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CoolTool Unimat Powerline - Next generation Unimat?


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I just noticed on MicroMark's latest catalog back page that they are offering a "next generation" Unimat multi-tool. Called the "Unimat Powerline," with a chuck thread mount of 12X1mm, the same as the old Unimat 3, and with all the optional accessories much the same as the Unimat 3 and the earlier classic Unimat DB and SLs. They are asking $750 for the basic machine. Like any machine tool, I'm sure the tooling costs go up from there. It's marketed by "CoolTool" in the US and made by somebody in Austria, as were the classic Unimats, but EMCO, that manufacturer is out of business, AFAIK. The present "Unimat" outfit, "CoolTool" bought the Unimat name and first sold a "Unimat 1," which was simply a woodturning lathe for kids. This is the first I've seen of this new "Unimat Powerline" machine tool system, which they are marketing as equivalent to the classic Unimat.  It is usually the case that "multi-tools" rarely do everything they claim to do well, but if this does what they claim, it could be a viable replacement for the original Unimat lathe and mill. (A Byrnes' saw or sander it definitely ain't, but with a CNC package option, it is probably priced competitively with anything else in its class.)

 

See: http://www.thecooltool.com/en/

 

Does anybody know anything about this new machine tool system?

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Bob,

I've seen it at the annual Messe (trade fair) in Basel. A company from Bern sells this version and the older plastic Unimat One. Very overpriced  and not really very good IMO. 10 years ago after taking up shipmodelling again not knowing any better I bought their Unimat One Cool Tool and Circular Saw. Big expensive mistake. Very inaccurate and underpowered to boot,1/16" horizontal and vertical difference between centres when setting up as a lathe which cannot be adjusted out for starters. It will never replace the original Unimat lathe and mill.

The saw is also very inaccurate due to it's assembly and struggles to cut 1/8" pear or plywood (9 volt motor). The only good thing about the saw is mine came with a set of the old quality Unimat blades. Just wish they fitted my Proxxon saws. Also,the accessories for the new version are very expensive it looks pretty but.......

 

My advice to anyone is save your money,you can buy much better and very probably cheaper.

 

Dave :dancetl6:

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Those were my initial impressions as well, but I reserved judgment, given that I allowed that this was possibly a more serious tool than their "Unimat 1," which decidedly is just a toy. I was suspicious because they didn't seem to be touting its accuracy tolerances. That's a pretty important parameter for a modeling machine. A well-tweaked old Unimat SL/DB can achieve +/- .0005" spindle runout, but I don't know about this new one. Too much plastic for my taste (apparently, from the pictures) on this one. Like the old classic Unimat, I'm not surprised if the tooling costs an arm and a leg and probably won't accept "generic" aftermarket tooling. I've been wrong before, though. I'm keeping a lookout for one. In these post-"brick and mortar" days, it's not like you can run down to your local hobby shop and lay hands on one.

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When I saw your first posting, I was very interested as I still have the old SL I got back in about 1964 and here is this neat new machine that’ll use the same chucks, etc...

That’s why I went looking for more info right away.

Dave’s comments are enough to convince me.

I think I’ll pass on this

 

     Richard

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

It has been around for some years. It sort of tries to cut into the market of lathes made on the bases of extruded aluminium profiles, such as the Taig/Peatol ones. As there are still plastics in their structural parts, I wouldn't expect a too high accuracy. Also the motors seem to be rather underpowered, judging by the powersupply-plugs.

The idea of a modular machine is a good one though. One could use the parts for setting machines for specific purposes, but would need lots of parts, as reconfiguring is a pain.

Edited by wefalck

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

M-et-M-72.jpg  Banner-AKHS-72.jpg  Banner-AAMM-72.jpg  ImagoOrbis-72.jpg
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I have a Taig lathe which seems to me to be accurate enough for my purposes, and second-hand (together with a large number of tools and accessories) it was not much more than one of these new Unimat machines. So the best option may be to seek out used machines that have been well looked after if you want to save money.

 

Tony

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  • 2 months later...

Reading these posts it's clear that I should stay clear of the new Unimat. My problem is I have very little space in my condo so a combo machine is very appealing. Any suggestions? I'm not a scratch builder but I do modify all of the kits I purchase...Moab

Completed Builds:

Virginia Armed Sloop...Model Shipways

Ranger...Corel

Louise Steam Launch...Constructo

Hansa Kogge...Dusek

Yankee Hero...BlueJacket

Spray...BlueJacket

26’ Long Boat...Model Shipways

Under Construction:

Emma C. Berry...Model Shipways

 

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Though a tempting idea, you will find sooner or later that combination machines are a pain, at least for those who regularly use the machines. Often one has to perform turning and milling operations on the same part, which means that you have to break down one set up for the sake of another. With time you will get fed up by this, because you not only have to reconfigure the machine, but also to adjust it etc.

Such machines are good for emergency repairs or such, say on a ship, where you wouldn't need a full-blown workshop.

wefalck

 

panta rhei - Everything is in flux

 

 

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The standard Sieg 7x14 Mini-Lathe has been around for many years now and is a very accurate machine with which you can do very fine work. I bought mine from Micro-Mark under their brand, same machine. But Little Machine Shop is the best place for you to spend time if you're considering getting a small lathe or milling machine. You can give them a call and they'll talk you through all the options.

 

https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=4959&category=1271799306

 

Attached are 1/16th Le Rhone 9J cylinders that I turned on my standard Sieg lathe. The cooling fins are .006".

 

 

_MG_2705.JPG

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There's also the Taig/Peatol lathes. I have a second hand one and it works really well. In the US the micro-lathe (the one I have)with some tools starts new at about $450, without tools for $380. There's a great deal of information on how to use them on the web. A particular advantage is the way the tailstock can handle drilling by moving the chuck with a lever. I bought mine for £300 from eBay with a large number of tools and cutters, which I thought very good value. Their mills are good too. I use mine both for wood and brass.

 

You can see the Taig lathes at http://www.taigtools.com/

and the microlathe II at

http://www.taigtools.com/mlathe.html.

 

Tony

Edited by tkay11
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The MM lathe isn't bad for the price. Do clean up the chuck jaws to ensure that everything is round, proper, and centered.  

 

As for a mill, I've the MM "mini" but it wasn't all that great.  Odd sized parts, no accessories to speak up.  The current one is apparently not bad either but the chucks (unless you're using collet set will need truing up also.  Again, not a bad unit for the price and the reviews seem to be good.  I did decide to go the LMS mill as a replacement (retirement gift to myself) so I could use some standard tooling... Wow... what a difference.  By comparison it's quieter and more precise.

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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54 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

I did decide to go the LMS mill as a replacement (retirement gift to myself) so I could use some standard tooling... Wow... what a difference.  By comparison it's quieter and more precise.

Yeah, you can't go wrong with pretty much anything sold by Little Machine Shop. At least I haven't received anything but quality tools and equipment buying from them. Their suped-up versions of the Sieg mini lathe and mini mill definitely own the top end corner of the market, I'm jealous :)

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Thank you all for the feedback. There's a lot to consider! ...Moab

Completed Builds:

Virginia Armed Sloop...Model Shipways

Ranger...Corel

Louise Steam Launch...Constructo

Hansa Kogge...Dusek

Yankee Hero...BlueJacket

Spray...BlueJacket

26’ Long Boat...Model Shipways

Under Construction:

Emma C. Berry...Model Shipways

 

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On 11/29/2018 at 12:38 PM, Moab said:

Reading these posts it's clear that I should stay clear of the new Unimat. My problem is I have very little space in my condo so a combo machine is very appealing. Any suggestions? I'm not a scratch builder but I do modify all of the kits I purchase...Moab

Sherline has an option of converting their lathe into a mill.  That could be an option.

Mike

 

Current Wooden builds:  Amati/Victory Pegasus  MS Charles W. Morgan  Euromodel La Renommèe  

 

Plastic builds:    SB2U-1 Vindicator 1/48  Five Star Yaeyama 1/700  Pit Road Asashio and Akashi 1/700 diorama  Walrus 1/48 and Albatross 1/700  Special Hobby Buffalo 1/32  Eduard Sikorsky JRS-1 1/72  IJN Notoro 1/700  Akitsu Maru 1/700

 

Completed builds :  Caldercraft Brig Badger   Amati Hannah - Ship in Bottle  Pit Road Hatsuzakura 1/700   Hasegawa Shimakaze 1:350

F4B-4 and P-6E 1/72  Accurate Miniatures F3F-1/F3F-2 1/48  Tamiya F4F-4 Wildcat built as FM-1 1/48  Special Hobby Buffalo 1/48

Citroen 2CV 1/24 - Airfix and Tamiya  Entex Morgan 3-wheeler 1/16

 

Terminated build:  HMS Lyme (based on Corel Unicorn)  

 

On the shelf:  Euromodel Friedrich Wilhelm zu Pferde; Caldercraft Victory; too many plastic ship, plane and car kits

 

Future potential scratch builds:  HMS Lyme (from NMM plans); Le Gros Ventre (from Ancre monographs), Dutch ship from Ab Hoving book, HMS Sussex from McCardle book, Philadelphia gunboat (Smithsonian plans)

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39 minutes ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Sherline has an option of converting their lathe into a mill.  That could be an option.

For the money a Sherline costs, I'd be tempted to go one step up to one of the Chiwanese 7X14's, preferably one from one of the higher end retailers like Little Machine Shop or Grizzly. They all come from the same factory or factories ("The People's Patriotic Mini-Lathe Collective,") but the quality control differs. They are available as "lathe-mill combos" and there are complementary stand-alone mills that share tooling with the lathes. These small lathes have been produced in such quantity that there is now a lot of reasonably priced tooling available for them, much more than for the Sherline products, or at least for much less money. I expect the Sherline stuff has better fit and finish, but its capacity, power, and strength is somewhat limited. The 7X14's (or whatever bed length) have greater capacity, which is always nice to have. 

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Guys; thanx for the feedback. I'll checkout the options....Moab

Completed Builds:

Virginia Armed Sloop...Model Shipways

Ranger...Corel

Louise Steam Launch...Constructo

Hansa Kogge...Dusek

Yankee Hero...BlueJacket

Spray...BlueJacket

26’ Long Boat...Model Shipways

Under Construction:

Emma C. Berry...Model Shipways

 

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