The Cool Tool UNIMAT 1 Manuel page 28

BASIC SOURCES OF ERRORS:
UNIMAT 1 is distinguished from other machines
by the fact that (initially loose) individual parts can
be combined to set up various machines. This, on
the one hand, enables UNIMAT 1 to be used in many
different ways in model making. On the other hand,
errors can be made (when assembling) that will not
occur with other ("single-function"-) machines.
Therefore, firstly the correct assembling must
always be checked (before starting with the actual
work). It can easily happen that an 8 mm screw is
used instead of a 6 mm one, making the connection
"unstable". Or time is saved by dispensing with the
double connection between two machine parts. The
result: An ugly work piece !
The second and most frequently occurring
error, is that the gear rim is not sufficiently tensio-
ned. The result: the motor van melts and must be
exchanged (open the motor housing, remove the
van with pliers and press the new van firmly on to
the motor axis). Which is never required if the drive
belt is stretched properly.
The third source of error are the points of power
transmission. This involves the drive belt, concerns
the countershaft U2, clamping devices (chuck,
ma chine-vice, collets,...) tool and work piece- fixa-
tion. The error is easily found by following the path
of power transmission and checking the individual
connections.
The fourth and possibly the most important
source of error are the tools used. It does not pay to
save here. Good tools are more expensive but last
much longer than cheaper ones. Furthermore, each
tool needs to be sharpened from time to time, which
requires some experience.
26
HANDBOOK
MATERIALS
The first thought when beginning with a model
is the type of material. Which kind of material is the
most suitable does not only depend on the model but
on personal taste. One person may like metal, others
may prefer wood. Raw materials can be purchased
from timber-traders (already cut to size) or through
searching in various places (in the cellar or attic) for
something suitable.
2 possibilities to gather material:
a) buy (cut to size)
b) find (or recycle)
Buy:
There are big catalogues or handicraft shops
(round the corner). Much time and work can be saved
by ordering the various wooden plates and strips you
need from the carpenter and have them cut to size.
Find:
This is the cheaper and much more exciting
method. The model will have its own "charm" when it
is put together from different spare materials.
Example:
A wooden wheel of a car can be made from a
case, and the washer from the wastepipe might "by
chance" have the right size to become the rubber-tire
of the wooden wheel.
Besides:
First there was the washer, and from that the dia-
meter of the wooden wheel was determined.
WHERE TO FIND WHAT ?
1. Cellar, attic, at grandma´s, fleamarket,
farmhouse ..
2. "Waste" material at the: carpenter, locksmith,
gardener, firewood seller ...
3. Fruit crates from the market, packaging material
(tea boxes, throw-away palettes), old casings ...
4. Old furniture for fire wood (with some luck you can
find good old "seasoned", wood).
SOME POSSIBILITIES:
Gardeners have good wood for woodturning!
Branches that fall off the trees when being trimmed
are often sold as firewood. Thinner branches are
usually thrown away (which is a pity, especially if it is
beautiful cherrywood). These thin branches will do to
be made into the pieces of a chess-game, the thicker
ones could be purchased very cheaply.
Wood- or metal-working shops have offal tim-
ber that could have the right size for a model. For
instance: carpenters and cabinet-makers, woodtur-
ners and turners' workshops.
Firewood sellers: Ideal, because there, one can
"rummage among the stacks of wood". Beech tree
for instance is a first-class wood for woodturning and
with some experience one can learn to find quickly a
"good" wood (slowly grown, with beautiful texture...).
Packaging material: Fruit crates or tea boxes
(which are very thin) are practically the same plywood
as it is sold in the shops, only of lesser quality. But
with some patience even here first-class quality can
be found.
Old furniture: Freshly cut wood will still worp,
whereas old wood keeps its shape, and therefore
"seasoned" plates and boards are very valuable.
Modern woodworking industries dry their wood
quickly in huge drying chambers, and it has little time
to "season". A ply-wood plate from the shop may
therefore only be a few months old and will in a year's
time still twist out of shape.
TO BUY MATERIALS
Once you have decided which model to make, a
list of materials should be made. The more precise
the list is, the more time you can save. But it is still
advisable to buy sufficient material, because someti-
mes you may have a lot of clippings and you may not
succeed with your first attempt.
With UNIMAT 1 you can process synthetic mate-
rial, soft metal and wood. These materials are offered
in special shops in the form of plates, profiles, bars
or strips.
Below we offer you a short summary of the most
important materials.