Minimax FS30 with mortising attachment

[Prashun Patel]

I have an opportunity to pick up this unit used. What's a fair price for this machine in decent shape? Seller is asking $2950.

Any current owners of this machine:

how large is the footprint?
Are you happy with the mortiser?
How quick/easy is changeover between J&P?

[Jim Becker]

If it's in good condition, that sounds like a steal!

While I have an earlier version (FS350 from when they closed it out to bring out the FS30), the changeover is very quick. I don't have the mortiser because for my unit, it mounted to the back and that just didn't work in my shop. But I have used the mortiser on a friend's FS450 and it kicks tushie. Footprint for the FS30 is very reasonable...and much more convenient than a separate wide jointer and wide planer of equivalent capacities.

[Prashun Patel]

Hi Jim! Thanks. What's the changeover like?

[Chris Merriam]

1. Loosen fence, slide it all the way towards you, tighten it down. 10 seconds
2. Unlock and lift both tables. 10 seconds
3. Flip over dust chute and attach hose. 7 seconds
4. Crank table up to desired height. You start at 6 inches and crank as far as you need. Maybe 20 seconds.

It's not a bad process, doesn't bug me, just another work step now.

[Loren Woirhaye]

I think 2k would be a fair price with the mortiser.

I had a Robland for awhile. Not as nice a machine, but basically similar. Sold it for $1200 and I've seen them go for less.

Any woodworking machine that appeals to hobbiests is a bit hard to sell as it gets over $1500 so if you drop more than that on one machine, expect to either be patient when it comes time to sell it yourself, or be willing to take a loss to sell it quick.

[Jim Becker]

Changeover is quite fast, honestly. But like anything, you should develop your work plan around this for best efficiency. Select your lumber for your project and mark up as appropriate (you may need to skim first if it's rough lumber for grain and color matching); rough cut down your components so you're not working with big boards unless you need to; flatten your faces on the jointer; if you must edge joint (I don't because I have a slider) do that before you switch over and mark the edge; plane components to thickness in batches, being sure to swap faces for even moisture content. Etc. Frankly, my J/P stays setup for thickness work most of the time.

BTW, you MUST have adequate dust collection to use the MM J/P. It's required, not optional like it could be with old-style jointers and planers. The machine will clog very, very quickly without that dust extraction in place.

[Frank Martin]

I have the CU300 combo. These machines are very well designed / made and are in a very different league than the usual North American machines. Prices can be all over the place. Recently a CU300 was sold for $4k and another CU410, larger version went for $10k, I consider these very low prices. However, they are not very common. So, if you choose to wait you may luck into a better deal, but the price you mention is I think reasonable. I would say go for it and enjoy using it.

[Curtis Horswill]

I also have a CU300 combo. Very well designed and easy changeover. It bought it at an auction for $2200, which I think was a steal. The J/P is nice and changeover is very quick. I also have a Knapp 16" J/P which is in a whole different league in my opinion. For the hobby guy, you cannot go wrong with the Minimax J/P.

[mreza Salav]

$2950 is a bit on the high side. I have the same machine as Jim and am quite happy with it. The only complain is that the dust collection is not as good as I want it to be especially in the jointer mode (I have a 5HP cyclone connected to it). Change over isn't bad at all. You'd love the extra jointer width.

[Robert Maloney]

For the area I don't think the price is crazy. I had been looking for one for a while. Saw a Hammer A3-31 for $2800. I ended up getting a Minimax FS350, same machine as Jim, about a month ago for $2100. Machine was very clean but didn't have a mortiser. I love the extra width on the jointer. I am still getting used to the changeover. It's not difficult but takes getting used to, that's why I haven't sold my planer yet. Worst case is I paid $2100 for a 14" jointer. Good luck and post some pictures if you do end up buying it.

[Jim Andrew]

Wish these combo machines were available used in Kansas. The mortiser would be handy.

[Darcy Forman]

I have the mini max 16" with mortise table. Love the mortise table. Mine mounts on the front of the machine. I use mine so often I leave it mounted on the machine, and joint around it. Takes a little getting used to, but now that I am used to it being there it seems natural. Sounds like a good deal to me. I paid allot more for mine here in Canada. They are kind of hard to find here in northern Alberta, and I ended up bringing mine in from Ontario.