Mini Max Combo Pictures for Pic Police!

[Bill Grumbine]

Good afternoon all

After spending all last week looking at my new combo machine while I turned turned turned for an art show, and most of this week catching up on some other stuff, I am at last getting to spend some time with this machine. As is usual, I am running fast playing catch up, and I am cutting blanks for a production turning job I do. So, I have not had time to dial the machine in, and for the few cuts I am making, I am just lining things up with a square. Once this job is behind me I will have a few days to get the machine uhh, squared away shall we say. I can also get the DC hooked up to it.

<img src="http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/minimax01.jpg">

Here is a shot of one of my very first cuts. It seems like whenever I buy a new machine, I manage to find a way to max it out right away. This board is a slab of poplar for beer tap handles. It is larger than I usually buy. I have to pay a premium for wider boards, and since the wood is always cut to 2 1/2" square, I usualy buy the skinny stuff, but this is what they had. Anyway, this board is a little over 8' long, and a little over 12" wide, and of course, 2 1/2" thick. I have it set up to trim off the end where it is cracked a bit. It is just sitting there. I could do this on my old sliding table, but it would have required a lot more armstrong effort to hold it in place, and most likely I would have cut it into shorter pieces so as to handle it more safely.

<img src="http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/minimax02.jpg">

Here is a close up shot. You can't see it, but the large fence is behind it. This fence telescopes out to 10' 5" long!

<img src="http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/minimax03.jpg">

Here the end has been trimmed, and I am setting it up for a straight line rip. The sliding table is a hair over 8 1/2 feet long. I have the board set between the shoe and the hold down. I am not so sure about this shoe thing, I am going to have to spend some time with it to see if I really like it. I would have been happier with two hold downs, one at each end.

<img src="http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/minimax04.jpg">

Here we have it after passing it through the saw, just by pushing on the slider. No brute force was required, no hanging onto the board to keep it from tipping off the outfeed end, just push it through and turn it of after it is done. If you look closely, you may be able to see the end of the sliver I sliced off the edge. I now have a straight edge to square the end to and start cutting the handles to length.

<img src="http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/minimax05.jpg">

Here is a shot of the machine sitting in its spot in the shop. For about 99% of my work, it is just fine where it is. For the rest, it will be a fairly simple matter to move it, since it is on wheels. My floor is very rough though, and while it sits level where it is, it can be an adventure moving it around, as there are dips deep enough to cause the feet to hit the floor, even with the wheels down.

There is going to be a lot to do to get it up to speed, and there are going to be ways of working that will have to be unlearned or relearned, but every indication is that this is going to be a real nice way to work.

Thanks for taking a look.

Bill

[Donnie Raines]

I see a little dust on the table saw....was that the "lets test her out" cut??... :D

looks nice....so how do you move around that shop?.. :rolleyes:

[Rich Konopka]

Bill, Nice addition to the Fleet. Shall we call you Admiral? I can't wait to hear more about them Beer Keg Handles :).

Cheers

[Dave Right]

WOW Bill ! That is a SUPER GLOAT Very nice! :D

[Michael Stafford]

Hoo, boy, that is one nice looking piece of equipment! Enjoy and be safe!

[Byron Trantham]

Geesh Bill, that thing looks like it needs it's own power panel! :D

[Ted Shrader]

Bill -

Congratulations. Looks like a fine piece of engineering. Sounds as if you are very satisfied with your purchase so far. Even more so once you get it tweaked to your satisfcation..

Regards,

Ted

[Brian Buckley]

Bill,

I have one comeing my way the end of Dec. or first of Jan. I also will have alot to learn. I hope you will not mind me leaning on you for advice.

Brian

[Kent Cori]

Bill,

Beuatiful machine and I know you'll put it to good use. I would buy one but with the fence only telescoping to a measly 10' 5" long, it doen't meet my 10' 6" minimum. ;)

You definitely need to keep us informed of your progress and how you love the machine. Color us green with envy! :D

[Mark Singer]

Super Bill, Use it well!

[Pete Rosenbohm]

Bill is that a crosscut blade on the saw or a combo, i notice you used it for the rip. :D:D

[Steve Jenkins]

Bill looks great and you're right about having to learn a different way of doing some things.
I think you will like the ripping shoe once you get used to it. The board you are cutting looks like it is too thick for the shoe to work right. the end of the board should be below the tip of the shoe so you can force it forward and it will be held down.I've found on big stuff I don't use it. I just set the stop on the crosscut fence. If you need it you might chamfer the end of the board a bit with a plane.
Enjoy enjoy

[Terry Quiram]

Congratulations Bill. Thats a fine looking machine. I have wanted a combo machine for a very long time, but can't justify the cost. I know I could free up a lot of floor space.

Terry

[Paul B. Cresti]

Bill,
I am glad to see it in use finally! That sliding carriage will proove to be a Godsend.

Yes, you are correct you will have to relearn the way you work a bit, but you will be working safer and more accurately. I would suggest getting at least one more eccentric clamp. They come in real handy especially when using the shaper. Even though I have separate machines and different motors I am positive that the 4.8hp motor, in the shaper you have, develops an awful lot of torque. If you are not careful and do not have the piece clamped securely it can get pulled into the shaper hood (in tenoning mode). The extra clamp also is real useful for doing things like you showed for small pieces (narrow). The shoe is ment for thinner boards. The metal flange acts like a spring hold down.

[Bruce Page]

WOW!

Awesome machine Bill, I would love to see it in action!

[John Weber]

Bill,

Congrats! I'm sure it will be put to good use.

Take Care - John

[Fred Chan]

Wow! What an awesome saw! Truly a great gloat.:) I think I could squeeze one of those into my shop but I'd have to thow out half my tools and operate it from outside the door.:p

[Chris Padilla]

Ah, very nice, Bill! :) We, the pic police, are satisfied! :D

[John Renzetti]

Hi Bill, Congrats on the new arrival. There is a learning curve in using a slider and also a combo but once you get the hang of it you'll be working fine. Let me know if you needs some tips on dialing it in.
take care,
John

[Dominic Greco]

Bill,
Glad to see you got it up and running in such short order. By the looks of things, this baby will pay for itself in no time flat.

BTW, I see what you mean when you said this tool actually freed up space in your shop. Looks like you could park a car in there now!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I've seen jointers referred to as "aircraft carriers" on this forum....THAT IS AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER! For working with large pieces of material it should reduce the labor and increase safety! Excellent!

[Bill Grumbine]

Good morning everyone

Thanks for the kind words and comments. This has been the biggest purchase I have ever made not counting cars and houses. It has also had some trickle down benefits as well. When I went to SWMBO to talk about buying a Mini Max copy lathe, her response was "Well, it's only $3500, so I guess we can afford it." She went on to say that buying this thing must have softened her up some, since she was able to even utter that phrase! The copy lathe is not here yet, although it was supposed to be. I am actually buying a used one now, since MM did not have the machine as my rep told me. However, the company took good care of me in helping me to obtain the used machine, and I am saving a bunch of money in the end.

So Donnie, that answers your question as to how do I move around - it is easy for now, but by tomorrow afternoon, there will be one more machine crammed in there!

Rich, I have been turning those handles for years, and I think I have made over 750 by now. From time to time one of them will be sitting in the background when I take a picture in the shop, which always leads people to wonder if I am swilling down brews while using dangerous equipment! :eek:

<img src="http://www.enter.net/~ultradad/bgbeertap.jpg">

Byron, it is big and it has three motors, but right now it is using the same plug as the lathe. I figure I can't do both at the same time, so I am okay for now. I have a 200 amp service to the shop, and a buddy who is an electrician. I have done all my wiring up to this point, but he can do it faster and neater, and I am trading him wiring for turning lessons. Soon it will be on its own wire, which is only a 30 amp 220 circuit.

Brian, I don't mind answering questions as long as you don't mind being taught be a novice! :D

Pete, it is supposed to be a combo blade, but I never even thought to look. I have used combo blades exclsively for so long on my past two table saws that it never occured to me to look. I had asked for a combo blade, and judging by the cut that is what I got. It was a good cut, but not as good as my Forrest WW II cuts. Then again, I still have some tweaking to do.

Steve, I thought about the board being too thick for the shoe. Like I said, I always seem to find a way to max my machines out right away. Ripping and cross cutting the board into smaller pieces was a real treat with that slider. Just clamp the wood down and push. No worries about being in the trajectory of a kickback, and really no worries of a kickback with that riving knife behind the blade.

Fred, I DID get rid of half my tools, or at least I am trying. The unisaw with its big table went, the Rockwell 8" jointer went, and now I am working on my planer and router table. ;)

John, I may be in touch with you on that. Perhaps one of these days when both you and Catherine are actually home at the same time we can get you up here for dinner.

Dominic, all of that space is partly an illusion, since we moved out a lot of wood to the barn for the artist's tour. Just think of all the turning blanks I can pile around the lathe now! :p

Thanks to everyone who took time to respond, and I think it is safe to say that you all will be seeing some finished products soon. I have one that I started working on this summer which is going to be a display piece for shows, and which got hung up for a while because of paying customers. And of course, I need to build some storage for the shop too, as there are lots of parts that come off this thing for various functions.

Bill

[Wes Newman]

I only aspire to one day have one of those.
Have fun and stay safe.:D

[Jim Becker]

'Lookin' great in that shop, Bill!! I can't wait to see the "treats" you make with it!

[Brad Schmid]

Bill,
Wow, the capacity and efficiency of that machine is amazing. With this new machine, the DVD, and a copy lathe all coming together at once... well... I know if it were me, I wouldn't be able to sleep for a month :D
Cheers,
Brad

[Jason Tuinstra]

Bill, great looking setup you have there. I'm sure this machine will save you a great deal of time. I'm curious to hear more about this after you get everything set up. For example, once you get everything squared away, does it stay that way when you change from table saw to jointer back to table saw. In other words, will everything stay squared away once you dial it in? Just curious. Thanks for the reveiw.

[Dan Stuewe]

Fred, I DID get rid of half my tools, or at least I am trying. The unisaw with its big table went, the Rockwell 8" jointer went, and now I am working on my planer and router table. ;)

Bill

Bill, the one piece of equipment that I'm not sure a combo replaces is the router table. I'm pretty sure that the MM comes with a router adapter for the shaper, but the shaper still only spins at 9K RPM (I think). Do you think that will be okay for cuts usually done on a router table?

BTW, the machine looks great. I'm with Wes, someday I aspire to this type of machine!

[Dan Mages]

That is a nice piece of equipment. However, I do not see a blade guard. Does it come with one?

Dan

[Alan Turner]

Bill,
I need to weigh in with a big congrats Wonderful machine, and use it well and safely.
Alan

[Jim Becker]

That is a nice piece of equipment. However, I do not see a blade guard. Does it come with one?
There is a blade guard that attaches to the top of the riving knife for times when you want to use one. It also has a dust collection port on it. The riving knife is always on the machine; unlike "US style saws" where you need to remove the splitter for a non-through cut, the riving knive follows the blade up and down and can be set just a hair below the top of the blade to avoid interference with the material.

[Robert Ducharme]

Lookin good!!!!!

[Jerry Olexa]

WOW...We are not worthy...Great tool and great pics. Thanks, Humbly, Jerry

[Bill Grumbine]

For some reason I stopped getting notices that anyone had contributed to this thread, and I ran across it by accident while searching for something else!


Bill,
Wow, the capacity and efficiency of that machine is amazing. With this new machine, the DVD, and a copy lathe all coming together at once... well... I know if it were me, I wouldn't be able to sleep for a month :D
Cheers,
Brad

Brad, getting to sleep is easy with all that is going on around here. All I need to do is go from vertical to horizontal. If I wake up though, I have a bad habit of starting to think about things, and that makes for some long nights!:eek:


Bill, great looking setup you have there. I'm sure this machine will save you a great deal of time. I'm curious to hear more about this after you get everything set up. For example, once you get everything squared away, does it stay that way when you change from table saw to jointer back to table saw. In other words, will everything stay squared away once you dial it in? Just curious. Thanks for the reveiw.

Jason, from what I am reading, once the thing is zeroed in, it should stay that way for a very long time. Of course, some parts will need to be checked more often than others, but even so, it looks to be very well made and capable of holding its settings. I will learn more on that as I go though.

Dan, I have the router spindle for the shaper, and while I know it is slow for its size, I have other options. There is always the router in the Legacy, and if I need to build a table again, it will take my PC spindle sander as well, which the Jessem will not do. I would like to make the space in the shop as big as possible, but no one is biting on it yet.

Dan (the other Dan), it does come with a blade guard. This thing has more safety devices on it than the space shuttle! I had to call the distributor in TX to figure out how to turn it on! Dust collection is also integral to its design.

Thanks guys for the comments!

Bill

[Chris Padilla]

Have fun, Bill...might be able to carve some nice bird on it, too! ;)

[Paul B. Cresti]

Bill,
I have the router spindle for my shaper also. Do not let the speed fool you. I get absolutely no burn on it using my 1/2" bits. The router spindle has saved my hide on more then one occasion already.

[Tyler Howell]

I think Sweet William is Big Bad Bill now! Very nice!

So what are turned handles of that size for anyway:confused: