Unimat Millenium Model.

I wanted to find out if the motor on this lathe was the on for 8 minutes off for 2 type as fitted to the no 3 unimat or the continuous rated motor as fitted to the no 4.

This is the reply

thank you for your mail. Unfortunately we don’t know this machine (only Unimat SL, Unimat PC, Unimat Basic SL, Unimat 3 & Unimat 4). We’ve never sold such a Unimat Millenium edition with CE control stamp.

I’m very sorry for this news.

Best regards
EMCO Holz + Hobby Vertriebsges.m.b.H.
i.A.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- name deleted.

PS.: Ab dem 23. Dezember 2017 bis inklusive 1. Januar 2018
haben wir unseren Betrieb geschlossen.
Ab dem 2. Januar sind wir wieder gerne für Sie da.

So what I would like to know is who made it please ?

Thanks.

Bill

Edited By Billy Bean on 19/12/2017 17:35:41

Edited By Billy Bean on 19/12/2017 17:36:16

The MJ-189 on the front of this one is similar to the code numbers used on Unimat clones from the far east, search for MJ-189 and you will see them. Doubt it has ever been near Austria.

The belt arrangent and motor position is not the same as the 3 and 4 so a completely different Kettle of fish as far as motor and duty cycle goes

Edited By JasonB on 19/12/2017 17:50:39

I'm sure I recall seeing the Unimat Millennium edition advertised or featured in one of the magazines. I remember the bespoke base being mentioned.

If anyone has ME 4130, 6 Oct 2000 handy there's a win a Unimat competition by Chronos mentioned. Could anyone look it up easily - it could take me hours to find it!

Neil

EDIT: Looks like it was a U3.

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 19/12/2017 17:55:21

Chronos was flogging them for about £250

Chronos also sold the clone MJ-189 so I'll stick by what said unless proven otherwise.

The plot thickens, from MEW 65

Despite the EMCO logo on the page which Pro Machine are importers for there is no sign of EMCO on the two different name badges, the one with the vertical slide is the easiest to see and does not have EMCO written just before the word Unimat like true Unimats do, the darker ones are a bit harder to see. It also has the holes where teh MJ-189 badge as seen on others fixes.

Billy, you may be best to ask Pro-machine

As Usual Tony has some info on his site it is made in Taiwan U4 clone and hopefully Billy did not pay U3 prices for it

Edited By JasonB on 19/12/2017 18:55:32

I think it is probably an 'official' clone, just as the Unimat 1 was sold off by EMCO.

Neil

Mmm ... Going by this example: **LINK**

https://www.newandused.co.uk/emco-unimat-millenium-edition-electric-lathe

It looks like blatant, and rather bad, forgery.

Emco branding and all

MichaelG.

Put the example from Jason's LINK with this extract from Tony's website and you seem to answer the OP's question.

"The other MJ-189 versions now have the same speed range as the Unimat 3 (130 - 4000 RPM) but are fitted with a two-speed, permanent-magnet motor (65/95W) rated for continuous operation. "

Whether it was an official Emco U4 or not they are still not upto the quality of the U3 and all out of Taiwan. Second hand price should reflect that. A half decent second hand U3 will now sell for the the new price in that advert that's why I'm keeping mine as my pension fund

Thanks to all for your input.

Mailed Pro Machine - could not help on the lathe apart from supplying belts. Unable to help on motor.

So back to Emco in Austria.

They confirm they are responsible for parts for their products and Pro Machine are only responsible for tooling.

So neither were able to help on motor.

My conclusion is that this model is best avoided.

Jason - thanks for advert - not so sure what to make of that.

Bill

I had an Austrian Unimat 3 for 20-odd years as my only machine, I never took any notice of the 8/2 minute rule, and it never complained in the slightest.

About 18 months ago I bought a Sieg C0 from Arc, and commented at the time how similar it is to the Unimat 3 I used to have.

It's not quite as 'nice' as the Unimat, but it isn't significantly inferior in any way I can see or measure. It also has a worthwhile extra feature in the variable speed. So far as I know, it doesn't care about any 8/2 rule either, but then it's got 150W against the Unimat's 90.

Thanks Ady.

It must have been the ad I remembered seeing.

Neil

Just had alook through an old Chronos catalogue, not dated but early 00s, they have for sale

MJ189 lathe £279

Unimat4 / MJ189A Lathe £299 ( no mention of Emco)

EMCO Compact 5 £799

Then various Wabeco and Clarke machines all mentioning the maker in the name

The U4 is not the same as the Milenium in the pics above as that has a rear mounted 95W motor, same as the MJ189 both said to be continuous.

.

I wonder where the one I linked yesterday came from ...

[ see the label on the headstock ]

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 20/12/2017 16:15:03

I have this very same lathe and still going strong. I purchased my millenium from rejon machine tools.

I always wanted a small lathe for my n gauge and other railways and when I first saw the advert for it I just had to have one.

I was and am still amazed at the accuracy I can get from this machine. Even though I have 'progressed' to a Myford as I have expanded my hobby to having a go at larger items, the unimat always comes out when I need small precision pieces made.

Elmo

Just resurrecting this thread to keep it all together.
A friend has got one as per picture above and measures the tailstock bore as parallel 10.35mm or 13/32". Any other owners concur? Is it just badly drilled 3/8"? Headstock probably the same.
How doe you get on with the parallel bore? is there a danger of a home-made arbor jamming?

I just measured the centre from my early eighties original Unimat 3. It measures as 10.37mm on a metric mike, or .405 on my Moore and Wright. It is parallel, a ground surface, and is an easy slide fit into the headstock or tailstock bore. I would guess that it was originally chosen to be the largest that would fit inside the spindle thread while leaving enough meat for the chucks etc to screw on.

I've never had anything try to jam in either bore. I would have preferred a proper taper, except I would guess that such would reduce the size that can go through the headstock. I guess you can't have everything on such a small lathe, and it has done some good work over the years. I've done between centres turning and also between centres milling for a Stuart double ten crankshaft and it has always done the job.

regards

John