Another mini lathe (Unimat 3 clone)

Andrew Gorman · Post by **Andrew Gorman** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 6:42 pm

It looks like Grizzly is now selling the Poseidon Unimat-3/Unimat-4 clone:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/4-x-6-M ... athe/G0745
Unimat-3s are nice machines, and I haven't heard anything really bad about the Poseidon. This is bigger than a Unimat DB/SL. but still small enough to pick up with one hand and put away in a closet when you're done. IF you are very tight on space this could be worth checking out. Unimat 3 and 4 accessories should work just fine. The many Sieg 7X lathes or an old Atlas 618 are much more machine and use standard tooling for not that much more money but they really need a dedicated work area. This little guy can come out and work on the kitchen table. Some more information on the original Unimat 3/4 at:
http://www.lathes.co.uk/emco/page3.html

Andrew Gorman · Post by **Andrew Gorman** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 8:24 pm

I was mistaken- this machine is not the Taiwanese Unimat 3/4, but Sieg product from China:
http://www.siegind.com/products_detail/ ... cb59f.html
Still, there are darn few new tabletop lathes available these days.

naoto · Post by **naoto** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 10:20 am

There are times where a tractor could come in handy...
http://www.wwideas.com/other/the-biggest-wooden-bowl/

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 10:27 pm

My god that's TINY! I thought my 6x10 was small.

Andrew Gorman · Post by **Andrew Gorman** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:15 am

Tiny it is, and tiny can be good. The Unimat DB/SL is around a 4X5. In "The Amateurs' Lathe by Mr. Sparey he points out that the the difference between a professional machine and an amateur machine is that the amateurs' is ALWAYS being stretched to the limits of its' capacity. I'd love to have a Monarch 10EE and it would make a lot of the things I make with difficulty on the Craftsman easy, but where the heck would I put it in a city apartment and a Model T era garage I share with a car. A 3500 pound machine vs. 150 pounds for the Craftsman. And well under 30 pounds for the Unimat. There are not a lot of options for a tabletop machine. They are a lot less capable than the Sieg 7X lathes, but the small size can make the difference between a lathe or no lathe at all for some people. Here are some links for comaparison:
Monarch 10EE, the gold standard:
http://www.lathes.co.uk/monarch/page2.html
Atlas/Craftsman 6X18-old but reliable:
http://www.lathes.co.uk/atlas6inch/
And the Unimat-Set it up on any table and put it back in the closet when you are done:
http://www.lathes.co.uk/unimat/

Nebdcbdepo · Post by **Nebdcbdepo** » Thu Mar 10, 2016 2:52 pm

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