Re: UNIMAT - was - Digest Number 2828

Unimat 1 Classics are a special kind of Magic.

I bought two Unimat 1 classics before Christmas. One, to give as a
gift to someone who has never and might never have touched a lathe,
mill, or any other "professional tool". But they, and their
children, will likely make a few things with the Classic, and then...
who knows?.......

After all.... what was your first serious machine tool experience?
You might have - and likely would have - gotten really hurt if it had
been that Garage Shop Bridgeport II (Bridget?.... is that any name
for a BP II? :>).

The other Unimat 1 is for my son Mithcell. He is 8. As is, he would
likely never have touched a lathe or mill in Grade, middle, or High
school. He is nutty about computers, you see.... The schools are
just nutty.....

So we spent a few Unimat 1 hours with some soft plywood scrap, quick
drying cement, a precut wood kit.... and he learned to use the mill
(loves an endmill) and will soon start on the jigsaw and sander.
The lathe we save to last.

On what else can I give him this experience? Almost everything else
is aimed at "professionals" or "old men who dabble" (no offense). I
think that is a real, real big part of why the machine tool industry
is "sucking on it big time" in this country. What machine tool
company even has a web site that is "not" a POS?.... Out of touch
with customers, apprentices, and techology. Precious few companies
have a decent web site & they probably spent $$$ outside to get
it...

Like I said, the Unimat 1 is magic for hoards of kids (and they do
need adult supervision - that special aspect of mentoring.... ) lots
of folks in this group will recall that mentoring when they started
out - and - just how much of that is there today....?

SO like I said... Unimat 1 is a special Magic. But it is not, in
any way, a good candidate for CNC.

Buy it anyway. Find a kid. Show them the endmill, jigsaw... a $2
precut wood kit form Harbor Freight (with fast dry glue) and spend
1/2 hour making a new sorcer's apprentice. Next time you see them
give a funny look to mom's chair or an aluminum plate, you'll know
they are pondering how to turn in into a creative pile of sawdust and
filings. Mitchell does...

Jerry Robinson



--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, Alison & Jim Gregg
<gregg@v...> wrote:

> Re the Unimat 1 and "Classic" - Basically don't!
>
> The REAL Unimats -models - Sl, DB200 and the Unimat 3 and 4 are a
> completely differetnt proposition to the Unimat 1 or "Classic".

These

> latter are largely plastic construction and basically totally

unsuitable

> for any serious metal work - almost literally toys.
>

*****************

> > From: "Steven Ciciora" <sciciora@A...>
> >Subject: Unimat?
> >
> >Hello!
> > What do people think of the Unimat? Is it a good canidate for

CNC

> > conversion?
> > It looks like a less expensive, less sturdy version of a

shurline, Taig,

> > etc.