Minimax T40 Shaper

[Peter Quinn]

I see a minimax T40 shaper for sale near me. 5HP 3PH, 1 1/4" spindle. Any owners or users of this shaper here on the creek? Any thoughts about this machine? Asking is $900, I would have to get a VFD or a phase converter on top of that.

[Jay Brewer]

Hi Peter. Those are good machines. Nothing fancy, just a solid shaper. The fence is a little crude. I think JR owned a couple of them and maybe he will chime in. If its in good shape, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat.

[Peter Quinn]

Thanks Jay. I guess worth checking out then. I'm going to call the guy in the morning to take a look if possible. Been saving for a PM2700, been looking for a decent 5HP shaper for a while, first serious used machine in my area in years that I have seen.

[J.R. Rutter]

I agree with Jay that the fence is the weakness. Only one side is adjustable and you have to loosen one side from the table to adjust offset. The flip up cover and guard is nice though. I replaced the hold-downs with plywood plates that shroud the blade and help with dust collection. I saw a MiniMax upgrade fence for sale or auction a while back that I should have just bought. It had the digital counters on the adjustments and aluminum faces. Maybe it is still out there somewhere. For an all around multipurpose shaper, I would be upgrading the fence pretty quickly.

http://www.nas.com/~harmonic/NewShop/MiniMax/T40N%231%20Top.jpg
http://www.nas.com/~harmonic/NewShop/MiniMax/T40N%231.jpg
http://www.nas.com/~harmonic/NewShop/MiniMax/Underneath.jpg

I like the form factor of these - they are nice and compact, but have the spindle support of a production shaper, just mini sized. Mine ran smoother than the PM 27 that I had at the same time. The drive sheaves are balanced and fitted well to the arbors. There are sliding table attachments out there that will bolt right on. I sold mine for $1500, so it sounds like a good deal if it is in good shape. See if they have the spanner wrench for spindle changes. Nice find!

[Peter Quinn]

Thanks for the info JR. I am now the proud owner of a Minimax t40! I do see that fence being an issue. I have a new Delta X5 fence on my old delta shaper that I got for a song, it is actually a pretty well made fence unit and I'm thinking of putting it on the T40 and setting the delta up with the old fence for coping. I do like the design, that is one heck of a spindle for a mid sized machine. I was saving for a PM2700 but I think the compact foot print of this machine may be a better fir for my small shop, and at $900 the price was right. The one I bought seems barely used. Came with both spindles and the OEM wrenches. It runs as smooth as a kitten. I need to get a VFD as I don't have 3PH in my shop. As it turns out we got a new small slider at work last fall and pulled the sliding attachment from an SCMI TS off. They told me to throw it out this winter, but being a pack rat I saved it, and I think it may fit this shaper.

As an added bonus the seller pulled out a box of shaper cutters as i was leaving and said "you want these, $100 takes them all". I got a half dozed panel raisers, all new or close, a few Freeborn profile cutters (one BIG 1/4 round used once for a bar counter job), and an Amana 40MM head with a few dozed inserts. I didn't need the panel raisers but I really wanted a second 40MM head and that pile of profiles will come in handy too. Can't wait to get this thing in place. I've been looking for a good used 1 1/4" shaper at a fair price for 4 years, I had all but given up.

[Jay Brewer]

Congratulations Peter. You got a heck of a deal. goes to show patience pays off sometimes.

[Mike Heidrick]

Peter, Sounds like you got one AWESOME DEAL!! Congrats.

[J.R. Rutter]

Sweet! Gotta love the local deals.

[Scot Ferraro]

Hi Peter,

You suck!! Congrats on the new machine and tooling...I keep looking for a good buy in my area and I hope I can score something as nice as what you found. Please post some pictures and I will be interested in seeing any of your mods.

Scot

[Peter Quinn]

Hi Peter,

You suck!! Congrats on the new machine and tooling...I keep looking for a good buy in my area and I hope I can score something as nice as what you found. Please post some pictures and I will be interested in seeing any of your mods.

Scot

Only mod I have planned is to throw the Delta X5 fence on it, I think there is room to tap the table for that, and if I can't locate a second hand slider down the road for it (it is machined to accept one as an accessory) I may add a small extension table to the front of it using those same bolt holes to give my coping sled a bit more support. Oh, and the VFD as a phase convertor. Unless somebody wants to GIVE me an Aligner fence for product testing purposes, then I might be able to accommodate that as well:rolleyes:! It sure starts up and runs smoother than the old Chitty chitty bang bang PM 27's in the cab shop at work. Then again, so does my little delta...

[Scot Ferraro]

What is the footprint of the machine (width and length) and what is the max diameter tooling you can run in the table and under the nut?

[Peter Quinn]

I think I measured the top at 24"X35"? It is longer than it is deep. Sort of long and skinny actually, as the spindle seems to be centered on the table which leaves only 9-10" of table left to the hood is on. Can't seem to find it in the manual exactly, its still in my van until I can get some help moving it in, I'll measure tomorrow. Looking at the 'manual' I have, I think it is simply a parts list, seems i don't have the "instructionnes" booklet, so if anyone has a copy I'd love to get a scan if possible. I think I measured 7 1/4" max below the table, maybe 8" or a little better above. 3 7/8" max under the nut.

[Scot Ferraro]

That's a nice size. I have been looking at shapers and I am amazed at just how large some of the more heavy-duty units are -- some are close to four feet wide or more -- too big for my shop. I would be interested in hearing the exact dimensions once you get it set up -- height is not as important. I have seen a couple of T40's come up for sale ever so often and it might be a good fit for my shop.

Thanks...looking forward to the pics :D!

Scot

[J.R. Rutter]

Here are the specs from my manual. I don't have a scanner, but I'll see what I can do. Really, it is mostly very basic info, and since you obviously know shapers, it may be redundant. If you have the spindle style with a bolt and cap, then you can squeeze a taller tool onto the spindle if need be...

top dimensions: 870mm x 560mm
top height: 900mm
removeable spindle: 1-1/4"
max spindle protrusion from table: 155mm
working length of spindle: 90mm
max tool diameter in table: 180mm
max height of retractable tool: 60mm
dust collection diameter: 120mm
max tool diameter with fence: 180mm
max tool diameter with tenon hood: 250mm
motor: 3.6KW, 230V, 3PH

[Peter Quinn]

That's a nice size. I have been looking at shapers and I am amazed at just how large some of the more heavy-duty units are -- some are close to four feet wide or more -- too big for my shop. I would be interested in hearing the exact dimensions once you get it set up -- height is not as important. I have seen a couple of T40's come up for sale ever so often and it might be a good fit for my shop.

Thanks...looking forward to the pics :D!

Scot

You ain't kidding Scot. We have a couple of older SAC's at work, the tables are something like 34"X46" on the bigger ones. Perfect for curved work, bigger than it has to be for 80% of what it gets used for. Having moved them this winter to lay down a new shop floor, I can tell you they are heavy too. The old SAC's are nothing fancy, but they are very smooth and brutally powerful. I considered going that route in a day dream as I have seen some SAC's selling in the mid $3K range w/feeder, but I woke up when I started envisioning what it would take to get a 900# machine down a steep bilco entry. Oh, and the price of phase conversion for a 9HP machine is quite steep too. I needed a nice little flexible machine to do some side work in my home shop, I think the T40 will fit that bill nicely.

JR, thanks if you you have a way to copy the manual, and no sweat if you don't. The seller walked me through all the specifics before I left so I knew how to handle spindle changes and cutter changes. He had to think about it as he had set the machine up to cope a single cab door profile, once, and never touched it again. It still had his coping sled on it, still set to the fence!

[Scot Ferraro]

Hi Peter,

One thing you might try is going to the MiniMax website -- they have some manuals for discontinued machines and I believe that I saw one for the T40 in Adobe.

Scot

[Peter Quinn]

Checked there Scott, they have the "Parts list" which is simply a booklet of schematics and part numbers, very little else. There is also an "Instrucciones" manual (it is listed as a part in the Parts list!) and that's the one I can't seem to find. I haven't tried calling minimax directly, not sure how they would respond to a guy with an old used machine looking for a manual?

[Peter Quinn]

Here are the specs from my manual. I don't have a scanner, but I'll see what I can do. Really, it is mostly very basic info, and since you obviously know shapers, it may be redundant. If you have the spindle style with a bolt and cap, then you can squeeze a taller tool onto the spindle if need be...

top dimensions: 870mm x 560mm
top height: 900mm
removeable spindle: 1-1/4"
max spindle protrusion from table: 155mm
working length of spindle: 90mm
max tool diameter in table: 180mm
max height of retractable tool: 60mm
dust collection diameter: 120mm
max tool diameter with fence: 180mm
max tool diameter with tenon hood: 250mm
motor: 3.6KW, 230V, 3PH

J.R., I just got a Leuco rabbit/jointing/tenon cutter from Oella Saw and Tool that is 180MM. Man that is a big donut, and heavy is an understatement. I see from your specs that 180MM is the maximum tooling under the table. Have you ever spun anything that big on the T40? Is the tenon hood sold by Minimax, or was that a shop made apparatus? I have an email into a guy from the SCMI parts dept. whose name was given to me by Erik at MM on the users group board at Yahoo. He thinks it may be possible to get the owners manual from them. Any idea where to look for a sliding table for that shaper on the used market?

[Brad Shipton]

Peter, there is a fellow with a couple of T130 shaper hoods for sale on the Woodweb. He is located in CA. I'm not sure if they would fit, but they look like nice hoods for $300. I have used several 180mm dia cutters on my Hammer shaper (similar specs), and they work fine. I now have a couple of 250mm dia cutters that I will be using above the table. One fellow I know even mounted about a 25lb door cutter onto his.

Panhans makes a sliding tenon attachment that bolts to the table. There was a used Martin version on the woodweb many many months ago, but with that name you could probably buy a new knock off cheaper.

Brad

[J.R. Rutter]

Peter, there is a fellow with a couple of T130 shaper hoods for sale on the Woodweb. He is located in CA. I'm not sure if they would fit, but they look like nice hoods for $300. I have used several 180mm dia cutters on my Hammer shaper (similar specs), and they work fine. I now have a couple of 250mm dia cutters that I will be using above the table. One fellow I know even mounted about a 25lb door cutter onto his.

Panhans makes a sliding tenon attachment that bolts to the table. There was a used Martin version on the woodweb many many months ago, but with that name you could probably buy a new knock off cheaper.

Brad

These would be an upgrade from the MiniMax fence. They are heavy duty cast aluminum, but only the infeed (right side) is adjustable, at least if it is like the one I used to have. For that price, I would be more likely to keep looking for a 2-sided adjustable style that is easier to keep aligned to the miter slot. I have enjoyed using the aluminum style fence plates with filler bars - safe and precise.

[Peter Quinn]

Thanks for the tip Brad. I checked them out but as J.R. noted those seem to adjust from only one side, in this case in feed rather than out feed. I prefer a fence that adjusts from both sides. I have a spare Delta X5 fence, and while it seems strange to put it on a MM, it is a pretty good fence and should be a simple matter to tap the table for its hold down bolts. Can't quite swing an Aigner fence presently. I did get the shaper into the shop today, probably won't wire it up for a month or so in any event. This was more of a buy it while its cheap purchase than something I needed immediately.

[Larry Edgerton]

I have the one side adjustment fence and for what it is worth I have been planning on converting it to two sided adjustment. I looked at it a while ago and it would not be difficult, but like many things, I have not found the time.......:rolleyes:

[Mike Kees]

Just a FYI for anyone with Minimax shapers and the fence with adjustments on the right side only. I have a Minimax T 50 shaper with this fence. While the adjustment is only on the right side of the fence physically it does adjust both sides of the fence. To do this you loosen one side of fence at a time and adjust. Then tighten that side down,loosen other side and adjust it.