Purchased T3 MiniMax Sliding Shaper

[Rich Riddle]

I have been acting indecisive regarding a router table purchase mostly due to cost. While reading the router table advertisements on various forums, a Mini Max T3 Sliding Shaper in good condition kept popping up for quite some time. It has a quiet and smooth-running 4 HP motor. I own a Mini Max FS35 jointer/planer and it works quite well, so I thought this might be a viable option to placate the current router table obsession. Hopefully, this Mini Max Shaper will live up to the jointer/planer quality.

The T3 price kept getting lower and lower, and today it followed my truck home. It wasn't a "you suck" price, but it was half the price of any of the router tables I was considering (Incra and Woodpecker). After a quick cleaning it looks much better. It's bewildering to contemplate why folks feel the need to speckle paint on all their tools.

Does anyone know how the sliding portion gets attached to the table? This tools is light/dark green in color as compared to my very yellow jointer/planer. Does the color scheme indicate vintage? Any other information you might know would be appreciated.

254424254425254426

[Michael W. Clark]

You turkey! I was going to pick that one up tomorrow morning but it got sold out from under me!
that looked like a good deal. You suck!:)

I think it came with some cutters too. Were they in good shape too?
Mike

[david brum]

I'm pretty sure that getting a European shaper for half of the price of a router table actually does qualify as a "you suck". Congratulations.

[Jim Andrew]

As many good purchases you have been making, I'd be concerned your wife might just go out and buy herself a Yukon.

[Rich Riddle]

You turkey! I was going to pick that one up tomorrow morning but it got sold out from under me!
that looked like a good deal. You suck!:)

I think it came with some cutters too. Were they in good shape too?
Mike
Mike,

Sorry about that. He did mention another person had contacted him concerning it, but with Craigslist sellers one never knows if it's just an incentive to get someone to purchase an item and make it sound like a desired commodity. Don't think of it like you lost a tool, just think of it like you didn't have to pay the $50 to purchase a tool.

The sliding aspect makes it a good deal. It's in good shape having been stored for quite some time, but not excellent shape like I maintain tools. The cutters are in good shape as well. Now comes the process of hunting down manuals for it. I will keep you in mind if it doesn't make it past the probationary period. It's a lot closer to you than where it was located in Columbus. Getting to his house was like going to grandmother's, over the hill, through the woods, and fifty turns down curving avenues.

[Rich Riddle]

As many good purchases you have been making, I'd be concerned your wife might just go out and buy herself a Yukon.

Yukon, no. I did travel to Maryland and pick up her new Volvo S60 T6. Does that count?

Well I have been contemplating making purchases lately but not made them. I did "trade" a Jet 8" jointer with Shelix head and a Foley Belsaw 985 planer for a Mini Max FS35 and a wooden jewelry box made by a Creeker and fellow woodworking club member. My wife rather enjoyed that exchange.

[Peter Quinn]

Now comes the process of hunting down manuals for it.


That part will be easy. The manual is on the Minimax web site, there is a pull down near the right labeled "Minimax info", under it is a heading " out of print manuals", yours is there. Also on parts pronto IIR. Congrats, I'm a t-40 owner, nice machines those Minimax shapers. Way more than a router table, a feeder makes a nice accessory. Enjoy and be safe.

Peter

[Michael W. Clark]

Congratulations on it Rich! If you have trouble getting the manual, PM me I have it downloaded.
Mike

[Bob Falk]

I bought a used T3 about 5 years ago and it is a great shaper....quiet and smooth running....a real upgrade from my old Delta. The sliding table is a great feature. IMO, if you paid $1000 or less, you got a good deal. A power feeder would be a great addition. bob

[David Kumm]

I bought a used T3 about 5 years ago and it is a great shaper....quiet and smooth running....a real upgrade from my old Delta. The sliding table is a great feature. IMO, if you paid $1000 or less, you got a good deal. A power feeder would be a great addition. bob

How would you mount a feeder so as to not interfere with the sliding table? Dave

[Erik Loza]

Nice find, Rich. 80's vintage, I believe. The sliding table rails appear to be mounted on the wrong side of the machine. They should be on the front, not the back. Can you flip them around? That sliding table is the iron "platform"-type and somewhat "rests" on the round steel guide bars with a set of bearing wheels. I searched my server for a photo of your machine, set up, but could not find one unfortunately. If you wanted to mount a power feeder on that guy, I would do it upper-left (if standing in front of the spindle) quadrant, in the area behind the shaper outfeed fence. Just drill some through-holes in the cast iron top and mount the feeder base with bolts and Nylock nuts.

Let me know if I can help you with any other questions on it.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Jeff Monson]

Don't think of it like you lost a tool, just think of it like you didn't have to pay the $50 to purchase a tool.


Please tell me you paid more than $50 for this shaper!! Whatever the case, congrats on a nice machine. BTW if you did pay that amount, you definately, most certainly SUCK!

[Peter Quinn]

Nice find, Rich. 80's vintage, I believe. The sliding table rails appear to be mounted on the wrong side of the machine. They should be on the front, not the back. Can you flip them around?
Let me know if I can help you with any other questions on it.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA


Not to question you Erik, but are you sure of this? I've never seen a T-3 in person, but there is a pretty close asian knock off out there on the market I examined, I'd venture to say they copied it. And with that one there is no choice of where to put the sliding carriage. The table has iron ribbing which is machined flat and parallel to mate with the sliders brackets, and there are stepped through holes in the table, but only on the back side, the "miter slot" side has no mounting option. The photos are not entirely clear, but it sort of looks like thats the case with the T-3 also. My 90's era t-40 manual shows a very similar sliding carriage option, but it is mounted on the front, no rear mounting option or accommodation. I used those mounting points to mount an old slider from an SCMI TS. My thinking is he may have no choice of where to put the slider? Which would complicate the attachment of a feeder. Just a thought, in case Rich tries to move the slider and can't find any attachment points. Any chance of a clear photo in plan view of the top?

[Erik Loza]

Peter, I was actually googling images of the T3, since it has been so long since I have actually seen one in person, and did find opne pic of the slider mounted on the back side like Rich's appears to be. But there were lots of other images of the same vintage machine where it was mounted on the front, which is where I have always seen it in the past.

I wonder if Rich can post up some photos of the underside of the cast iron table and how those guide bars are bolted on? That would pretty much solve it.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Rich Riddle]

Peter, I was actually googling images of the T3, since it has been so long since I have actually seen one in person, and did find opne pic of the slider mounted on the back side like Rich's appears to be. But there were lots of other images of the same vintage machine where it was mounted on the front, which is where I have always seen it in the past.

I wonder if Rich can post up some photos of the underside of the cast iron table and how those guide bars are bolted on? That would pretty much solve it.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

I will post pictures later tonight after working on the master bathroom. You folks have a good day.

[Bob Falk]

Not to question you Erik, but are you sure of this? I've never seen a T-3 in person, but there is a pretty close asian knock off out there on the market I examined, I'd venture to say they copied it. And with that one there is no choice of where to put the sliding carriage. The table has iron ribbing which is machined flat and parallel to mate with the sliders brackets, and there are stepped through holes in the table, but only on the back side, the "miter slot" side has no mounting option. The photos are not entirely clear, but it sort of looks like thats the case with the T-3 also. My 90's era t-40 manual shows a very similar sliding carriage option, but it is mounted on the front, no rear mounting option or accommodation. I used those mounting points to mount an old slider from an SCMI TS. My thinking is he may have no choice of where to put the slider? Which would complicate the attachment of a feeder. Just a thought, in case Rich tries to move the slider and can't find any attachment points. Any chance of a clear photo in plan view of the top?

I just looked at my T3 (its the mustard yellow one, so perhaps a bit older (80's?) but looks exactly the same and it has the rail for the sliding table in the same position as in Rich's photos, so I think his mounting is correct. If facing the sliding table side of the shaper, I mounted my feeder in the upper left corner. This covers one end of the miter slot, but I don't really need to use a miter gauge (dangerous!) with the sliding table, so that wasn't a factor for me. I have a Steff 3038 feeder...it has enough reach and height adjustment to swing over the fence and feed on the sliding table side of the shaper. Make sure you get a feeder with a long enough reach....mine is fine, but I don't know about other brands.

Bob

[Peter Quinn]

I just looked at my T3 (its the mustard yellow one, so perhaps a bit older (80's?) but looks exactly the same and it has the rail for the sliding table in the same position as in Rich's photos, so I think his mounting is correct. If facing the sliding table side of the shaper, I mounted my feeder in the upper left corner. This covers one end of the miter slot, but I don't really need to use a miter gauge (dangerous!) with the sliding table, so that wasn't a factor for me. I have a Steff 3038 feeder...it has enough reach and height adjustment to swing over the fence and feed on the sliding table side of the shaper. Make sure you get a feeder with a long enough reach....mine is fine, but I don't know about other brands.

Bob


Hmmm, curious. Seems they have a few different designs out there. Some front, some back. My t-40 which I'm guessing was sort of the replacement in terms of line up for the T3, mounts the slider on the front, the miter gauge slot is on that same side, as are all the electrical controls. The manual shows a table top available with no slot at all! I wonder if there is a way to mount the feeder on a mending plate that would allow the use of the miter slot? I don't use a miter gauge but the slot is a nice way to pass small cabinet parts in a shop made sled past the cutter safely. On my sliding table the distance between the cutters arc and the edge of the table makes it difficult to clamp small rails with the eccentric for coping. But I don't have a tenoning plate as my slider came from a TS. Perhaps if you have the plate this can act as a clamping surface? I'm having trouble envisioning how that would work.

[J.R. Rutter]

Are there table holes tapped towards the front that would allow you to flip the fence around to face the back side? I never liked doing cuts that had the infeed fence set differently than the outfeed. In fact, I have jointed wooden faces assembled to the fence to make sure that they were in the same plane. That way, you can re-zero the fence position with a set of templates that fit in the miter slot: butt the fence up against them and tighten it down.

If you decide to keep the slider part on the "back" side of the shaper, I would mount the feeder in the back right corner (infeed side of the front fence). I have a T130 set up like that and the coping sled does not contact the feeder base.

[David Nelson1]

I don't get the slider in the rear configuration, but the joy of that is I don't have to. That's giving me a head ache trying to vision it. Anyway very nice grab and yes you do SUCK

[Larry Edgerton]

Are there table holes tapped towards the front that would allow you to flip the fence around to face the back side
If you decide to keep the slider part on the "back" side of the shaper, I would mount the feeder in the back right corner (infeed side of the front fence). I have a T130 set up like that and the coping sled does not contact the feeder base.

I have a T3 and mine has two sets of tapped holes for the fence so it can be used just as JR. has mentioned. I tapped two sets of holes for the feeder. With an air ratchet it is a one minute job to move the base, and I seldom use the slider on this machine anyway.

[Rich Riddle]

Here are the promised photographs. Surprisingly, the track for the slider is attached through the top of the machine, not from hardware placed under it. If anyone knows what the holes on the miter slot side of the top perform, please write back. 255104255105

[Erik Loza]

Rich, those two "other" holes near the mitre slot are either for indexing a hood or possibly, some of the internal shaper unit components are bolted through them from underneath.

Are there corresponding holes like how the guide bar is mounted, on the front side of the cast iron table?

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Rich Riddle]

Rich, those two "other" holes near the mitre slot are either for indexing a hood or possibly, some of the internal shaper unit components are bolted through them from underneath.

Are there corresponding holes like how the guide bar is mounted, on the front side of the cast iron table?

Erik Loza
Minimax USA
Erik,

Thanks, that's a fast response.

[Rich Riddle]

The shaper came with a mystery part. Do any of you know what this part does for the shaper? Thanks.

255146255148

[J.R. Rutter]

Does it fit onto the tenoning table to support parts right up to the cutterhead? Normally, it would ride 1-2 mm above the main shaper table.

[Michael W. Clark]

Rich,
I think that is a tennoning plate.
Check this recent thread starting around post #8.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?198237-Sliding-Table-Shapers

Mike

Edit, Actually post #3 has pictures with it in use.

[Erik Loza]

Correct, that's a tenoning plate.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA