I have the Unimat SL 1000. This is a machinist's version of a watchmaker's lathe. I've had mine since 1973 and the only repairs needed have been periodic replacement of the drive belts (less than $5.00 for both). A watchmakers lathe will not spin the mass of metal this baby will. It's Specifications are:
Swing over bed -- 3"
Swing over cross slide -- 1-6/10"
Distance between centers -- 7"
Tail stock travel -- 6-1/2"
Handwheel calibrations -- 0.002"
Spindle runout -- 0.0005"
Spindle speeds -- 300 to 5,200 RPM
(Mine will spin 50 to 12,000 RPM...)
Overall Dimensions 14-1/2" x 4" x 5"
Weight -- 30 lbs.
Motor HP (110V AC/DC) -- 1/10
Beside have the basic lathe (which will turn metal, bore metal, and thread screws, these attachments are available to add to it's versatility...
Drill Press, Vertical milling machine, Disc sanding, Wood planing, Circular saw, Scroll saw, Wood shaper, Wood lathe, Buffing, and Tool grinding. It's like having a micro machinist version of the "Shop Smith..."
Unimat (Germany, also known by Edestaal and Emco/Maier) no longer produces the SL 1000, but they make bigger (and better) machines, but my baby is still available through Blue Ridge Machinery and Tools, PO Box 536, Hurricane, WV, 25526, 1-800-872-6500.
I suggest you use Yahoo, Snap Dot Com, etc... and do a search on "Micro Machinist" and similar jargon to find some of the forums that cater to the "spin heads". When I needed a source for my drive belts, they turned me onto Blue Ridge.
If there is a limitation to my Ltl Unimat is it's size, besides making knives, I also make miniature cannons (Civil War era) in .22, .30, .38, .45, and .50 calibre that really shoot and the Unimat can do all my machine work on my barrels, from boring, to rifling, to finishing and buffing, but it can't make a barrel over 7" and the sealed motor has a run cycle of 15 minutes on and 10 minutes off, but I've never paid any attention to that since I've already machined the fittings to install a 1/4 HP if the motor blows...
As the man says, I am not affiliated with any company that markets, repairs, or advertises this product, I'm just a very happy owner who isn't afraid to share his point of view...
Good luck and good searching...
Bruce
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