MM bandsaw owners...a question for you

[Jim O'Dell]

I received my E16 today. It is in great shape. Now, I know very little about bandsaws, but I have a question for you on something I found. The rack and pinion adjustment wheel is mounted on a shaft. The arm the quides are on has a 3 piece (I think) sliding cover that guards the blade above the guides. On the inside of the upper wheel housing, this sliding guard has 2 tabs that limit it's travel. One of the tabs hits the adjustment wheel shaft and impeeds the rack and pinion movement. I took a picture (attached) but not sure there is enough definition for you to see what I mean. If not I'll hook up the halogen light tomorrow and get a better shot. Do any of the other MM units have this problem? I guess specifically for Craig Zettle, did yours have this problem? and if so, what was the fix? It's a minor thing. I'll also ask Michael when I call him tomorrow, but it's a difficult thing to explain if there's not a picture to go with the words. And if the picture is no help, I'm wasting your time now!! Thanks for any insight you can give. Jim.

[Tim Morton]

I tried editing the picture for you to show more detail....

[Chris Rosenberger]

It looks like you could turn the tab a little to the left so it would miss the shaft.

[Craig Zettle]

My E16 has a 2 piece blade guard but it still functions the same. My tabs just clear the gear, and since this tab does nothing more than hits the bottom of the upper cabinet to allow further extension of the guard, I see no reason why you could not bent it a little. I had the bulk of my problems with the bracket holding the upper guide shaft (right in the area you are photographing.) If you would, could you lower the guide all the way and take a picture of the rack and pinion? I am curious as to how they changed it. If your guide is different from mine, they might have changed the entire layout. I'll TRY to post some pics, but my files are too big right now, so I will re take the pics at a lower setting and try again.

[Jim O'Dell]

Thanks, Tim. That did lighten it up.
Craig, I'll do that and post the pictures, either this evening, or in the morning. Jim.

[Greg Torok]

You guys are killing me - an E16 with saw dust on it.... mine will me here in a few days....

[Jim O'Dell]

Hey Greg, that's a picture of Craigs. Mine will have the cosmoline on if for another couple of months. The only saw dust that will hit mine til then is from cutting wood outside that drifts in. Heck, I don't even have electricity in the building yet!! Jim.

[Kurt Loup]

I'll be picking up mine at the shipping terminal after lunch. Jim, is the saw wired with plug? Did you receive the free blades? If I don't receive the blades, I won't be using it today, because I doubt there is anywhere in town for me to buy blades that will fit.

Kurt

[Jim O'Dell]

Kurt, both blades were there, but I am missing the mobility kit. Will talk to Michael when I'm home at lunch about that. No there is no plug on the wire. The wire is about 5" long, so should be sufficient for most cases.
Craig, in your latest picture, you have an orange loop haning off the little black stud that sticks out of the back bone of the saw. What is this stud for? Just a spot to hang something? Or is there a purpose on the saw. I didn't see anything in the owner's manual about it. By the way, I got 2 cosmoline soaked copies of the manual!! Guess I'll keep one at the shop, and one in the office in the house. Jim

[Jim O'Dell]

Craig, one more question. The tension guage on top of the saw, there is a slot like there is supposed to be a needle that shows through that moves to the different pictures of the blade sizes. Is this true?? Mine has no needle, and again no mention of how it works in the owner's manual, at least none that I saw. THANKS! Jim

[Ted Shrader]

Jim -

I have a second generation MM16 and the blade guard does not impact anything. You will have good luck calling MiniMax for help. I had a small problem with the euroguides and they fixed me right up. Even called afterwards to see if the fix was satisfactory. MiniMax's customer service is top notch.

Ted

[Craig Zettle]

I put that stud there to hang the push stick. (the orange thing hanging on the lower spine of the saw).Now about that tension gauge...
What it is , is a piece of metal bent like an "L" on its side. As you wind more tension on the upper wheel the "L" lowers itself in to the slot you were refering to. The graph printed on the "L" is supposed to tell you what thickness of blade corresponds to the tension you have wound on to the wheel. (with 1" being at the top of the graph, and 1\4" at the bottom).
What all that means is your guage is not broken, and also that it is absolutely, completely worthless. I am of short stature (ha ha) and I can't even read mine unless I stand on a stool. But I really haven't needed to either. You generally can tell if you have enough tension on your blade by just looking at the blade and the cut it is making. i run both high and low tension blades on this saw with no problems at all.

[Russ Massery]

Were does the E-16 fall in the mini max line up? there seems to be no info at there web site. price, features,etc............

[Craig Zettle]

Russ,

The E16 was a prototype the beginning of 2005 as Minimax was not sure they would run with it. Thanks to the interest of the maniacs on this website MM decided to sell off a new batch of them at 995 intro price, but when they do post the machine on their web site it will more than likely be higher priced. (I hope not for a while though, to get more in our hands).
It will fall at the very bottom of the minimax lineup, as they no longer market a 14" saw. I seriously can't see them staying with the S16, because these 2 saws are very close in specs.

[Jim O'Dell]

I agree that the S16 is proobably on it's way out. Which one is better between the E and the S? Who knows. They are very similar, although as reported, the S is about 30# heavier. The shipping weight of mine was 350, and it was missing the mobility kit, so the 300# figure is probably pretty accurate. If nothing else, the change, if that is what happens, from the S16 to the E16 gets all their manufacturing in one plant, and that may be the biggest push in changing. Jim.

[Kurt Loup]

I picked up my E16 this afternoon and made a couple test cuts. It easily resawed a piece of 11" red oak I had laying around. That's the main reason that I purchased the saw, so I am happy with that. However, I did run into some obvious problems. One, my fence was bowed along the length and the fence's locking knob renders the fence inoperable. It is in the way of any stock that is fed against the fence as the knob protrudes above the table. Can't believe no one caught that. Two, the table has a .013 hollow in the center. I sent an email regarding the above to my salesman. Another minus for the saw is that fact that the table has a tiny miter slot and the miter gauge is usless. The bar has too much slop and I was unable to tighten the gauge tight enough to prevent the angle setting from slipping. Don't expect to use your other miter gauges on this saw because it won't fit. The mobility kit wasn't included, but will be sent. A manual wasn't included, but my salesman quickly emailed a PDF copy to me when I called. By the way, I called prior to noticing the fence and table issues. Attached are a couple pictures I have taken.

Kurt

http://www.loup-garou.net/sitebuilder/images/accessories-577x415.jpg

Accessories received with the saw. The mobility kit wasn't shipped.

http://www.loup-garou.net/sitebuilder/images/fence-578x444.jpg

Fence tightening knob is in the way.

http://www.loup-garou.net/sitebuilder/images/miter-498x413.jpg

http://www.loup-garou.net/images/resaw.jpg

I cut this 11" piece vertically using my router fence clamped to the table.

http://www.loup-garou.net/sitebuilder/images/saw-449x581.jpg

[Jim O'Dell]

Yep, you're right. It probably needs to be a lever handle. My shop is too dark to see for sure, is the knob attached to the threaded rod by a set screw? or just threaded onto the rod? If the latter, a piece of threaded rod with a lever attached by a set screw so that it points down, or away from the table when tight would be the easy answer. Probably easy to make, too should one have to.
Thanks for the update Kurt. Disregard the PM I sent you about 10 minutes ago...you just answered my question!! Jim.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Kurt, My MM16 which has the same fence has a lever that after tightening moves out of the way. You just pull up on it and move it like the ones on a lathe if you've seen them. For a temporary fix would one of the knobs on your miter guage work? That looks like a great saw, an almost spittin' image of mine. Have fun and a big congrats to you. Alan

[Kurt Loup]

Thanks Alan. The issue with the fence knob is simple enough to fix. Rather than adding another knob, I plan to add a taller auxillary fence to it. That will move the face away from the knob. The fence bows away from the blade once it is about even with the blade. A shimmed auxillary fence may solve that problem too. The fence is perfectly perpendicular to the table and does not lift up, so in that respect it is ok.

I have a question for you. Does the MM16 have a standard miter slot like a tablesaw? I'm curious. I use my bandsaw to cut shoulders on tenons and I am worried that the shallow, undersized slot on my saw will be a pain to use.

Kurt

[Jim Andrew]

When I received my new MM16 back in February, the sliding guard was jammed
and had to be taken off and freed up. That new model looks almost exactly
like mine except for the wheels. The webs are almost solid with just some
small holes, and the webs are about 1/2 " thick. The salesman Carl Hultquist
said I could run that saw 2 shifts and expect to get 30 years out of it. Don't
know if anybody really needs a hobby saw quite that good. But the thing
runs like a dream, so I'm not really sorry I spent the money. By the way it was
2495 incl freight,3 blades and a lenux resaw balde, and cool blocks. I got the
'04 model, 14" resaw capacity. Jim

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Thanks Alan. The issue with the fence knob is simple enough to fix. Rather than adding another knob, I plan to add a taller auxillary fence to it. That will move the face away from the knob. The fence bows away from the blade once it is about even with the blade. A shimmed auxillary fence may solve that problem too. The fence is perfectly perpendicular to the table and does not lift up, so in that respect it is ok.

I have a question for you. Does the MM16 have a standard miter slot like a tablesaw? I'm curious. I use my bandsaw to cut shoulders on tenons and I am worried that the shallow, undersized slot on my saw will be a pain to use.

Kurt

Kurt, What do you mean by, "the fence bows away from the blade"? Are you talking about the need to adjust the fence to the lead of the blade? If that's it, there's a nut on top of the fence for this.

I only use my miter slot for my bench dog feather boards and I think they're standard size. The supplied miter guage fits in it. Have you fired up that baby yet? Alan

[Jim O'Dell]

I think the miter slot is the same width as a standard slot, it's just shallow, like 1/8" or so (or the metric equavalent of it). ;-)) Therefore an aftermarket miter that is more accurate, will wobble if used in this slot. I think that was why the question about the MM16 table slot, correct me if I'm wrong, Kurt.
It's killing me working in the same room as my E16, and slaving away assembling this torsion box door. I'm working on the floor, and with my knees, I have to get up pretty often and walk around.. AND THERE IT IS STARING AT ME! Jim.

[Tim Morton]

I think the miter slot is the same width as a standard slot, it's just shallow, like 1/8" or so (or the metric equavalent of it). ;-)) Therefore an aftermarket miter that is more accurate, will wobble if used in this slot. I think that was why the question about the MM16 table slot, correct me if I'm wrong, Kurt.
It's killing me working in the same room as my E16, and slaving away assembling this torsion box door. I'm working on the floor, and with my knees, I have to get up pretty often and walk around.. AND THERE IT IS STARING AT ME! Jim.

Its saying Jiiiiiiiiiiiiimy....come play eith me!!!!!:D:D

[Jim O'Dell]

Tim, you got that right1!
Hey, Kurt. Where were your leveling bolts? Were they with the mobility kit? I can't find any with my stuff. And I see from your picture, I didn't get my push stick. And it's such a pretty orange. I'm not going to worry them about the stick, tho.
Got to go load the van. Have to be in OKC at 8:30 in the morning. 3 to 4 hour trip to get there. Check you all tomorrow night. Jim

[tony roth]

what kind of motor does this machine come with? hp/phase? will they still sell them at that price? thx. tony.

[Kurt Loup]

Tony, Allen and Jim,

I got up to go fishing at 2:30 am and just got in, so I haven't had another chance to play around with the saw. The E16 miter slot is approximately 3/16" deep x 7/16" wide. Not even close to being compatible with aftermarket miter gauges or my OEM gauges for my tablesaw and my Jet tablesaw. My Jet bandsaw and my table saw have the 3/4" x 3/8" slot. I wanted to know if the MM16 has the 3/4" x 3/8" slot. The fence is not flat along the face if you hold a straight edge against it. I have it adjusted square to the front edge of the table (haven't tested for drift). The first half of the fence is flat then it bows away at the rear starting approximately even with the blade. As is, I don't think you can rip with it. The face is square to the table though. The motor is an Italian made 2.5 hp single phase. My understanding is that the price has now increased. Not sure to what price. I called my salesman about the mobility kit and asked about the leveling feet since the base appears to be threaded for them. He says they are not included. He recommended wooden wedges to level the saw. I think I wrote down the size thread that he though they were, but I can't find it. It may be in the garage. I have another question regarding thrust bearing adjustments. The manual states that the thrust wheel should be adjusted to a "distance of 3-4 mm" away from the back of the blade. Is this correct? By the way, the saw does have a stud below the power switch, which I assume is to hang the push stick. Since the fence knob is in the way, I didn't try ripping any wood. I did clamp my tall router fence to the table so that I could try it out resawing some oak. I had a piece of oak 11" long that I stood on end. The saw didn't slow down resawing through 11". The only adjustments I made to the saw for the cut was adjusting the blade guides. I need to do some more tweaking tomorrow.

Kurt

[Jim Becker]

I wanted to know if the MM16 has the 3/4" x 3/8" slot.

Yes. I use the miter guage from my previous Jet 14" saw on my MM16.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Kurt, It sounds like you may need a new fence. It depends on how much "out" it is but it should be flat. 3-4 mm for the thrust bearing adjustment! No way! It would be useless then. It's more in the .00X" range. I adjust mine so it's almost touching the back of the blade. Ideally the bearing shouldn't turn until you start cutting. Just make sure you take the slop out of it when you adjust it. Alan

[Craig Zettle]

Kurt,

I saw you are having a vibration problem . Did you get an answer from Minimax? I looked my E16 over and checked all the usual places vibration could occur. Generally, the drive belt from motor to wheel would be where motor vibration would be absorbed. I do not have a vibration problem, but am still thinking about putting a link belt on, because I put three link belts on my Delta cabinet saw and I think it did help it pass the nickel test. If the cast wheels are tight, no slack in the belt, and your motor is running smooth, I don't know where else to look.

Let us know what you come up with.

Craig

[Kurt Loup]

Craig,

I spoke with one of the Mini Max tech guys today. He thinks it is in the top wheel and he is checking on the availability of a replacement. Tonight, I played around with it some more and I'm not sure that is it. I don't have much vibration when the saw is run without a blade, so that leaves a wheel, tracking or coplaner problem. I took the belt off of the lower wheel and discovered some play in the bearing. There's not much, but it is there. I suspect that it is magnified when there is a blade under tension on the saw. At least that is my theory. I played around with trying to determine if the wheels are balanced. Spinning the wheel about 10 times resulted in the wheel stopping at the bottom in approximately 2/3 of the circumference of both wheels. I guess that means about 1/3 of the wheel is a little light. I'm not sure of the significance of that.

Kurt