MAKE TINY SCREWS ON UNIMAT LATHE  

Hi Mr. Pete, I purchased one of these when I was a teenager, now I'm 73 years old and still use this great machine. I now also have a 9" South Bend, so I use the Unimat for my tiny work, like making screws and other tiny parts. I enjoy building miniature engines for fun. My first engine a long time ago was done using the Unimat and is a 1/4" bore and stroke double acting wobbler steam engine. I still have it and run it occasionally. I enjoy watching your vids, thanks for your efforts. Pat

A great example of what you can make on a micro-lathe. Just yesterday, I made several small metric odd-length machine screws on my Sherline lathe for a 3d printed project - a reasonable alternative to ordering big boxes of screws from Amazon, waiting a week for them and then never using 98% of them. I have the screw-cutting setup for the Sherline but most often use exactly the same method you show for the Unimat. I am really enjoying this series! Maybe you should build a tiny steam engine using the Unimat.

You know that’s small when you have to wear optivisors to machine a part. What a beautiful little machine.

I have a Sherline setup with Lathe and Mill. There is not a lot of machining content for this size equipment, so I greatly appreciate these videos. I have to keep my entire shop in a 6 foot square including the table.

These little Unimat lathes are far more versatile than many would believe. To some they would be dismissed as merely a 'toy lathe' with no real capability but I have seen some fantastic model/miniature engineering projects made with only a Unimat lathe and attachments such as the milling head attachment. A close friend of mine has 2 Unimats, one of them is this round bar bed type and the other is the full cast iron bed Unimat3 model with precision ground prismatic vee ways. The moral of the story is never underestimate what can be achieved on a Unimat or other brand micro lathe.

Everyone of your videos is a valuable lesson. You'll never get old while you're working. You have too much fun!

Great video Tubalcain, nice to see you making a project on the Unimat. Always makes me laugh to hear "Wrong way Corrigan" keep up the great work.

What a wonderful surprise seeing you this morning

I knew someone that bought one of those mini lathes in the mid to late 80's, he was racing RC cars and used it to make and repair centrifugal clutch parts among other items

If you give Mr. Pete any machine, he will do things with it that will boggle the mind!!! I do have one of these machines and never thought of squaring the toolholder to square the die! Thanks Mr. Pete, I can't wait for the next installment!!!

Really cool video, Lyle... Loved every minute of it. That's an amazing little machine!! Thanks ole friend. Russ

I bought one of these to teach myself machining and have been restoring it back to usability. And I am very thankful for this series.

OOO, OOO The Teacher is making Chips again.... Thanks Much Lyle.....

Glad to see you back making chips. Those are my favorite videos of yours. Look forward to your next Zales.

Hi Pete, I purchased one of these about a year ago. It was recommended by a retired GE engineer. He is a gunsmith and fellow hobbyist watchmaker. Thank you for sharing your Unimat videos series. Im soaking up all of your lessons.

Definitely a Like. That was a great demonstration of what these small tools are capable of. Mr. Pete is entertaining and educational.

Very nice. When you first said you were making a bolt, I was looking at the lathe thinking "I don't see a threading attachment. This I gotta see!". Then I saw the die...ok, now I feel better, he is human.🙂 LOL.

I’m so grateful for your videos. I picked up an old atlas lathe a few months back and I followed along with your tips for clean up and set up, and that old lathe is now working like new. You really saved me a lot of head scratching and guess work, when it came to taking the apron apart and rebuilding it, and so on. So now I get up and pour my coffee and watch your videos to enjoy the wealth of knowledge you so generously provide. So I wanted to get on here and say thank you for taking the time to make these videos!

I see you are having fun! Next time I have my grandson over I think we’ll spend some time playing with mine. Perfect activity time for us.

lovely to see the unimat doing what it does best - small parts in brass, I once turned some brass handfrail supports, some brass balls with a flat and a threaded section, out of 8mm brass, with a 4mm threaded end, and a 4mm hole for the handrail, I even ground a HSS bit for turning the ball.(made about 30 of those.) also made some 3" lengths of threaded rod in 10BA size (.067 inch 72.6 tpi) using a 10BA die. magnification a must on these tiny parts.

Thanks for the ideas for the lathe! I’ll be making a stop for mine and digging out one of my grandfather’s small dial indicators from 1943 to attach to the saddle as well. I am always learning something new from you and your videos, thank you again Mr. Pete.

That was just marvellous, this just shows that these tiny machines really were/are capable of producing accurate work, even the parting off operation looked and sounded great, yes, I'm very impressed with this lathe.This has been a very interesting series well presented, much appeciated, thanks Mr pete.

Great care and patience. Well done, very nice screws. Thank you for sharing.

Ooo. I started with one of these guys as a kid. Accidentally was paired with a shop-smith my dad bought off Craigslist.

That Unimat is ideal for hobbies like model trains(which im into and practising) and maybe even clock repair which im interested in lately. Have seen some of the clockmakers using the Schaublin series lathes. Very fascinating/interesting. Love the miniature work😄

So great to see the old beast getting some fantastic use Mr Pete.

I have one of those just like that. I have made quite a few small parts with it. I have had it for 30 some years. I have my own small machine shop. I enjoy it very much. Thank You.

Met a Craigslist seller yesterday. I hope that he and I can agree on pricing, because I want a lot of his stuff! The best part of the day was discovering that he is a fan of you and Adam Booth. He sold a surface grinder treasure that he wished that he had donated to you and your channel. That led to a chat about that I own your optical comparator, my Mr. Pete trophy. Meeting Mr. Pete fans is a special pleasure. When I "cheat" and thread on a lathe with a die stock I feel that the hobby machinist spirits are disappointed and disapproving. You comfort me some by employing the method too. I am going to have to break down and tackle the long postponed project of adding features to my Atlas lathe so that I can more easily and reliably employ dial indicator axis travel. The Atlas has few locations to support a mag base and fewer reliable points of contact for the indicator tip.

Nice job. Learn something new every time I watch one of your videos! 👍

Nice trick on squaring up the die to the stock. I never thought of that. Thank you.

Fantastic little machine. I wish I had a personal one in the shop I work at. The smallest one is still at least two times this size, and I don't have access to it. Thanks for showing it off!

Love this series! I picked up a Unimat DB from an old friend last year. When I was a teen he let me borrow it for a while as well. I'm looking forward to using it for a multitude of tasks. Someday I'll be able to get something a bit bigger, but this will do for now, and will be great for my model railroading hobby.

Hi Mr Pete, I’ve been watching your videos for a bunch of years. Like you I was very saddened to hear about Starrett. I grew up in eastern CT. I worked for a large CT manufacturer of Postal equipmment, Pitney Bowes. It was an amazing company much like Starrett. I was there 31 1/2 years until they completely outsourced mfg. the “Main Plant” as it was called in Stamford,CT had every mfg capability, including finishing/ plating a powdered metal Dept. I watch you all of the time and haven’t really commented much. I bought your wonderful Atlas Craftsman lathe video series. I have a 1939 12”x24” model in very good condition, even the Babbitt spindle bearings. I’ve had some health issues over the past4 years with 2 hip and 2 knee replacements. Also add a purchase of a new home and a shop move. Needless to say my lathe is broken down into ma Joe subs waiting patiently for me to start the refurb. I very much enjoyed your UniMat video. My first reaction was to search on line to see if I could find one and how much. We will see if I can wangle one for my show if I can pull together the funds. Also very glad to see you continuing your videos. Lots of great info. Best Regards for a great 2023, John Russo American Sewing Machine Restoration, LLC.

Great video Lyle, I have a Taig table top about the same operating dimensions as this , and there are not enough videos out there about using these tiny lathes. The small dimensions make them extremely sturdy and best of all, tooling, attachments and materials are very inexpensive. A lot of times it is too cold to go to the garage shop and the job is small enough for the Taig, it will surprise you at its versatility. Looking forward to more projects like this, cheers!

Best screw today! Thanks Lyle.

Lyle, I have both the Unimat SL/200 and the “newer” Unimat 3…..been using the standard OEM Tommy Bars forever, and thought about making bigger ones for years…… your video just convinced me to do it for both! Thank you!!!

That was fun! Thank you Mr.Pete! Awesome knowledge here!

I greatly appreciate these new small lathe videos after following you for a long time! I bought a Sherline lathe which is an American made table top lathe- bigger than a watchmaker's but still small (1/5 hp). I originally learned on an student Clausing lathe and moved to a big LeBlond once authorized which had a 15" swing. I don't need that size but everyone always said the bigger the better for rigidity. I changed my mind after working with that LeBlond for small parts. I rarely need to do large work and love the convenience of being able to run a little lathe in my home. I feel a lot safer too and once I got used to the machine flex, it's not difficult to hit +-.002 accuracy on them for various operations.

Nicely done, Lyle. Gonna make a carriage stop next time I fire mine up. That was indeed a generous donation by Bill--I paid $600 for my similarly equipped Unimat a couple of years ago and thought I was getting a great deal.

I have a Unimat and really enjoyed this video. Thankyou!

I have a bit of an obsession with small lathes so this was interesting to me. 👍

Made me feel good to watch this "little" video😊

Thanks Mr Pete, I’m happy to see you using the Unimat. I have one as well and have made a number of tiny parts. It is my first and only lathe so I look forward to watching you and hope to puck up some tips.

Nice bit of machining Mrpete 👍👍👍

Really like these mini lathe video's, keep them coming.

Thanks. I learned a “little” today.

I bought a taig lathe about 10 yrs ago, similar size to the Unimat, then bought a 12"x36" atlas lathe. I only ever use the atlas lathe, it can pretty much do anything the taig can and I finally found a gearbox for it so I can single point thread.

Wthat a creative project,mrpete.You use your imagination and available tools to create an entirely new piece,successfuly done at the "first" time.Thank you.

mr Pete Wow I am as suprised as you are how well it worked !

I have a Unimat but have yet to use it. This video was most inspiring.

I have one i. Bought 50 years ago still runs great

I have one of these mini lathes from way back in my teens. I have no idea where I got it, though. It had been sitting for a long time and needed a good cleaning, which i did last year. This year I made several screws and pins for my big rebuild lathe. I like the little up grades you did in this video. I'll be doing them as well. Thanks

As an old machinist I have one of these also, I have the screwcutting attachment but you woukd require the sleeve and follower for every thread tpi. This little lathe is versatile and is from the 50s i guess. Its is only limited by the size range and depth of cut, but so is every machine. A great piece of kit and hobby to pass the time. I have my old toolmakers box and just purchased another x3 stackable wooden chest. .. there is still not enough room for all my tools lol 😂 😢 ps you could make more videos for people for setting up the machine, clocking and tramming etc.. as you are forever converting the setup.

I received one from my uncle after he passed with all the bells and whistles except for threading attachments that they did make for the Unimat. Someone could make them I'm sure, but it takes a separate one for various pitch. Doing the button die trick works just fine in place of the attachments. One this mine needs is new belts I need to source them or go with O ring sizes that will work. Mr. Pete if you could come up with one or 2 treading attachments to show how they work with this little would be a nice addition to this little machine series would be nice.

I do have a unimat (hence the channel name). I never was able to part a brass or aluminum work on it with the original motor so it was quite amazing to see you do it. I just installed a new 550W sewing machine motor and I'll try that again :)

A fun video. It's also a message to all of us that own mini lathes from 'across the pond': if you work within the limitations of your machine you can produce accurate and useful parts.

Looks like a nice machine. I have a Sherline lathe, used it for years. Nice for small parts and polishing. Your video inspired me to find a foot speed control, like sewing machines have. It would need to work with a DC motor speed controller for a Sherline. Thanks for all your videos, yours were one of the first when I learned machining from vids online.

Very informative. Thank you, Mr. Pete!

Great little setup. Thanks, Mr Pete!

I have the Emco Compact 5 which is the next size larger. Nice machine.

I love my Unimat!!

I really enjoy this series. I have a Unimat 3

That was really neat!

Perfect timing - I need to make 4 tiny brass screws, or 6 or 10 - thanks for the jump start... I have a Uni DB200 from Canada too....

That was very satisfying!!

I do ! I'm very glad to see you making these videos mr Pete. Thank you.

Great job. Thank you 😊

Thanks Mr Pete your the best ❤

Thanks for the video keep on keeping on.

Excelent precision work, master

That was a neat little project appears as if it was right up your alley.thanks for all you do🤗😎🤗😎

Great video Mr Pete, lots of useful information thankyou.

Outstanding Lyle. That lathe is the bees knees. While I like your videos with you running your large machines it's nice to see you running the smaller one as well.

Fantastic stuff sir.

Fun video. I have a Emco Compact 5. I believe it is a cousin to your machine. Works pretty good, but very slow.

Pretty neat. The scale of the machine and tools is deceptive on a computer screen.

Great to see

great video, I have a unimat sl as well. nice little machines

Thanks for sharing Mr Pete

I have a sherline for the last 20 odd years and it’s the most used tool in my workshop with the little sherline mill. I make everything from radio controlled model aircraft parts to prototypes for my explosives factory. Love your videos!

A Unimat has been my workhorse at the clock shop for many years. Foot pedal was the first upgrade, a must. It is absolutely a hobby grade machine but for the majority of basic tasks - light accurate stock removal, polishing etc. it performs very well. It holds work and spins. And with surprising accuracy. More involved and larger tasks go home to my other unabashedly hobby grade machine, a decently upgraded Atlas 618 in good condition. They perform excellently and I'm very happy and able to accomplish everything I've needed and most of what I wanted. The real limitations are the mind and hand of the operator. That said, don't tell the sweet things but I'll dump em in a heartbeat for a Swiss hottie.

Good morning Mr. pete

Nice!

Great work, I have never seen one of these used before thanks.

Thanks again

Thank you Mr Pete. That was amazing. I like all of the additions that you made. Unimat may have made those handles short to avoid warranty claims from Bubba.

Great, follow along time for me🎉

Now here is a Duh moment. I don't have a tiny lathe like the Unimat, but I do have a little 6" Atlas. There is very few places on it to mount a magnetic indicator base. Mine is the Mk 2 version, so it does have a flat top to the head stock. Its just very finicky to indicate from it for any place except right near the chuck. Never would have thought about putting some steel plate under the lathe to mount the indicator on. Guess I'm not to old to learn something new! MJ

Great small task.

I have My father's SL1000. I made similar tommy bars about 5 years ago when one of the original bent (I didn't use extra force, it just decided it's time was up). Really surprised me. Keep up the good work!

I got an email response from Clausing yesterday quoting me the replacement cost for the 2nd shaft in my Colchester lathe headstock. Coming from England, they quoted me £1686 that's Pounds Stirling which is 2120 US Dollars, Ouch! I paid 2700 Dollars for the entire lathe!

An ad popped up on FB Marketplace for a micro lathe. I messaged the guy and he said his father passed and was getting rid of stuff. I ended up trading for some things I had that he was into. Anyway its one of these little lathes from the '70's (the receipt for everything is in there I'll look at the date next time I have it out) It pretty much never was used and kept in the box from new. The guy must have splurge and got every attachment for it when he purchased it. Everything is still in original box wrapped in the oil paper. My first project is I'm going to turn/modify some plastic RC car wheels with it

Makes me want to get back on my Unimat.

I use the SL. Still very nice to use for small and fine work.

Morning Lyle

I have 2 Sherline machines, a vertical milll and a lathe. I really like them

I like your video using the little unimat lathe......I think though that the I would hurt myself with that foot pedal switch.....you need an old singer sewing machine leg switch!....

Nice work!! seems quite ridged .

No, I don't have a unimat lathe. But many years ago I did have 2 of the Atlas 6 inch swing lathes and I used them a lot.

Reminds me of the Clickspring channel on YT: he makes his own heat blued steel screws and you can barely tell they're tiny pieces until his hand comes into the frame just like your video!