Need some help on price of a bandsaw

[Mike Henderson]

A woodworker in this area passed away and his widow is selling his tools. One thing she has for sale is a Minimax Centauro 20" bandsaw. I haven't gone to see it yet so I don't know what size motor it has. She reports that it's in very good condition and I suspect she's correct.

I did some searching and I can't find any good information on what that bandsaw might have sold for. She doesn't know either, so I want some basis to make her an offer.

Can anyone give me some guidance? If you're familiar with the saw and have an opinion of what a used one is worth, that would be of interest to me. If you know what it might have cost new, that would help, also.

Thanks for any help.

Mike

[ken masoumi]

There was a Centauro bandsaw CO600 for sale here in Ontario,for $1500,I have heard it is the same Italian manufacturer that makes Minimax,according to a fellow member (Mreza):it is" the best of Italian saws"

[Mort Stevens]

The rule of thumb is 1/2 of new as a starting point. But, if she is trying to sell it, that sounds to me she may financially need the money, so you may want to be a little more generous in your offer.

[David Kumm]

I'd say the range is 1500-2200 if condition is good. If it is the older lighter model towards the lower end. if newer and heavier, towards the top. 2200 would be pretty pristine. Dave

[Mike Henderson]

The rule of thumb is 1/2 of new as a starting point. But, if she is trying to sell it, that sounds to me she may financially need the money, so you may want to be a little more generous in your offer.
I'm pretty sure she's not hard up financially - she just wants to get rid of it. This is from a friend of mine who knows her well. She just doesn't know how to sell it and my guess is she doesn't want to do Craigslist because she's home alone. So she's putting the word out to try to find woodworkers who might want it. I'm pretty sure what she's going to do is take "bids" and make a decision in a couple of weeks. So I just want to make an offer that's fair to both of us.

The problem is that neither of us knows what the "new price" was.

In my communication with her she said that she has a lot of other tools that she needs to get rid of so I'll see what else she has when I visit. I suspect most of the "other" things will be hand tools and small power tools. The kind of things that a woodworker would have in the shop. The kind of things my wife will have to get rid of when I kick off.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

I went to see the bandsaw this morning. It's been sitting for a while so there's surface rust on all the unpainted metal surfaces but that should clean up okay. We negotiated and came to an agreeable price, which I think is fair to both of us.

She also has a Unisaw that she wanted to get rid of. I'm not interested in it because I already have a SawStop PCS. But she really wants to get rid if it. So after we finish negotiating for the bandsaw, she said to me, "I really want to get rid of that saw. I give it to you as part of the bandsaw deal - no extra charge."

So it looks like I'm going to get a bandsaw and a Unisaw for the price of the bandsaw. The Unisaw also has a lot of surface rust but should clean up okay.

No pictures yet. I have to arrange transportation. I'll take pictures when the tools are in my shop. Hope nothing happens to make the deal fall out.

Mike

[She didn't have any other tools - such as handtools. She said her children came and took all that but didn't want the large tools.]

[Matt Day]

So what price did you negotiate to?

Man I wish people would just throw in Unisaws when I bought stuff!

[John McClanahan]

So now you will be able to sell the Unisaw and make the bandsaw price extra sweet without felling like you ripped her off. Nice!:D

[Mike Henderson]

So what price did you negotiate to?

Man I wish people would just throw in Unisaws when I bought stuff!
A bit less than $2K. She just really wanted to get rid of the tools and get her garage back. If she kept the Unisaw, she'd have to find someone else to buy it (or take it). I think her attitude was "Just make this stuff disappear."

But, as usual, until the stuff is in my garage, the deal is not done. So something could happen before I close the deal, such as a son or daughter coming along and telling her not to give the Unisaw away.

Mike

[Jim Becker]

You have an excellent band saw for your shop and a great "flipping" project with the Unisaw! Congrats on a nice buy all around.

[mreza Salav]

That's a great saw and a very good deal! Post follow up pics once you get them home.

[eugene thomas]

Boy. When I buy a tool I get it home asap??? Hate losing sleep over the fear the deal gets away.....

[Mike Henderson]

Boy. When I buy a tool I get it home asap??? Hate losing sleep over the fear the deal gets away.....
Well, me too. But I have to get some help to get these into a truck. The bandsaw, especially, is HEAVY. I think the specs said about 750 pounds. Right now, I'm planning to rent a truck with a ramp, and maybe use a come along to pull them up the ramp. I'm aiming for the Sunday after Christmas for pickup.

Wish me luck!

Mike

[I wish I could have picked up the tools today.]

[Mike Cutler]

Mike

Nice deal, very nice. That's an impressive bandsaw you're getting there.

The Unisaw is a nice kicker, but I can see that she would just want it gone.


PS
She probably offered you the Unisaw because you weren't a jerk just trying to take advantage of her on the bandsaw. She obviously knew the value of the machines, and which machine had the greater value.

[Jim Becker]

Mike, you should be able to tip the bandsaw into the truck bed ( or on a trailer) onto the spine with no issues. That's how I got my MM16 home years ago. Yes, it's heavy, but with a little help it's doable.

[Gus Dundon]

That sounds like a good thing! Looking to seeing pics of your band saw.

[Mike Henderson]

Mike, you should be able to tip the bandsaw into the truck bed ( or on a trailer) onto the spine with no issues. That's how I got my MM16 home years ago. Yes, it's heavy, but with a little help it's doable.
Thanks for the suggestion, Jim. What I've done is rent a truck with a lift gate so I'll be able to get them into (and out of) the truck easier. I had originally thought of renting a UHaul truck with a ramp but the lift gate will make things easier and safer.

The rental wasn't too bad - $40/day for the truck and $0.49/mile. It's going to be about 80 miles round trip so the total cost should be under $100. I'll have to pay my helper but that shouldn't be more than $50 or $60, depending on how long it takes us. At my age, I really want a strong helper - I don't want to try to wrestle that stuff by myself.

I pick the truck up Sunday morning.

I'll take pictures. I especially want to take a few pictures of the place where the tools are being stored.

Mike

[cody michael]

Wish you were in Michigan I have a nice trailer and want a unisaw!

[Kevin Womer]

That sounds like a good thing! Looking to seeing pics of your band saw.


Me too, Good for you, sounds like everyone is pleased with the deal!

[Mike Henderson]

Wish you were in Michigan I have a nice trailer and want a unisaw!
Hey, this is a great time of year to come to southern California. We're supposed to have 80 degrees tomorrow. Of course, that's a bit unusual, but the winter is not cold here.

But let's see if I get the Unisaw - she could change her mind. And it needs some cleaning up.

Mike

[Jim Becker]

The lift-gate rental is a great decision, for sure!

[Mike Henderson]

Went and picked up the band saw and the Unisaw this morning. Here are some pictures:

Here's the band saw in her garage.
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And the Unisaw in the garage:
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And here's the lift gate truck I rented. The saws are already loaded. There was a lot of other stuff that went along with the tools that we're adding now;
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We made it home safely and here's the Unisaw in my shop:
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And the band saw in my shop.
302869

What I wanted was the bandsaw - the Unisaw was a bonus. I'll have to start cleaning them up and I need to run a 30 amp circuit for the bandsaw.

The Unisaw is a 5HP model. Don't know much else about it right now.

I'm glad to get this done - I was worried that they'd be too heavy (especially the bandsaw) but the move went pretty well.

Mike

[Erik Loza]

That MM20 looks practically un-used. Just hit that table with a Scotchbrite and it will probably be good-to-go.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Mike Henderson]

That MM20 looks practically un-used. Just hit that table with a Scotchbrite and it will probably be good-to-go.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA
Thanks, Erik. You're right, the saw doesn't look very used. I think the guy bought it shortly before he passed away. Would you recommend that I put the Scotchbright on a random orbital sander? Should I use any oil or other materials, maybe Bartender's friend, with the Scotchbright?

Any advice will be appreciated.

Mike

[Erik Loza]

Yes, green or gray Scotchbrite on an RO sander. Flood the table with some cutting fluid like kerosene, diesel fuel, or WD-40, then get at it with the sander. Ditto on the cast iron fence (both sides) as well. Then strip the table with some mineral spirits or denatured alcohol and it will be ready for paste wax.

Your saw looks like an earlier one that had the cast table trunion. Depending on how long it has sat, the levels of rust may vary throughout the saw but it all can be dealt with with elbow grease. On MM bandsaws that have sat for long persiods of time, here is my checklist:

1.) Make sure machine powers up. If necessary, lube main switch armature with some electrical contact cleaner or WD-40. The AEG switches we used to use were notoriously fussy or sticky if they sat for long periods.

2.) Inspect drive belt to see if it is glazed or hs taken a set and replace if need be. Relacement belts either from us at Parts Pronto or Grainger, et al.

3.) Inspect Euro blade guides for gum or pitch and soak in mineral spirits if need be.

4.) Check guidpost for free up and down movement. Apply dry film lube (preferred) or white lithium (as little as necessary) to post if required. Clean drive chain with toothbrush and mineral spirits if need be.

5.) Check telescopic blade guard for free up and down movement. These are notorious for getting surface rust since they are just raw, stamped sheet metal. You may need to unbolt it from the saw (easy) and get at it with a up brush on a drill or possibly a scothbrite ball on a dremel tool.

That's the basic stuff. Good luck!

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Mike Henderson]

Thanks for the detailed suggestions. I won't be able to get started on it until late this week (because of other commitments) but I'll post when I get it cleaned up.

Mike

[mreza Salav]

Sweet machines, congratulations!

[Jim Becker]

That's one sweet bandsaw, Mike. Congrats! And Erik is spot-on with his checklist! :)

[Mike Henderson]

Erik - your PM mailbox is full and not accepting new messages.

Mike

[Erik Loza]

Mike, it's fixed.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[David Kumm]

I've also used Purple and almost used up Evaporust with the scotchbrite. Some of the small parts that just beat up my hands with a wire wheel also get dumped into a jar of evaporust. Dave

[Mike Heidrick]

Make some zero clearence blocks that fit by the lower guide, it really helps DC. Its a great saw.

[Mike Henderson]

Spent the day cleaning up the saw and running a 30 amp circuit to it. This saw has a 4.8HP motor on it and the documentation says to use a 30 amp circuit. The Unisaw has a 5HP motor and I believe it requires a 20 amp circuit (the motor says 20 amps - I haven't seen the documentation for it yet).

I used Evapo-Rust and the green ScotchBright pads and the rust came off pretty easy. I tried putting the pad under my ROS but it made a mess, so I just did the scrubbing by hand.

Here's a picture of the whole saw:

303086

And here's one of the table with the rust scrubbed off:
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Another view of the table:
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My shop is in my garage and the floor is not level. I need to buy some of the leveling screws that are listed as an accessory for this model. I'll try to order that, and maybe a couple of other things from Erik.

Mike

[Jim Becker]

Why, that little saw looks right at home in your shop!

BTW, that 30 amp ask is a good thing...there is a "real" motor in that saw! I have that same 4.8HP motor in my slider and J/P and know from experience that the circuit is well specified.