Emco Maximat and Unimat

R

RSwannabe

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Hello,

I am new to this forum. I recently picked up a Maximat 7 with mill in very good condition and with a decent selection of tools. Along with the tools for the Maximat, there were some parts for a Unimat 3 (mill head, mill table, steady rest, backing plate, compound and cross slide. I don't need the unimat parts, so I placed a link to the for sale ad in the craigslist ad section.

Here's a pic of my Maximat in its new home.
 

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Tried to post the link tot eh craigslist ad, but site wouldn't allow me. I'll try again in a bit. Maybe an admin can help?

Brooke
 
Lots of Unimat 3 stuff sold on eBay.
 
Hi RS,
I also have a Maximat 7, which seems to be something of a rarity. I've just joined the HM forum, and hope to connect with some fellow Maximat owners. Yours looks very clean--Have you been making chips with it? -Chuck
 
Emco really "did it right" as far as the combo machine idea. I remember lusting after the Maxi 7 in my local hobby shop window years and years ago.
All the Emco-Maier products were built to a very high standard. I have a very old early sixties Unimat and I've used the heck out of it.
The pushbuttons sometimes give trouble- also there is a fiber gear in the drive train somewhere that can break I've heard
The shifter forks in the headstock are fragile, be gentle when operating the levers- always with the motor stopped.
-Mark
 
markba633csi said:
Emco really "did it right" as far as the combo machine idea. I remember lusting after the Maxi 7 in my local hobby shop window years and years ago.
All the Emco-Maier products were built to a very high standard. I have a very old early sixties Unimat and I've used the heck out of it.
The pushbuttons sometimes give trouble- also there is a fiber gear in the drive train somewhere that can break I've heard
The shifter forks in the headstock are fragile, be gentle when operating the levers- always with the motor stopped.
-Mark
Click to expand...

They really did seem to cover the hobby table top lathe market quite well. Sherline and Taig have done a good job filling the spot the Unimat held, but I'm really surprised that there aren't more copies of the Emco machines. The lineage of the Compact 8 is obvious in the 9x20, and supposedly the Sieg C0 "baby lathe" 4x6" is a close copy of the Unimat 3, but nothing I know of the fits the Compact 5 or Maximat 7.

Reading forums that focus on smaller machines there is a lot of interest a lathe bigger than a Taig or Sherline and better quality than the Sieg 7" lathes. I'd think a good quality Taiwanese made 5-7" lathe would be a hit if they could keep the price under $2000, but cost may be the hang up.

I guess that market will continue to be filled with used Atlas 6", Emco Compact 5 / Maximat 7, Prazi SD300s and Myford 7s.
 
If I had to choose a lathe size that is ideal for the average hobby guy, I would choose an Emco V10-P or Super 11, with the obvious choice being the latter for its larger bore and incredible rigidity and power given its compact size. The issue for Emco lathes is always cost because their quality of construction cost more - better materials, more precise machining, awesome design, top shelf components, etc. Plus, most of their lathes were built to a DIN standard and most of the larger lathes were built to tool room standards for what that's worth. Taiwan can probably duplicate an Emco lathe but not for cheap. I would guess a Taiwanese Super 11, built to the same standard as a real Super 11, would cost close to 5K out the door.

You can buy a Chinese made Emco Compact 8E today, right now, and it will be a Compact 8 with Chinese components and quality and you'll see why there is such competition for older Austrian-made machines.

In my opinion, and not to get Mark mad or anything, but the mill on the side is not that useful as a mill. Like the typical 3-in-1 machines, it has too limited a range, is not that rigid and it is a hassle to set up and take down. Most guys who have them don't use them much and lots have been removed to take the stress off the lathe bed. As usual, a separate milling machine is always a better option.
 
mikey said:
If I had to choose a lathe size that is ideal for the average hobby guy, I would choose an Emco V10-P or Super 11, with the obvious choice being the latter for its larger bore and incredible rigidity and power given its compact size. The issue for Emco lathes is always cost because their quality of construction cost more - better materials, more precise machining, awesome design, top shelf components, etc. Plus, most of their lathes were built to a DIN standard and most of the larger lathes were built to tool room standards for what that's worth. Taiwan can probably duplicate an Emco lathe but not for cheap. I would guess a Taiwanese Super 11, built to the same standard as a real Super 11, would cost close to 5K out the door.

You can buy a Chinese made Emco Compact 8E today, right now, and it will be a Compact 8 with Chinese components and quality and you'll see why there is such competition for older Austrian-made machines.

In my opinion, and not to get Mark mad or anything, but the mill on the side is not that useful as a mill. Like the typical 3-in-1 machines, it has too limited a range, is not that rigid and it is a hassle to set up and take down. Most guys who have them don't use them much and lots have been removed to take the stress off the lathe bed. As usual, a separate milling machine is always a better option.
Click to expand...

Agree the 10-11" is a good size for the average hobbyist.

There is a plethora of import 10" lathes, and just going off the prices of the 9x19 lathes you are probably under estimating the cost of a Taiwan made Super 11 clone. If you haven't priced lathes lately not a surprise, prices on new lathes have shot up dramatically in the last 3-5 years.

You can get a Chinese made Grizzly G4000 for $1900, or a Taiwanese made Jet BDB-919 for $3500, essentially the same design (both based on an improved Emco Compact 8) but the Taiwan made is 1.8x the cost.

Grizzly does sell a Taiwan made 10x30 with a QCGB under the South Bend brand, looks like a nice lathe, but it costs $9995.

Grizzly South Bend Heavy 10

I bet a Taiwan Super 11 clone would cost more than that Heavy 10. Would be nice, but too much for the average hobby guy. Even the nicer Chinese 10x22s are pushing $3000 these days.
 
Yeah, I probably am underestimating the cost for a Taiwan S11 clone. A few years back there was a Weiss clone that looked for all the world like a Chinese S11. Not sure how that fared.

I can tell you that a real Super 11 is quite a good machine. I suspect it will keep up with most 13" lathes out there except for work capacity. If one turns up close to you, I would consider it.
 
I agree with you Mikey, the combo lathe isn't great for milling but having the mill behind the bed a la Emco is better than the ones with the mill head on top of the headstock
I won't name names to protect the innocent, but you know which brands I mean
 
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