Minnimax mm16 or mm20

[Philip Johnson]

I have been reading all the band saw posts on here lately and have been thinking about one. I do want a quality saw and have been reading all I can about the 3 main Italian ones. So far I am leaning toward the minnimax mm16 or maybe the mm20m, i feel the 16 would do all I need, the 20 would just be so I would never need more saw.

I have one question on them...the specs I recieved from mm list the blade speed as 3800 fpm on the 16 and 5000 fpm for the 20. Makes me think the 20m would cut a lot faster if this is true. Has anyone had or tried both the 16 and 20 and noticed any difference.

thanks
Phil

[Pete Bradley]

If you can afford it and fit it in your shop, get the 20". For amateur use, the cutting speed is nowhere near as valuable as the increased capacity.

Pete

[Frank Drew]

I agree with Pete: Up to a point, more is usually better (within reason -- budget, space available, etc.)

Even if you never resaw, the greater blade to column distance will come in handy one day.

[Martin Shupe]

I have the 16, if I could afford it, I would get the 20.

More is better in this particular case.

More resaw, more table space.

[Philip Johnson]

I am leaning more toward the 20 when it gets down to it, it is not all that much more. looking at the 16 it appears to be a very nice saw and its its 16 inch resaw capability is greater then many of the 19 and 21 inch saws out there. I am sure I would be happy with either.

[Rye Crane]

Phillip,

I have a MM24. I, like you studied all the numbers, talked with folks and
then decided since I already have a old American Delta 14" for small blades I went for the 24" saw because of the heft, and resaw
capacity.
The MM 16 would suffice for 90% of my needs and the Delta fills in for scroll work or 1/4" blades,e tc. The MM24 is the smallest of the large chassis, but has the same features that the MM16 has. The MM 16 is a real beast. Also should you want to sell it. I would think it would be a whole lot easier to sell a 16" than a 24" all things being equal.

Good luck, you can't go wrong with any of these Italian stallions.
The DNA is pretty much the same for all. They are all made within about 50 miles of Modena Italy (home of Ferrari) a rich industrial area.

If you can call Sam Blasco of MiniMax 512-377-9244 he will have answers for any of your questions.

take care,
Rye Crane

[Doug Shepard]

I cant find the info I'm looking for on MM's site but I'm pretty sure that once you hit a certain size, the table tilt adjustment is some sort of rack/pinion+crank setup. If you plan on doing much with beveled cuts going to one of the sizes with that would be worthwhile. The MM16 can be a bit of a pain to adjust. The table is heavy and it's a balancing act to hold it up and adjust then lock it.

[Pete Bradley]

I am leaning more toward the 20 when it gets down to it, it is not all that much more. looking at the 16 it appears to be a very nice saw and its its 16 inch resaw capability is greater then many of the 19 and 21 inch saws out there. I am sure I would be happy with either.
Resaw capacity is generally overemphasized, at least on web forums. There's no substitute for 20" on the table.

Pete

[guy knight]

i have the mm20 upgrade from a 18 rikon get the 20 you wont regret it

[Frank Drew]

I'm neither a machinery designer nor a metallurgist, but I've been told that the larger the wheels on your bandsaw (all else being equal) the more tension you can put on the band because it's stressed less by curving over a larger circumference. And the more tension, the less it flexes under the load of a deep cut.

[Tom Sontag]

IMO the band saw is the one machine in a home shop where it makes sense to reach for as big as you can fit. Aside from that, I am a fan of carbide blades for the BS and the one inch Lenox band is recommended for 20" wheels and up IIRC. I use them anyway on my MM16 and have indeed lost one or two to metal fatigue. I presume this problem would go away if I had the bigger saw.

[Gary Herrmann]

I have the MM16. At the time I didn't think I'd ever need bigger. I haven't yet, but it's been close a couple times. If you can afford it, why not get the bigger saw - assuming it'll fit in your shop?

[Philip Johnson]

Rye

How do you like that 24 any problems with smaller blades or any cons to think about. I had made up my mind to get the 20 and wouldn't ya know it they won't have any for a few months. Now I have to decide to try another brand or wait for the 20 or stretch for the 24. I hate to go down to the 16, not that there is anything wrong with it but your guys sold me on the 20 and the boss approved, I might as well get a 20

[Tom Cross]

Look at the Agazzani B-20. I chose it over the MM for many reasons I have posted recently.

[Philip Johnson]

Tom the Agazzani may be a good saw but there is so little info on it. Their website sucks, the info is current as oct 2000. I would have to go to a Agazzani 24 to even get the resaw capability and power of a mm 16. Maybe if I could find out more about them or see them in person I would change my mind but from what I do read it just doesn't seem to measure up to the MiniMax in a lot of areas.

[Mike Heidrick]

Tom the Agazzani may be a good saw but there is so little info on it. Their website sucks, the info is current as oct 2000. I would have to go to a Agazzani 24 to even get the resaw capability and power of a mm 16. Maybe if I could find out more about them or see them in person I would change my mind but from what I do read it just doesn't seem to measure up to the MiniMax in a lot of areas.

It was good enough for Sam Maloof. I think he had an Ag. Probably better than anything I could do with it.

I own a MM20. Found it used here!

[Tom Cross]

If resaw capacity and horsepower are the only criteria, then MM is the clear choice. For overall usability, I found Agazzani to be a much better choice. The Agazzani has enough power to do any job I can imagine. It is worth a call to Jesse at Eagle Tools. He is not into websites. He will e-mail you a wealth of information and photos. Jesse provided great information and accurate portrayals of the pluses and minuses of the Agazzani. His customer service was wonderful. I called him 10 times with endless questions. The band saw came packaged in an awesome hand-built crate with no shipping damage and it was set up and pretested so it was ready to use. I spoke to four Agazzani band saw owners before I made my choice and am delighted with the Agazzani band saw. Good luck with your decision.