P A D
Western Thunderer
As mentioned on my Stanier 2 6 4 thread in area 51, I recently acquired this Emco Unimat 3 lathe. In good mechanical condition, it needed a strip down and good clean up to get it back to this condition. The spaces under the slides in the bed were the dirtiest and in the end I resorted to dunking it in a bucket of hot water and detergent, before scrubbing it with an old toothbrush to remove all the crud.
The paintwork on the bed, tailstock and headstock came up like new after cleaning, but as seems to be the case with these machines, the paintwork on the motor had suffered. Not really an issue, I decided to match up the colour with enamels and repaint it.
Although it came with both drive belts intact, they were showing signs of age so I bought two new sets which are readily available on line. As can be see on the headstock plate, there are two motor speed settings and 4 alternative belt settings giving 8 speeds between 130 and 4000 rpm.
Although the bed is cast iron, the whole thing only weights about 7 kg. To keep it from sliding on the desk top in use, I mounted it onto a piece of 3/4 inch plywood. I'll add a rail around the back and sides to contain the swarf and allow it to be brushed out from the front.
For those who have never seen one of these machines in the flesh, here it is with the 2 6 4 to give an idea of the size. Quite compact and much smaller than the "Baby" lathe (Sieg CO) offered by Axminster. From memory, I would say it is a similar size to the Proxxon FD150/E. I have no idea how to use it, but I'm sure I will have fun learning.
There seems to be a plethora of these machines, parts and accessories oneBay, but whilst the machines can be picked up at quite reasonable prices, many of the accessory prices are grossly inflated in my opinion.
Cheers,
Peter
The paintwork on the bed, tailstock and headstock came up like new after cleaning, but as seems to be the case with these machines, the paintwork on the motor had suffered. Not really an issue, I decided to match up the colour with enamels and repaint it.
Although it came with both drive belts intact, they were showing signs of age so I bought two new sets which are readily available on line. As can be see on the headstock plate, there are two motor speed settings and 4 alternative belt settings giving 8 speeds between 130 and 4000 rpm.
Although the bed is cast iron, the whole thing only weights about 7 kg. To keep it from sliding on the desk top in use, I mounted it onto a piece of 3/4 inch plywood. I'll add a rail around the back and sides to contain the swarf and allow it to be brushed out from the front.
For those who have never seen one of these machines in the flesh, here it is with the 2 6 4 to give an idea of the size. Quite compact and much smaller than the "Baby" lathe (Sieg CO) offered by Axminster. From memory, I would say it is a similar size to the Proxxon FD150/E. I have no idea how to use it, but I'm sure I will have fun learning.
There seems to be a plethora of these machines, parts and accessories oneBay, but whilst the machines can be picked up at quite reasonable prices, many of the accessory prices are grossly inflated in my opinion.
Cheers,
Peter