I've gone Mobile!

[Bruce Page]

I decided to go against popular convention and grunt my new Mini Max into a mobile base. I ordered the Delta 50-296 for $89.99 from Amazon. The Delta 50-296 had the closest fit available at 17" X 27" and I have been very happy with my other Delta bases. The smaller MM16 base is 15 3/4" X 25 3/4". After teeter tottering the MM up on some wood blocks :eek::eek:, I was able to slip the new base under. After centering the BS on it's new base, I milled 3/4" MDF shim strips down to 21/32" thick and tapped them in using a block & hammer for a tight fit. The BS now moves easily in my small garage shop and is even more stable due to the larger footprint. This was a worthwhile improvement to an already great BS. ;)

[Chris Padilla]

I don't like it...I don't like it ONE BIT, Bruce! Nope...not at all.... ;)

[Jim Becker]

I like that much better than the "mobility kit" that I have on mine. Fortunately, I don't move it much. If I did, a solution like yours would be my choice for sure! Good information, Bruce.

[Bob Marino]

Bruce,

I have a similar type base on my Agazanni as you had on the MM. I bought a SF that I have'nt even used yet, but lookin' at that Delta, I may look to return the SF. What is the weight capacity on that base?

Bob

[Bruce Page]

Bruce,

I have a similar type base on my Agazanni as you had on the MM. I bought a SF that I have'nt even used yet, but lookin' at that Delta, I may look to return the SF. What is the weight capacity on that base?

BobBob, the 50-296 was designed for the Delta 37-380 Professional jointer that weighs in at 415 lbs. Given the design safety factor, I didn't think the MM's 480 lbs would be pushing it too much.

[Bruce Page]

I don't like it...I don't like it ONE BIT, Bruce! Nope...not at all.... ;)And I can even open the door all the way! :p :D :p

[Chris Padilla]

Hey, Doofus, just remove the clip off the wheel!!! Gawd...EVERYONE knows that....sigh!!! ;)

[Bruce Page]

Hey, Doofus, just remove the clip off the wheel!!! Gawd...EVERYONE knows that....sigh!!! ;)Now I was polite in my other post!

LOL!

[Cecil Arnold]

Nice clean fix, I like it much better than mine, and it appears more stable--Way to go!

[Ed Weiser]

I did a similar fix with my Laguna 16" BS. I used slightly larger base by HTC and placed 2X lumber in the opening. After that I lag bolted the base of the saw to the 2x lumber. The advantage of a larger footprint is clear and the extra height helps get the BS table up to a more comfortable level. It also was cheaper than the Laguna mobility kit.

Ed

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

Bruce
YUP!
That's what have under my Delta band saw.
A mobile man after my own mobile heart. Mobile is the way to go.
Lookin' good!
Daniel :D

[Bruce Page]

I did a similar fix with my Laguna 16" BS. I used slightly larger base by HTC and placed 2X lumber in the opening. After that I lag bolted the base of the saw to the 2x lumber. The advantage of a larger footprint is clear and the extra height helps get the BS table up to a more comfortable level. It also was cheaper than the Laguna mobility kit.

EdEd, I've been toying with the idea of mechanically tying everything together by drilling through the mobile base sides, MDF shims and through the base of the BS and installing a couple of bolts & nuts. I might do that today.

[Bruce Page]

Bruce
YUP!
That's what have under my Delta band saw.
A mobile man after my own mobile heart. Mobile is the way to go.
Lookin' good!
Daniel :DThanks Dan, unless you have a large shop like Steve Clardy and others have, mobile is the only way to go!

[Bruce Page]

Ed, I've been toying with the idea of mechanically tying everything together by drilling through the mobile base sides, MDF shims and through the base of the BS and installing a couple of bolts & nuts. I might do that today.Addendum to my reply to Ed's post

I added 2 bolts through the mobile base and the MM16's base. The set-up is even more stable now.

Ed, thanks for the motivation!

[Rich Konopka]

Bruce:


After wrestling with my MM16 and the lame mobility system that came with it this week I decided to pursue the Delta mobile base route. I have a couple of questions.

Did the MM16 need any cross supports across the bottom or does it fit nicely all the way around the base?

The shims you milled down and tapped in were to pick up the slack around the edges?

Any changes to this setup since?

Thanks

[Bruce Page]

Rich,
I felt that the 1/8” X 5” X 45º gussets welded into each corner (see sketch) were sufficient to support the BS. The Delta 50-296 base was designed for their 37-380 8” jointer which weighs about the same as the MM.
The shims were to center the BS and keep it from moving in the base. I also added two 5/16-18 bolts through the mobile base/shim/BS base to tie everything together.
The phantom lines represent the MM base.

[Bart Leetch]

Hey, Doofus, just remove the clip off the wheel!!! Gawd...EVERYONE knows that....sigh!!! ;)

Why its at the back of the saw out of the way?????????... :rolleyes: :D

[Dennis Peacock]

Very nice Bruce. And a job well done. Thanks for sharing the pics.

[Rich Konopka]

Rich,
I felt that the 1/8” X 5” X 45º gussets welded into each corner (see sketch) were sufficient to support the BS. The Delta 50-296 base was designed for their 37-380 8” jointer which weighs about the same as the MM.
The shims were to center the BS and keep it from moving in the base. I also added two 5/16-18 bolts through the mobile base/shim/BS base to tie everything together.
The phantom lines represent the MM base.
You da Man !! Thanks so much. This is going to help many more people than just myself. Maybe someone from MM will see this and wake up and provide a better mobile solution.

Thanks again Bruce !!

[Jim Becker]

The "only" issue I can see with using this base as illustrated is that the foot lever is to the back...and in my case, that would require me to have the saw farther from the wall during normal operation. Reversing it would put one's ankles in jeapardy! At least with the johnson-bar mobility kit, these things are not an issue for me. But I do need to keep the saw on a piece of 3/4" plywood to keep the wheels off the floor and keep the whole machine level with the MM mobility setup.

[Bruce Page]

Jim, hindsight being 20/20, I should have put the MB foot lever under the table. My reasoning at the time was that I thought it would be easier to maneuver around and I wouldn’t have to push it using the table. Maybe I will get industrious one of these days and turn it around. :o

[Jack Diemer]

I have all my MMs on Skids, and I just drive my diesel powered fork lift around my 364 square foot shop whenever I need to move a tool.

[Dale Thompson]

I have all my MMs on Skids, and I just drive my diesel powered fork lift around my 364 square foot shop whenever I need to move a tool.

Jack,
It sounds like you have a great shop. :) However, 364 square feet is about 19' by 19'. If I had to guess, I would say that that is about the turning radius of a forklift. Either you missed a zero or two on your shop footage or you are one heck of a forklift driver. ;) What's wrong with my math? :confused:

Dale T. :cool:

[Jack Diemer]

Dale, nothing is wrong with your math. I must confess, I have neither a diesel powered forklift, nor a Minimax, but one can always dream. I do have a 364 sq ft shop however.

www.terryhatfield.com/Jack.html

[Dale Thompson]

Dale, nothing is wrong with your math. I must confess, I have neither a diesel powered forklift, nor a Minimax, but one can always dream. I do have a 364 sq ft shop however.

www.terryhatfield.com/Jack.html

Jack,
Beautifully said! I think that I was had! :o I salute you! :)

Dale T.

[Chris Padilla]

I know that Todd Burch and Rob Russell like to use pallet jacks to move some of their larger equipment around. That might be overkill for MM16 but I sure thought about it.

I guess I am the only one who like the MM mobility kit. I think that toe bar is just the schlitz!!!! :D

[Rich Konopka]

I went to woodcraft and to pick up the Delta Mobil Base and of course they did not have it in stock:mad: . I did pick up a JDS 750ER :D

I also picked up these... Jet casters

I thought I would take a short cut and not have to heave and hoe that Big Bad MM16 unto the MB. No Dice. They just don't work :( :confused: :( :( :( :(

Oh well.

[Bruce Page]

Rich, I think it took about a week to get the Delta MB delivered from Amazon.

[Rich Konopka]

Bruce:

I stopped by Coastal Tool today and they had one already assembled floor model in the back of the rack. They gave it to me for $75 because of some scratches.
Thanks for sharing your solution.

Best Regards

[Bruce Page]

Bruce:

I stopped by Coastal Tool today and they had one already assembled floor model in the back of the rack. They gave it to me for $75 because of some scratches.
Thanks for sharing your solution.

Best RegardsThat's a good price. Now, let's see some pic's of the Mini Max in it! ;)

[Rich Konopka]

That's a good price. Now, let's see some pic's of the Mini Max in it! ;)Okay Okay !! I heard the Pic Police are really cracking down on creekers who don't post pic's. :eek:

My buddy and I lifted it right in this morning. Not. We actually tilted it, slid the MB underneath with blocks and then maneuvered it into place. It was not bad as I expected. I will tuck it in as you did once the renovations are complete.

I'm glad it is done because I now have all my tools on wheels with the exception of my 16" Drill Press which I just move with a dolly. I have everything tucked in the corner and planning major renovations to the shop. With such insipration from Frank, Chris, Jim K and Jim B I felt I could no longer put it off.

[Bruce Page]

Looking good Rich. I did it solo but getting the MM into the base wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be either. I do recommend installing a couple of bolts through the base & shims to tie everything together, it adds to the overall stability of the setup.

[Doug Shepard]

Well I liked Mr Page's (No Not Jimmy - the other one) setup enough that I decided to copy it - with one minor change. I ordered the base way back in November and had to continually approve order delays on Amazon about every 6 weeks or so. The base finally got here the day before yesterday. A relative came over and helped me wrestle the beast onto the base, wedge in the shims, and run the bolts through the base/shims/saw. I still need to put a shim in at the front, but need to put a relief cutout on the shim first to clear the heads of the carriange bolts for the pivot bracket.
Bruce - you were right about the saw brake not being blocked by the lift pedal. It's close, but I pushed the saw all the way back in the base and there's enough room to push the brake pedal down all the way with no interference. I couldn't really think of cases where I'm standing directly in front of the table which is the only side from which the brake pedal isn't very accesible. So in the interest of saving another 6" or so of storage space, I decided to keep this orientation.

While I had the camera out I also shot a pic of my most recent Bridge City Tool eBay find that showed up in the mail today. I picked up it's slightly smaller 45 deg cousin on eBay about 2 months ago. This is the 22.5 version.

[Bruce Page]

Looks great Doug!
I still need to turn my MM around in the base...

[Jim O'Dell]

Bruce, how much did the mobile base raise the BS off the ground? I have the baby brother (E16) and have thought about placing it on a platform to get the table height to match my TS. IIRC I need close to 2" height to match. I can adjust the TS up a little also if I go the mobile base route instead of using the mobility kit from MM, and it is a little more than the 2" I need. If I raise the base on a platform, I'd have to mount the wheel bar from MM to the platform, then the Johnson bar may not tilt the BS enough to hit the wheels on the bar.:confused: I'm sure I could add something to the bottom of the brake pedal to help the Johnson bar out...I'm pretty good at southern engineering.:cool:
Hey Chris...good to see you back! I miss your humor :D Jim.

[Bruce Page]

Bruce, how much did the mobile base raise the BS off the ground? I have the baby brother (E16) and have thought about placing it on a platform to get the table height to match my TS. IIRC I need close to 2" height to match. I can adjust the TS up a little also if I go the mobile base route instead of using the mobility kit from MM, and it is a little more than the 2" I need. If I raise the base on a platform, I'd have to mount the wheel bar from MM to the platform, then the Johnson bar may not tilt the BS enough to hit the wheels on the bar.:confused: I'm sure I could add something to the bottom of the brake pedal to help the Johnson bar out...I'm pretty good at southern engineering.:cool:
Hey Chris...good to see you back! I miss your humor :D Jim.

Jim, the Delta doesn't raise it much, only about 1". You could fab a platform on the base to raise the E16 to suit your needs.

[Tom Sontag]

I am with Chris P on this: I like the mobililty kit that comes with the saw and do not see the need for this fix. It steers and makes fine adjustments with one hand! Storing the lever is my only minor issue.

But you know what? If you are happy, I am happy for you.

[Dan Owen]

Bruce

Do you have the smaller MM base? I was a little confused as to whether you had the newer or older saw. I like that setup. I move mine alot and their mobility kit is a pain.

Dan

[Bruce Page]

Tom, if you’re happy then I’m happy. I personally hated the thing and found it clumsy to maneuver the saw around in my crowded shop.

Dan, I bought my MM in June, ’04 (this is an old thread) so it’s one generation earlier than the current edition.

[Dev Emch]

Bruce
YUP!
That's what have under my Delta band saw.
A mobile man after my own mobile heart. Mobile is the way to go.
Lookin' good!
Daniel :D

Then you would love this one! A guy in Kali-4-nia installed some rigger's air bags under his 20 inch bandsaw and then added a 5 HP air compressor to the bandsaw. Now he can push his bandsaw about with his little finger. It floats on a cushion of air.

Actually he did this to cut scroll work into very large timber frame beams that are often 16, 20 and more feet long.

[Doug Shepard]

Tom, if you’re happy then I’m happy. I personally hated the thing and found it clumsy to maneuver the saw around in my crowded shop. ....

I'm obviously with you on this one. I have a hunch that the folks that like them have very flat and smooth floors. The saw and Johnson bar wheels were constantly snagging on the least little rough spots in the concrete floor of my garage shop. The Delta MB rolls better than the MM mobility kit on my floor and just feels safer to me with both hands on the saw. I was always wondering how long it would be before I spilled the MM16 over on it's side due to the old setup wobbling when it caught on a rough patch.

[Ken Styer]

Hate to be a spoil sport but the MM mobility base I have on my MM 16 works great.

[Randy Gillard]

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/hrgillard/Minimax/DSC01183.jpg

Two pieces of 3/4" plywood, glued and screwed together, with cheap $5.00 swivel casters. Works fine.