Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!uupsi!ncs.dnd.ca!jstewart From: jstewart@ncs.dnd.ca (John Stewart) Newsgroups: trial.rec.metalworking Subject: Re: home machining? Message-ID: <1991Jan4.143138.28629@ncs.dnd.ca> Date: 4 Jan 91 14:31:38 GMT References: <1991Jan3.140755.29172@ncs.dnd.ca> <1991Jan3.215435.27905@src.honeywell.com> Distribution: trial Organization: Dept of National Defence Lines: 42 In article <1991Jan3.215435.27905@src.honeywell.com> vestal@SRC.Honeywell.COM (Steve Vestal) writes: >Anyone remember the old Unimats? If you were willing to work small (something >like 3" swing, 6" between centers) it was a fairly amusing gadget for $149. >Like Barbie dolls, I suspect the profits were in the attachments. I still >have mine in the basement. I sold mine for $400.00 (cdn) and bought an old - but in good shape - 9" metal lathe for $300.00. I wish that I had kept it, as it was good for turning (and milling) really small stuff. Yes, the attachments were (and still are) very expensive. I have seen a small metal lathe by "taig" (?) as advertised in the classifieds of Popualr Science, and for the money, it seems like a good machine. >The same company used to make something called a Maximat, essentially a larger >version for $2K or so (not counting attachments, of course). Am I to >understand that nothing of this sort exists any more? Does anyone know of any >better sources for relatively inexpensive machine tools than bankruptcy >auction notices in the classifieds? Yes, they (emco-maier) still exist. You are looking at $3 or $4,000 for an 8" swing lathe with vertical head, to somewhere over $10,000$ for the 11" top of the line model. Yikes. Some places sell far-east machine tools. Some of these are very good, others are not so good (from what I have heard) There are some discount places, again, look in the back pf popular science. If you are willing to wait, classifieds in the local paper (including placing your own) are a pretty good bet, especially if you know what you are doing. :-| Also, as I mentioned to another reader, local schools and colleges have evening classes. I have just signed up for a new, local one, and it works out to be 25 hours for $50.00 cdn. For doing things that are out of the range of my equipment, it's a good bet. One word of caution on this approach, though, I have found that in years past, coming home a well equipped from night school to my home shop was depressing! John Stewart jstewart@ncs.dnd.ca