I hadn't heard of WW collets until Lance & Patrick were discussing them on their channel. Too bad they're so stinking expensive but as you say if they're not as common in the machining world and they need to be very accurate (runout would be more critical in a very small part) then I guess it isn't surprising. I see in another comment reply that you intend to make some collets, that will be very interesting to see how one does that!
Hi Everett, I did enjoy watching Lance & Patrick, there attention to details was great. The WW collets are crazy price and new are outside of my budget. With regard to making them I might have been over optimistic with my skills but time will tell on that one. Thanks for visiting. Paul,,
Hi Paul. I have to admit that I know next to nothing about Unimat lathes so I'm finding your series on the SL very educational. Looking forward to when you finally start making chips with it. Cheers, Alan.
Thanks Alan, There is very little joined up info on the web for potential Unimat SL lathe owners... Hopefully viewers will get there questions answered here. Take care Paul,,
Hi Paul, very interesting. I can relate to that. My 1930's Schaublin came with a full set of WW20 collets and they are pretty much all badly worn. The issue with this simple three split design is that the compression range is so small they will slip and tear themselves up if the job is not right at the nominal diameter. It means that any "old" collets for sale are also likely to be in a worn state. Good luck with your searching. Cheers Rob
Hi Rob, I guess these are the sort of challenges you get with machines which are really old. I am hoping my videos and comments/discussions like this will make viewers aware of the potential issue they may face. Take care Paul,,
Hi Paul, since watching this video I made it my lifes mission to get hold of one of these. yesterday on Ebay I won a bid for £265. A bit more than I wanted to spend but still cheaper than a watchmakers lathe. Cant wait for it to arrive. Thank you
Wow! I never knew there was a watchmakers attachment for my unimat. Ive been considering buying a watchmakers lathe for a while now but this could sort me right out. Until I saw the prices. these attachments are so expesnsive, not far off the price of a dedicated watchmakers lathe. Thanks for the videos though, they are truly informative and a great help. Johnny
Hi Johnny, I am pleased the video was helpful... the watchmaking spindle is expensive and then you have the cost of the collets. I plan to do a performance playlist for the Unimat SL next year sometime and will try to show what the lathe can do and how accurate they are. Take care Paul,,
Hi Paul, Pleased to hear yo are enjoying the videos... Once I have the lathe running I will be making a playlist of how the lathe performs with different materials. Take care Paul,,
Hello Paul, Many thanks for watching the video... I agree that so much of the Unimat SL equipment is very expensive. I have saved searches on eBay and some things take years to find at a good price... Take care. Paul,,
