Kinda OnT: Hobby lathe

"Kinda" as it will be used for firearms stuff...

Years back, there used to be a machine called a UniMat which seemed to have a pretty faithful following. They show up here and there these days but it looks as if the company is out of business.

Were they worthwhile? Is there something else in the "miniature machine shop" world a fella should look into? I can't follow in mcassill's footsteps as I just do not have the room. ;-) However, I would like the ability to turn a diameter or mill a slot on relatively small parts.

Any and all suggestions and opinions are welcome.

Thanks!

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I have not personally worked with a UniMat but they have a pretty fair reputation among those I know who have. Any miniature lathe has some significant limitations, but can be rather handy for someone who knows, is willing to accept, and works within their limitations.

Another US made lathe that might be worth considering is the 6" Atlas/Craftsman series. These are a bit larger, but not too heavy that one man cannot pick it up to move, and the increased size allows further options, not to mention there are lots of parts out there for them.

I even met a mechanic once who uses a Chinese mini-lathe frequently for a variety of purposes when servicing heavy machinery and keeps it in a box in his work truck.

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a great machine but I have made some things on it that did not require perfection, like seating nose punches and some other reloading stuff. You can't really mill with it. I am not a machinist so I can't evaluate it from that point of view. Were it not for the cost, I would have bought an Atlas. There is a web site devoted to the Chinese lathe http://www.mini-lathe.com/ if you want to explore it.

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I have this one.........

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-x-10-inch-precision-mini-lathe-93212.html

Pretty decent, couldn't do NASA work on it but good enough for small projects, two keys to running a lathe 1) understand how to set it up and run it. 2) buy GOOD tooling for it. Also buy and use good metal for projects, junk metal only leads to junk projects.

Here are some links to help.....

http://www.mini-lathe.com/

http://www.varmintal.com/alath.htm#Mini_Lathe

http://www.onlinemetals.com/index.cfm?affiliate_id=264

http://www.littlemachineshop.com

Gunner

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