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| mogogear |
Watchmakers Lathes?? Anybody use one here?The title says it all...... so anybody out there use one -- or is everybody using mini or full size...? |
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| MTA |
Tony (tmuir) has one which I believe he is currently fixing up 
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| alan2525 |
I've never used one but I know that terrific collet sets are available for turning very small (watch sized) pieces for 8mm watchmaker lathes and WW collets. They also make tiny split collets which are a little like a faceplate but with a raised edge. These can grip tiny items, like the size of a dime and enable you to face it off. These are a little like the collets you get in a pinvice or a dremel, but work with a drawbar which closes the collet by pulling it into a taper machined on the end of the spindle.
These ensure great concentricity and minimum runout which is vital when turning tiny parts. If you use a 3 jaw chuck especially a chinese job it'll be noticeable how inaccurate it gets as you move down the size scale into watch sized parts! I use a Taig Lathe which is a micro desktop lathe and know that a WW Headstock is available that allows you to use an extensive range of collets. I'll probably get a WW headstock for my Taig at some date, WW Collets appear to be a US version of the 8mm Collets which are basically european. I think WW collets are compatable with 8mm lathes but lathes with a WW headstock wont always accept 8mm collets. Watchmaker lathes do look very collectible too, probably hold their value too. And they often come with craftsman made hardwood draws full of beautifully made accessories too. |
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| Florian |
I just completed mine with a crossslide (it arrived today).
Now i need to mount the lathe and the Motor on a base. The only missing thing is a frequency converter. (I'm watching one on the swiss auction portal "ricardo") Florian ps: i'll upload some pictures later...
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| mogogear |
I am no machinist... but as with all things "toying" with the idea of learning by making the odd thing for my steam hobby- the more I toy and make - the more I learn..
I am nosing around for either a good watchmakers lathe or a Unimat if I find one cheap enough to justify it ---kind of 
I found a Unimat 1000 for $400 nearby..I am thinking about it... not really ready yet ythough... these boats of mine keep "wanting " things 
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| Florian |
If you're talking about an Unimat SL, then it depends on its equipment if it is the 400$ worth or not. Florian |
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| mogogear |
So by that - you mean what tooling comes with it? |
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| Florian |
Im not shure, tooling means also things like 3-jaw chuck or collets and these things, right?
If so, yes thats what i wanted to say. You also can send me the link (via pm, i've just sent you a pm by the way) im not going to bid on it since i have a better one  (And shipping to switzerland would be to expensive i guess)
Florian |
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| mogogear |
Naw - its no Auction- it is up for sale on Craigslist here in Oregon... so I have a note into the seller and will quiz him. he states this only:
"unimat mini lathe with vertical and horizontal capabilities. lots of accessories. great condition.-$400" We will see |
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| James |
$400 seems like a good price for a lathe! | ||||
| mogogear |
Ok, James I will buy it and ship it to ye meyart!! That will keep you out of trouble... says me..
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| James |
If you pay for the lathe AND shipping that sounds great to me 
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| mogogear |
I am on it... there is that small matter of handling charges......... all else is free.. | ||||
| James |
Handling charges being $1000?
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| mogogear |
No - not to some one from Lincolnshire ( ?) $800
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| tmuir |
Forget trying to get a good watchmakers lathe cheap. They generally cost as much as a medium sized lathe and are very sort after. Mine would be worth about $1000 which is what my big lathe cost me. Here is a couple of pics of mine in parts ready to be cleaned and restored. 
The only down side is mine has no drill attachment for the tail stock but thats not a real issue and once fixed up will be great for finishing off parts I make on my bigger lathe. |
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| mogogear |
Yeah,
IF I get one - I will most likely go for a Unimat... |
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| johnreid |
I had an opportunity a while back to get an Atlas like I used to use and I believe it was priced similarly. I think some of the Unimats have Milling capabilities so that might be a plus, but the old heavy traditional lathes are great tools. I decided against buying it as I would need to put it on an unheated garage and it would rust in no time. One needs to wipe them frequently with oil and it is best to leep it in a heated space. I think some of the Unimats are small enough to set up inside ones house. | ||||
| xlchainsaw |
my uncle had a unimat lathe years ago they are terrific as my cousin became involved in turning it was in constant use. (my cousin went on to become a top fitter and turner) the only problem they had with the lathe was the motor tended to over heat due to prolonged useage.years ago i crack at building this!
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| alan2525 |
What about a Taig? Capable little machines and the cost can't be beat! Plus they have a proper little Vee drive belt rather than the O ring type on the unimat.
Also massive online following and advice on custom fixtures etc. With a 1/4 Hp motor you'll be happily suprised. Plus lots of accessory chucks and tooling thats interchangeable between the Taig Mill and Taig Lathe. |
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| Florian |
Hi folks
Now the pictures of my lathe with all the accessories: 
I also ordered some ER-Collets and i will make an adaptor for using them on the spindle. The reason is, that my collets ar neither 6 mm nor 8mm collets. They are 6.5 mm (and collets in this size are especially rare) And i am looking for a 3 jaw chuck which does not cost too much but it should be precise enough for my purposes. I already bought one but it was terrible, precision is far from that bull****... By the way: That is what it looked like: 
Florian |
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| mogogear |
Nice nice nice! I want to thank everyone for the input...I will sit and know what to keep an eye out for !!
Thanks Good luck on the 6.5mm three jaw chuck search!!
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| tmuir |
Doh that looks very familiar to one I have but haven't used yet. Hopefully they just look similar and are not the same. |
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| Bubba |
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| Florian |
Well.. i can use any three jaw chuck with the right size; just need to make an adaptor
How precise are the sherline chucks? They look better than the one i had... Oh at mine the chaws had so much play i could move them about half a millimeter forward (to the center) and backwards. 
Florian |
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| Classic |
Mo, if you're thinking about getting a Unimat, I'd suggest getting one of the bigger models. I have a Unimat 3 (3 inch swing over the bed) that I bought new in the mid 80s. It's great for machining brass and aluminium (or is that aluminum ), but it struggles with steel.
Even if you think you'll only work with very small brass and aluminium parts, once you become familiar with the lathe, you'll probably find yourself wanting to machine larger components. Bubba, I agree that gmark's videos are great. I've learned a fair bit from watching them. Peter. |
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| alan2525 |
One thing about lathes in general, if you have a larger lathe you can use oversize stock (bits of old scrap bar ends etc) and turn it down to make smaller components. If you have a very small lathe it'll take a long time as you can only take light cuts, you'll probably be better trying to buy a large range of stock in sizes close to your finished part. Also large lathes have a large bore through the centre of the headstock so you can part off parts from a piece of bar, undo the chuck, slide a bit more out, tighten up and make another. On a small lathe as the stock wont pass through the headstock, you'll need a fairly large piece each time so you have enough of it gripped in the jaw. However if you are modelling steam engines, most of the parts will be within the capability of even a small lathe. Just a couple of things to bear in mind! |
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| mogogear |
Great recommendations - I am not committed to buying yet and my shop size ( at least I have one!) to accommodate it is not great....
But I will know a great deal when I come across it.. and an educated shopper knows the good deals when they confront you... Knowing what to avoid is a great thing to know...For I have made a few bad buys recently... So i need to get smarter....luckily for me the rest of you folks are the brains of the outfit! |
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| alan2525 |
I came across that guys video when I was looking to buy a Lathe, he has some nice instructional videos too - and the workmanship of his little miniature pillar drill is beautiful! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDKZ7ThaAFI |
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| mogogear |
I scored a lathe today... lots of close watching on Craigslist for a couple of months paid off!! A SL1000 Unimat ( the green hammerite finish)with original wooden box and a ton of accessories; vertical mill, steady rest, auto feed, 3 jaw chucks, dividers jacobs chuck fro the tail stock... pictures tonight!! and at a steal of a price...$250
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| tmuir |
$250 sounds like a bargain.
Still haven't finished fixing mine, too many other projects. 
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| mogogear |
Well here she is with quite an array of accessories..Yeah she is as advertised!!!!!
Indexing table, 3 and 4 jaw chucks, lathe dogs face plate, a Jacobs chuck for the tailstock and a couple of live centers to boot, a vertical milling post, milling plate and vise with some t-bolts, head stock spacer for bigger diameter jobs, full set of cutting tools, a power feed bar to automate turning down stock wrenches and some steady rests( 2) plus the box and a lathe in nice shape--!! She needed minimal cleaning and lube.. Head bearings seem very smooth. I do need to replace the main belt with one of the spares !! So here she is cleaned up 
And here she is with a bottle of wine to give you some scale! This thing is small-- about 14" long!! 
Here is a shot of the accessories 
and a close up of the chuck and name plate 
I now have some more new stuff to learn!! |
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| gavsr70 |
Really nice Mo - you scored extremely well with the accessories as well. As I'm finding out, you pay as much (if not more) than the lathe itself for all the other bits and pieces.
I have a Sieg C1 mini-lathe at the moment - you wouldn't want to machine parts for the Space Shuttle on it but it's not too bad for my first lathe to learn on
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| rangerssteamtoys |
Nice little lathe 
Hope you become a machinist, make super small locos an engines along with boats
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| johnreid |
You can do a lot with a Lathe like that, there is only one thing that is really wrong with it, as you learn to use it and start making small parts, you will find the need for a bigger Lathe, and then a yet bigger one. Worse than Steam Engines they are. | ||||
| tmuir |
Wow, now I see all those accesories you got I will say that truely was a bargain!.
With that indexing head all you need to buy is a gear cutting wheel and you can make replacement gears with that. You will become the best friend of all Bowman stationary engine owners.
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| mogogear |
I will be happy to return favors to this great forum and members----
Can you walk me through the process !! I have a fairly steep learning curve- but I will get there.
She is very nice and very complete-I am jazzed! |
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| johnreid |
When my job was around some tools like Lathers, at the end of each day I would wipe them all off with oil, keep it oiled and the rust will not make things go inaccurate as all must move smoothly. | ||||
| Wallace |
That's a fantastic purchase mo. A bargain. Well done | ||||
| tmuir |
I recommend looking up the Workshop practice series of books. There 34 volumes but to be honest you really only need 2 or 3 of them and they are cheap and great references to people just starting out. |
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| Les Marsh |
A really good lathe and a bargain especially with all the extra tooling. 
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| Steve_S |
It looks like a tremendous bargain. You'll have lots of fun with that!
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| xlchainsaw |
since i got my little lathe i havent looked back. ive since added a larger wood lathe to the shop  its catching
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| mogogear |
Thanks Tony--I am not having much luck finding them so far - but I will keep scouring Amazon |