The Mini Max is Home!

[Bill Grumbine]

Good evening everyone

If you have been reading Jim Becker's thread on what is in the box, you will know that I picked up a Mini Max CU300 Smart at the woodworking show in Ft Washington PA today. This was a big day for me, as I put my deposit down on this machine last year at the show, and have been patiently waiting and paying towards this day.

I rented a trailer from a local rental company. They had ones low to the ground which also tilted. Having read of a number of marathon style transportations and installations, I was prepared for a long hard time of it. We got the machine into the shop so easily that it is almost embarassing.

Once the thing was strapped down, I took off for home with Bill Murphy following behind on his motorcycle. His job was to catch the thing if it blew off the trailer in the wind. :p I called ahead to two more friends who were prepared to meet me, as well as my neighbor across the road. I figured we would not be short of manpower if we needed it.

When I arrived home at the shop, SWMBO threw open the doors to the shop, and within seconds I had the trailer backed up so that the back end was just inside my 9' wide entry door. We unstrapped the machine, popped out the wheels, tilted the trailer, and had it in the shop in less than five minutes!!! I do not exaggerate when I say we got it off the trailer and into the shop faster than the fork lift guy got it on the trailer. It was one of the easiest tool deliveries I have ever done. It went so quickly that I do not have pictures, and I do not even have much of a story - no problems, no challenges, just drive it in and stand around admiring the paint job.

Do not worry though, oh picture police! Pictures will be coming in the next day or so. I am running around like a maniac trying to get ready for a show next weekend, so I will get to them as soon as I can. Suffice to say it is a really nice machine, and I am looking forward to spending some time playing around with it and learning its capabilities.

Bill

[Jim Becker]

Congratulations, Bill, on the succesful delivery of your new baby! (BTW, that forklift driver wasn't the "brightest bulb in the pack"...)

[Rich Konopka]

Glad to hear everything went smoothly for your new MM.

Enjoy

[Steve Jenkins]

Glad to hear all went well Bill. I bet it really changed the "look" of the shop.Enjoy enjoy.

[Frank Pellow]

Bill, I knew nothing about the CU360, so I looked it up on the Mini Max web site (http://www.minimax-usa.com/cu300classic.html or http://www.minimax-usa.com/cu300smart.html).

Now, those are machines to aspire to!

Which model did you get -the Classic or the Elite?

[Jim Becker]

Frank, Bill's machine is a CU300 Smart with an 8.5' slider It's a sweet machine...

[Frank Pellow]

Frank, Bill's machine is a CU300 Smart with an 8.5' slider It's a sweet machine...
The machine looks so impressive :cool: that saying it is sweet is an understatement.

[Bill Grumbine]

Good morning men

Steve, you are right, the look of the shop has changed dramatically. In some ways the MM takes up a lot more room, but in others, it is less. That is, if I need to process sheet goods, I will be squeaking through, but for most of my sold wood work, I will have more room than I did before. Even with processing sheet goods, I discovered last night that the working height of the slider is 1 1/4" above the top of the bench that runs along the back wall. So, as long as that bench is cleaned off, I won't even have to move the machine! Of coure, that is an ideal and not often a reality. :D

Frank, like Jim says, I have the CU300 Smart. The 8' slider is very impressive, too! What is more, I was concerned about my floor, as it was poured by drunken sailors way back in 1943, and is not even smooth, much less flat. I was not sure the machine would sit flat. We rolled it in, set it down for optimal clearance all around, and lo and behold, it is flat as can be, with the bubble right in between the lines in all directions.

Bill

[John Miliunas]

Bill, after seeing the "loading up" pictures, I was kinda' wondering how you'd be getting that beastie off the trailer! Sounds like it went smooth as silk. :D Good for you. When you get caught up, I'll be looking forward to pics in its new home! Again, congrats! Just color me GREEN! :cool:

[Paul B. Cresti]

Bill,
Congrats on the new arrival (brings tears to my eyes) and welcome to the MM family. You will absolutely love the sliding carraige. Things that took time before will now be extremely easy, like very very very quickly edge joining a 8'-0" board (clamped to the slider). While processing panels it does take up a bit of room but like you noticed it is slightly higher than most benches (thank God for that in my shop). The other amazing thing is crosscutting solid stock, put away that miter saw 'cause you will never need it again (or want to use it for that matter)
Good luck with it and let me know if I can be of any help.

[Jim Becker]

John, the machine comes with a mobility kit which provides for two drop-down wheels on one end (outfeed side of the saw/shaper/jointer) and a heavy wheeled handle that you use for the "third wheel" on the opposite end when moving the machine. This is very similar to working with the Vega moble machinery mover base that I use with my lathe. It's quite surprising how easy it is to move this 1500 lb machine, even by someone of more, umm...diminuative dimensions. Michael was telling me about a show where an older, small, hunched over gentleman walked into the booth while he was talking to a customer about mobility. (The older guy was already a customer and owned the big combo machine) He said, "Hey, Fred", (or whatever the fellow's name was), "Show us how to move the machine. And he did.

[Christian Aufreiter]

The machine looks so impressive :cool: that saying it is sweet is an understatement.

Absolutely true, Frank. And just think, how NICE would this machine look in your shop? :D

Regards,

Christian

[Frank Pellow]

...
What is more, I was concerned about my floor, as it was poured by drunken sailors way back in 1943, and is not even smooth, much less flat. I was not sure the machine would sit flat. We rolled it in, set it down for optimal clearance all around, and lo and behold, it is flat as can be, with the bubble right in between the lines in all directions.
...
Bill
It sounds like the workshop gods are being really really good to you right now. :D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Sounds like a SWEET machine and a great delivery! :) .....by the way Bill go easy on drunken sailors or former drunken sailors! :rolleyes: :D

[Dave Avery]

Congratulations Bill..... you've waited a long time and I'm sure that the new machine will be worth the wait. Dave.

[Chris Padilla]

Pics??? :D :D (You knew that was coming)

[Jim Becker]

Pics??? :D :D (You knew that was coming)
Covered by surrogate... http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=13529

[Chris Padilla]

sorry, they must be in the thread in which the gloat is made. I don't make the rules, ya know! ;)

[Jim Becker]

sorry I don't make the rules, ya know!
Ahemm..............:cool:

[John Miliunas]

sorry, they must be in the thread in which the gloat is made. I don't make the rules, ya know! ;)

Oh fer cryin' out loud! It's not even the end of the month and he's trying to nail the innocent with citations! :eek: He qualified the "gloat" with his explanation of forthecoming pics because he's real busy! :) Fine. Just for that, you go to the END of his list for his video when it comes out! :D :cool:

[Bill Grumbine]

I see we have some pretty rough customers here. Don't worry Mr. Padilla, the pictures will be here. Good things come to those who wait. If I had to wait a year to get this saw, you can wait a day or two for a picture of it, eh? :D

Oh and John, we won't put him on the end of the list, we'll just send him a Beta version! :p

Bill

[Dan Stuewe]

Congrats Bill!

I got to touch (fondle) one at the Orange County WW show this weekend. It was kinda funny, the guy at the MiniMax booth spent more time trying to sell me the mini Legacy across the aisle!

It'll be some time before i can justify one, but boy would i like one in my one car garage shop!

God willing, some day i'll be able to meet you and see what all that euro machinery looks like in a Pennsylvanian Barn!

[John Miliunas]

Oh and John, we won't put him on the end of the list, we'll just send him a Beta version! :p

Bill

Bill, you're too kind! I was thinking more in terms of sending him just the out-takes! :D :) :cool:

[Halsey MCCombs]

Congratulations Bill I am sure you will put it to good use. Halsey