between the clamp and pulley is about a paper width.  I have not used my lathe for long while so I may  not completely accurate in my description.    As for the tailstock end where the spring is, I can't help you since I don't have that attachment.
If you don't have an owners manual, You should be able to download one,


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## silence dogood (Jan 5, 2020)

Oops, after a second look there is an adjustment for the power feed in the owners manual on page 31.


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 5, 2020)

very cool!
i don't think anything is wrong with the spring on the headstock
the spring is there for when using the headstock as a drill press.
the spring helps to retract the quill


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## Dhal22 (Jan 5, 2020)

Thanks guys,  I'll look a little closer tomorrow.


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## Dhal22 (Jan 5, 2020)

And time to go look for an owner's manual.


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## Bi11Hudson (Jan 6, 2020)

Had one of those for many years. '69 to about 2004... Well, what I had was a DB-200, functionally the same with a different nameplate. The spring on the headstock is a return spring for when you need to move the spindle. It will feel loose, I never noticed if it would spin around. As a drill press is the most common use but there are other uses. Once you get to know the machine, there are many "uncommon" things it will do. I didn't get the riser post or the bracket when I bought mine. "_Petty Officer_ Hall" made one for me, what he felt like it should look like. I stumbled across one some 20 years later... and snapped it up. Eventually acquired another machine. But no book, blah. Heard of a fellow once who used it as a hand drill. But I already had a hand drill so never tried it.

Cutting tapers was one of the most useful jobs to me. Just pull the pin and swivel the headstock. I had one taper to cut regularly so drilled a second hole in the frame to set the pin back in. The power feed is a good accessory, for cutting. Not worth a da@@ for threading. That's why it got replaced with a larger machine. Then the 6X12s (Chinese) came along and things started getting really crazy.

Mine came from a pawn(?) shop in California in '69. No box, no manual, no tooling. I had to figure out everything for myself. In those days, there wasn't much understanding of the difference between M6X1 fasteners and 1/4-20 &-28 we had on the ship. Not even the ship's machinist had any ideas in those days. But I learned a little here and some more there and eventually had a usable machine.

Something to take note of; There are several small 3 jaw lathe chucks around. The UniMat has M12X1 threads on both the headstock and the tailstock. Some of the parts floating around have M13 or M14 threads. It is NOT 1/2-20, although to an untrained eye it sure looks like it. I bought a tap and die in the appropriate size, made a few "accessories"... 

I still use the chucks on occasion on the big (to me) machine. I now have a Craftsman 12X36, MT-3 on the headstock. I made an adaptor of sorts, took a MT-3 to Jacobs and cut it down to M12X1 so I could do my small jobs. The smallest most of my chucks will go is 1/8th inch. I have motor shafts and axles in the M2.5 range, about 0.100. So, out come the UniMat chucks, on such a huge machine. It looks preposterous, a 75mm chuck on a 12" lathe. But it works for my small work.

.


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## silence dogood (Jan 6, 2020)

Ulma Doctor said:


> very cool!
> i don't think anything is wrong with the spring on the headstock
> the spring is there for when using the headstock as a drill press.
> the spring helps to retract the quill


This must be one of those times  I should have got a dope slap, LOL  The manual states when new and just out of the box the spindle is locked up for shipping purposes. You adjust it so that spindle will turn.  You are right, the spring is for the return if the lathe is set  up as a drill press.


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## Dhal22 (Jan 6, 2020)

Now I'm off and running.  Thx guys.  More here later as I outfit it.


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## markba633csi (Jan 6, 2020)

Unimats are great fun, like Bill H. I have had a DB-200 for years.  Coolest use for it was to make a tapered brass needle for my Kawasaki 250 carburetor
If you need to buy the headstock feed lever there are usually several for sale on Ebay,  I think I paid about 45$ for one
For milling, the machines don't do so well as the column tends to move.  Soft materials only.  I wouldn't plan on doing too much milling with it, but as a small lathe it's often amazing what you can do with it.  I raised the headstock with a big block of wood once and turned 5" disks of plexiglas for a project I was doing
A collet chuck and collets make them more useful, but the original E16 stuff is prohibitively expensive, if you can even find it.
Mark


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## Aaron_W (Jan 6, 2020)

These are neat little lathes, I was considering one, but at the time I couldn't find one that I felt was a reasonable price for a used mini-lathe. I like little lathes so if I found one cheap enough I'd be very tempted to grab it.

Sherline does offer some support for the Unimats. Some of their chucks and other tooling can be ordered threaded for a 12mm or 14mm spindle.


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## tghsmith (Jan 6, 2020)

like what has been said not great as a mill even with some modding,, an after market VS motor set up can do wonders..


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## Dhal22 (Jan 6, 2020)

Thanks guys, this is some great advice.  No plans to use it as a mill.  Mill plans will be the smallest PM made.  I build radio control airplanes so all small stuff in my plans/needs.  More daily as I come up to speed with this cute little guy.


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## tghsmith (Jan 7, 2020)

with my R/C model ship/boat work I find the headstock/tool holder/tailstock raising block set gets lots of use,, a shaft unit for squaring the head to tailstock speeds setups, much faster than using the center points.. I ebayed a quick change tool post set that was much nicer than expected, includes a dremel mounting fixture.. my LMS 3990 has taken over for milling needs..


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## Dhal22 (Jan 7, 2020)

Nice work.  Appreciate the photo of the lathe in action as well.


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