# New find - Unimat db200



## mywoodshopca (Mar 4, 2009)

Local guy had this in his basement last 30 years he said. He is cleaning his house out for sale and asked if I was interested in this. He didnt give me a price yet as he wanted to see if I can make use of it first. 

Used a can of wd40 on it after the picture was taken and a lot of the parts are wiping up nice. I am sure with a little work, it will look good. 

It needs belts but I may CA the origional broken belt to make sure everything works good before I invest much into it.


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## GouletPens (Mar 4, 2009)

mywoodshopca said:


> Local guy had this in his basement last 30 years he said. He is cleaning his house out for sale and asked if I was interested in this. He didnt give me a price yet as he wanted to see if I can make use of it first.
> 
> Used a can of wd40 on it after the picture was taken and a lot of the parts are wiping up nice. I am sure with a little work, it will look good.
> 
> It needs belts but I may CA the origional broken belt to make sure everything works good before I invest much into it.


 Yeah, that's one pretty looking doorstop....j/k:wink:


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## mywoodshopca (Mar 4, 2009)

GouletPens said:


> Yeah, that's one pretty looking doorstop....j/k:wink:


 

lol

motor works great in it, got to find a solution for the belts.. gonna try to repair the broken one first..


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## workinforwood (Mar 4, 2009)

That looks like a great little find.  Perfect for making little pen parts, nibs, collars whatever.  I'd fix it..metal lathes aren't cheap, and the older ones can be pretty darn good and solid.


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## workinforwood (Mar 4, 2009)

I wouldn't waste my time fixing a belt.  You can find a new one if you search hard enough and there are chain link style rubber belts available that can be adjusted to size.  If the motor works, you're in business.  If something is a bit seized, maybe it needs some new bearings, totally worth investing in, or sometimes just soaking the entire thing in a barrel of used motor oil will cure all.  Done that before!


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## GouletPens (Mar 4, 2009)

I'd be a little leary of CA on the belts....I could just see the glue breaking loose and having one of those belts meet the face at 3400 rpm....YIKES! Just wear a face shield if you want to try that!


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## mywoodshopca (Mar 4, 2009)

Never thought about the belt Brian.. thanks lol

Jeff, everything seems to work fine, no stuck bolts or anything.. just dirty and surface rust..


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## greenmtnguy (Mar 4, 2009)

Probably find the belt here.
Timing Belts Main Page w/image - Belt Store


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## Mudder (Mar 4, 2009)

http://unimat.homestead.com/

Try here,

Be sure you get a price before you go too far. I've seen them go on Ebay for $500.00 +
Of course those are the like new one's.


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## mywoodshopca (Mar 4, 2009)

Mudder said:


> Be sure you get a price before you go too far. I've seen them go on Ebay for $500.00 +


 

Yep.. thats what I need to figure out before I invest much more then elbow grease and wd-40


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## dogcatcher (Mar 4, 2009)

A little rusty and dirty but it looks like it has every attachment ever made.  Should clean up be great machine.  As to the belt, take it to a sewing machine repair place, they probably will have a size to fit it in stock.  I have even seen these things run with few extra large rubber bands for the belt.


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## TellicoTurning (Mar 4, 2009)

mywoodshopca said:


> lol
> 
> motor works great in it, got to find a solution for the belts.. gonna try to repair the broken one first..



contact belts for anything in Lafayette, LA  they probably have one or something that will fit..

http://www.beltsforanything.com/site59.php

they have good prices and ship really fast.


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## bitshird (Mar 4, 2009)

I think you can use an O ring for a belt, I used to have a Unimat about 30 or so years ago, they are a lot of fun, looking at the pictures it doesn't look like any thing much is wrong, check with a vacuum cleaner repair shop they can probably fix you up for a few bucks, or if they have a bearing supply house near you they can measure what you need and get it easily, I THINK my belts were just large O rings but it's been gone for many many years.


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## mywoodshopca (Mar 4, 2009)

Yep, I think they are big orings by the look of the old ones..

Thanks everyone for the belt suggestions


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## titan2 (Mar 4, 2009)

mywoodshopca said:


> Local guy had this in his basement last 30 years he said. He is cleaning his house out for sale and asked if I was interested in this. He didnt give me a price yet as he wanted to see if I can make use of it first.
> 
> Used a can of wd40 on it after the picture was taken and a lot of the parts are wiping up nice. I am sure with a little work, it will look good.
> 
> It needs belts but I may CA the origional broken belt to make sure everything works good before I invest much into it.


 
If you're not interested.......I'd be!  Now, why cann't I find something like that close to me????   LOL

Barney


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## workinforwood (Mar 5, 2009)

Was it Charlottetown that blew up from a ship at port a long time ago?  If so..this lathe is the last survivor!  Send it to me.


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## mywoodshopca (Mar 5, 2009)

workinforwood said:


> Was it Charlottetown that blew up from a ship at port a long time ago? If so..this lathe is the last survivor! Send it to me.


 

nope.. few hours away.. that was halifax. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion

This lathe was born about 50+ years later :biggrin:


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## mywoodshopca (Mar 5, 2009)

Well, a lot of the rust came off itself with a few soakings of oil.. temp fixed the belt and tried it out.. used a few spare chunks of metal that was in the case, cuts the stuff easy.. looks like it may be a good little toy.


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## mostangrypirate (Mar 5, 2009)

did he pull the DNA strand from an insect trapt in tree sap for a million years and mix it with frog DNA. Jeff Goldblum would NOT aprove!!


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## nava1uni (Mar 7, 2009)

I'd get a price before I cleaned it up too much.  Just in case he wants a lot and you don't want to pay that much, you won't have made it seller ready.


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## mywoodshopca (Mar 7, 2009)

nava1uni said:


> I'd get a price before I cleaned it up too much. Just in case he wants a lot and you don't want to pay that much, you won't have made it seller ready.


 

Looks like its mine.. 

Now I got to go get some belts for it.. Played with it last night.. looks like it will be good for what I need.


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