Where are our little Unimat Machinists ?

[rickard]

I know of atleast 2-3 other guys here that have the beloved little Unimats, I am sure there are more out there, so lets get some talking going about these wonderful little Machines! Me due to my current Hyades from Slotcar Racing , I've been short on projects. I'm working on building Steam Engines, but I'm still in the early stages. so Lets share Ideas of what we are doing

 

[Dreamcaster]

Hi I just joined here is my Unimat on risers, got some cool tooling pics of that later hope we can share information. I am not looking forward to the day that I need to replace the motor. I heard rumor that the harbor freight 1/3 HP compressor has a DC motor in it that people have successfully transplanted with modifications to run Unimats. Its on sale for 59 bucks with 20 percent off that gets you into the 40s I would love to confirm it works before spending the money and ripping the motor out though.

 

[rickard]

Welcome to our little space, I can't help you with the H/F Compressor Motor, but I've used in the past Dayton Motors from Granger with good luck, and the motor of of Mom's old sewing machine for lite work I'd love to have one of those ZMak Machines, so I can use the head stock risers. Plus easier to move around than the cast Iron ones

 

[Alan Douglas]

I had one in the 1960s, bought from Lafayette Radio for $139 (as I recall) with some freebie accessories. It worked well but eventually found a home with a friend, and I have a 955 Logan now.

 

[laddy]

Hey,
I have two Unimats. The first one I bought used 1980 for $45 it was all still in the cardbord boxes and original wooden box brand spanking new it is the DB with a tonn of accessories. About 15 years ago happened across an SL which had a permanent Drill press attachment with its own power and power feed screw. I have used both alot and also have a 6 inch lathe and a 9 inch lathe but for small stuuf you cannot beat the Unimat just for visibility and finish. I have alarge vertical mill and an Atlas Horizontal but also the small Emco milling machine made in Austria for again the small stuff. I love my Unimats and always enjoy using them. Fred

 

[rickard]

Good deal Fred
Welcome, I'm looking forward to seeing what you're doing with your Unimat

 

[Beethovin]

I know of atleast 2-3 other guys here that have the beloved little Unimats, I am sure there are more out there, so lets get some talking going about these wonderful little Machines! Me due to my current Hyades from Slotcar Racing , I've been short on projects. I'm working on building Steam Engines, but I'm still in the early stages. so Lets share Ideas of what we are doing

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A bit of EMCO history. Ernst Maier started EMCO hence the name. A long time ago I did a favor for this man and in return he gave me a full UNIMAT complete with almost every conceivable attachment. I used the UNIMAT to make the parts for a STWEART #7 model steam engine. Had to make a riser for the head stock and cross slide to machine some parts. The engine now sits in a dedicated rack in my living room in Duluth MN while I enjoy the sun in the Rio Grand Valley. I sold the UNIMAT a few years ago and used the money toward the purchase of a Grizzly combo. It too is sitting in the cold of northern Minnesota, snivel, sniff &amp; boo-hoo. <br><br>The original UNIMAT had some accuracy problems relating to the machining of&nbsp;its die cast parts. Even so, with care and patience one could make many small parts. The power feed attachment was a joy to use, but trying to cut a shaft .25" dia X 2" could make a saint scream with frustration LOL<br>

 

[maxmartnnl]

I had this one, the UNIMAT 3. Had a lot of fun using it, even while turning and milling titanium heli shafts and wheelhubs and other small parts. Having patience was necessary and that quality of mind was developped automatically) when using the UNIMAT 3 since you couldn't expect from it to take 1/2" cuts in stainless steel...
It did the job though and despite it's tinyness it delivered fine finishing with accurate repeatability, even often better than way bigger machines...

 

[markba633csi]

Hiya, I was given an early cast iron DB200 years ago by a good friend. I have used it a lot and still do.
Just bought an Atlas 6" Mk2 for doing big stuff but the quality of the Unimat is superior. I just added the mill/drill column and feed lever I've wanted for years, now I can use it as a precision drill press. I'll never sell it.
Mark S.

 

[markba633csi]

I just talked to the good friend who gave me my Unimat those many years ago, haven't seen or talked to him in years- much water under the bridge while we were both doing our careers. I made sure to tell him how much I appreciated that gift, we will be seeing each other again soon for the first time in more than 30 years.
I also just remembered one of the jobs I did with the Uni was to make a replacement carburator needle out of 1/8" brass rod for my '67 Kawasaki A1SS two stroke twin street bike I had while going to Foothill College in Los Altos, California in the mid 70's. Talk about a job requiring a lot of patience! Tiny kiss-cuts so as not to ruin the part, but it worked perfectly. My friends used to call that Kawi the "ticket-bike" cuz everyone who borrowed it came back with a ticket! LOL
Mark S.