Minimax mm24 owners

[Philip Johnson]

I will be the first to admit I probably don't need a saw this big, but I do like to buy the best tool I can afford the first time.

I started out looking at the MM16 and thought I would go to the 20 on advice of people on here. So I talked my self into the 20 but they are not available for another month or two. So now it is back to the 16 or up to the 24.
One concern on the 24 is the smallest blade you can use is 1/4 inch is this of any concern or can you go smaller with different guides?

Any other reasons not to get the 24 or anything to be aware of with it.

thanks
Phil

[Jim Dailey]

Hi Neighbor,

I'm over by Rochester. Can't answer your question on the 24" mm but I have a 14" Delta for the smaller blades to compliment my 20" mm.

One thing to note on at least the 20" mm is the fence is crude. It works but I had been looking/thinking of a number of ways to improve or replace the fence until I saw the Laguna Drift Master fence. Spendy... I paid more for the fence than my 1st band saw... Ouch!!! But I am other than the $ very happy with the upgrade.

Which ever MiniMax model you end up with I think other than the fence you will be very happy with the saw.

jim

[Paul B. Cresti]

Check out these past posts of mine. They might help a bit

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=37758
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=33070

[Chip Lindley]

Phillip, I'm LQQKing too, for a Big Bandsaw--20" or 24". But I won't be buying new. My religion, (Church of Miserology) will not permit me to!

My own Pros n Cons:
-20" are HUGE! 24"s are more HUGER! Is devoting shop space to one practical?
-20" is plenty of saw for most woodworkers. Unless you need more throat depth.
-24" has more teeth (longer band) to dull before replacing!
-BOTH will properly tension a 1/2" or 3/4" resaw blade.
-BOTH have 12" resaw capacity. Do you need more than that?
-BOTH have enough HP to resaw 12" (More than 3hp is OverKill!)
-SAVE enough on a 20" to buy Carter guides!! Good Blades!! A Tension Gauge!!

My Bottom Line: I'd rather have a NICE 20" than a So-So 24"

[Philip Johnson]

hi Jim almost neighbors rochester is not too far but its been a long time since i have been down that way. I was told by mm that the fence on the 24 is much heavier then the 20,

Paul thanks for the links impressive machine and work your doing

Chip I have watched the ads for months and nothing good around here. Something about the mm line that I like, I look at em all and keep coming back to them. I sure that are many other good ones out there too. I wanted a 20 just seemed like a good size but I guess Italy shuts down for a month for vacation and it would be October before they get here. That wait would be hard to take. I broke down and placed an order for the mm 24 today a little more then I wanted to spend and a lot more saw then I probably need. I guess I will have to make some room and order some good wheels for it.

Thanks for the replies guys
Phil

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Phil,

I generally won't get involved in recommending bandsaws because I'm a relatively new user.

When I made my 1st and only bandsaw purchase several years ago, I looked at what my needs were, estimated what my future needs would be, what I could afford and then reputation. I knew I am getting ready to retire and I wanted to buy 1....only 1 and have my two sons fight over it when I'm gone.

It came down to Agazzani, Laguna or MM.

I emailed Mark Duginske a noted bandsaw expert and his comment was I couldn't go wrong with any of those Italian bandsaws.

In the end, I went with the MM-16 because it has a reputation of being a good quality saw and because of Mini-Max's generosity as seen right here at the Creek. Fellow Creeker Steve Clardy had the roof on his shop caved in by heavy wet snow. The Creek and another ww website had a fundraiser to help Steve recover some of his lost tools and expenses. When Mini-Max was approached to sell us a new bandsaw at a reduced price to replace the damaged one, they DONATED a new saw and had it shipped to Steve and they paid the shipping.

I notched the blade guard on my MM-16 so that the guide bearings will seat properly on a 1/4" blade. Other than that it has been a joy to learn to use and I don't think you will regret your purchase.

[Philip Johnson]

Thanks for that story Ken. I was having a bit of buyer remorse this morning wondering if I bought the right saw from the right company. I was still thinking about the Agazzani line and I received an email and the Agazzani 24 was quite a bit cheaper then the mm.After that little story about MM helping Steve out I am glad I went with a company like Minimax.

thanks
Phil

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Phil,

I forgot to mention. Steve Clardy.....he's a PRO. He uses those tools to make a living.

[Rye Crane]

Phillip,

I have owned my MM24 for a few years now and here is why I bought it and now how I evaluate the saw.
I still have my US Delta 14" bandsaw with a riser block, etc. for small scroll work.
I started out wanting a 16" bandsaw, then spotted the MM20 it's the largest of the small chassis saws. The move into a MM24 was easy to justify since it is the smallest of the large saw chassis. It is heaver at just over 1000 pounds. I can tension any band, I use a Lennox Trimaster 2-3 TPi vario chip 196" long 1" wide and the same size Lennox Woodmaster CT. The Trimaster produces glass like smooth resaw cuts.

I mounted the saw on Zambus casters, it pulls with one hand easily moved about the shop. The large table, throat size and resaw capacity it wonderful. I have pushed some really large pieces of wood through it. I mounted Aigner brackets on two sides to mount their extension tables. It works great.

The saw runs extremly smoothly. It passes the nickel/dime/penny test.
I replaced the OEM belts quickly and tried the Carter roller guides and couldn't make the lower guides work so I returned them for a credit.
The euro guides are just fine. I polished the faces on my water stones and it has reduced the noise/vibration in the cut. The saw with it's 4.8 hp single phase motor hasn't found any wood it has a problem with. I have resawed a 12" tall piece of Cocobolo that is 42" long without stalling it.

These Centauro saws have the same DNA as the rest of the Italian saws. They are all manufactured with 50 miles of each other around Modena, home of Ferrari and a large manufacturing area in northern Italy.

Some folks talk about the fence. It's a cast iron unit and I have no problem with it. It's adjustable for drift and with flat tires, large wide bands I haven't encountered much drift, it just cuts, period.

I made some fences for resawing as well as finger boards that can be stacked on dowels to enable me to resaw very large boards without help. If you want to use a large saw, industrial quality, meaning that it is a basic tool not a race car you will be very happy.

Yes, you can run as small a band as 1/4". Sam Blasco set me up with his "Sammy Blocks". about 2" piece of phenolic material that you put inside the guides, clamp them down and run the bands inside them for stability. These small bands are run in the center of the wheels. Larger bands are run with the teeth hanging off the edge up to their gullets. It helps save the tires. I have tilted the table twice and to do it you will need to adjust the lower guides, that takes maybe 2 minutes.

In setting my saw up I made a little jig that can be lifted up into the wheels to sand them smooth, eliminating any lumps or bumps to settle down the bands. Like I said I polished the guide faces and it also helps with noise. I replaced the OEM belts and it also helped with noise. Otherwise the saw has been trouble free since I purchased it in 2005.

You will not be sorry you bought a great bandsaw.

Good Luck,
Rye Crane
Pittsburg, Ca.

[Philip Johnson]

Thanks Rye for the nice write up sounds like it will be a nice saw. I have been looking at them Zambus rollers. Which one did you get and did you get 4 swivel ones or two swivel and two fixed

[Rye Crane]

Phillip,

I got all four swivel casters and I think they were the 400# each or thereabouts. I didn't know they had fixed ones on the Zambus.
There are supposed to be a lower cost option that clones the Zambus
caster, maybe someone can help with that info. I don't have any info
on quality. The Zambus are absolutely trouble free. I mounted them by myself. Just took my floor jack and lifted the saw and blocked it up. Mounted the first two and repeated the installation. I took care not to get it up too high so it wouldn't tip over and squash me like a bug.
Smart money would tether it from the top. There are two or three holes in the top. You will want to plug them otherwise there is a rain of dust on my bald head, ugh. The hole in the top at the front can be covered but when resawing really tall stuff the guide post runs up through the hole to get you the 24" resaw and the cover will pop off, but at least you will know it and replace it next time you use the saw. I just tape mine on softly so it's easy to cap the hole again.

Rye

[Rye Crane]

Phillip,

More on those zambus casters. In a earlier post by Fritz Stoop, he has found a new supplier that has a rachet set up that looks really cool.
Check it out. I think it's on the page just before your post.

Rye Crane

[Philip Johnson]

Rye thanks for the info on casters....I ordered a set from greatlakes. the ratchet ones are an extra 20 bucks so that times 8 adds up so just got the regular ones...I can stll bend over so should not be a problem, I'll check the dust holes..... still no shipping info I hate to wait for things

[Philip Johnson]

Got the new saw today..all I can say is there is nothing mini about it. I still need to tune it up but got it running enough to play and make a bit of saw dust. I got one question does the motor run pretty warm, I was just playing for 1/2 hour or so and the motor seems to get real warm, is this normal

thanks
Phil