Any Felder/Hammer/Minimax 5-in-1 Owners in Denver Area?

[Matt Schrum]

Hi,
Long story short, I think my wife is starting to warm up to the idea of me getting a 5-in-1 combination machine. At the moment I've been eyeing machines around the size and capability of the MiniMax CU300, Lab 300, and Felder C3 31 machines. That being said, I'm not yet set on one model or manufacturer as I think most all will be a large step up in quality from what I have now and serve me well for years to come.

The main obstacle I have at the moment is that I have never worked with these types of 5-in-1 machines person and just don't have a good feel for them--- and if they'll work well in my shop. Are there any Denver or Colorado area owners of these machines that would be willing to entertain a short visit (and probably lots of questions!)?

Also, somewhat related, is there a decent forum or classifieds site where used ones of these pop up somewhat regularly? It seems like they are few and far between on my usual haunts.

Thank you in advance for the help!

[Scott Allen27]

Matt,
I bought a CU300 for my garage shop - (hobby woodworker) and love it. If you are short on space they can't be beat if you want to dimension your own lumber. The footprint really isn't that bad, especially if you store the outrigger on a wall until needed. You just need the swing clearance front and back of the saw - I position mine so that I can get about 80% swing with the garage door closed (8.5' slider) - if I need to rip something longer than that I just open the garage door. Consdidering the space you save with all the machines compacted into 1 footprint, and the fact you get a 12" jointer, there really is no better 'bang for the buck' if you have a smallish shop.
And I know there is always debate on the issue , but IMO I think a slider is the best and safest approach to the table saw.

If you haven't already seen it, I would check out the Minimax Yahoo group - machines pop up there for sale periodically.
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/MiniMax-USA/info

Hope this helps!
Scott

[Dan Friedrichs]

Matt - ask the Felder rep in Denver (Kevin - K.Slaugh@felderusa.com) to find you one to see. When I was in Denver, he set up a visit with a nice guy in Arvada who had one and was willing to spend a few hours showing it to me. I did the same when someone wanted to see the C3-31 I bought, and Felder gave me an account credit (~$50) for the assistance, so you needn't feel bad about imposing on anyone for an hour or so. I don't live in Colorado any longer, or I'd offer, myself.

[Matt Schrum]

Scott and Dan, thanks for the information. I'll have to check out that group and shoot Kevin an email. I'm definitely eager to see if these machines would work with my setup.

[Jim Becker]

Sam Blasco can help you with MiniMax owners in your general area. sam.blasco@scmgroup.com He's also a member here of SMC.

[marty fretheim]

Hey Matt, I live in Bennett. Kevin has sent a couple guys to my shop. I'd be glad to show you some Felder stuff and answer anything I can. Talk to Kevin or PM me if your interested.

Marty

I don't have a full combo but I have a saw/shaper a jointer/planer and a Felder bandsaw.

[Terry Therneau]

I got a note a week ago that the Felder C31 is currently on sale. 10K and includes a lot of options (silent power head, mobility, etc.)
Terry T.

[Mike King]

I have a Felder cf741 and live in the Boulder area. You can visit if you wish.

Mike

[Matt Schrum]

Thanks guys, I have one gentlemen they put me in contact with now and I left him a voicemail yesterday evening. If for some reason that falls through I'll definitely be reaching out to one of you guys. I appreciate the generosity!

[Jim Becker]

Matt, you'll find that owner-referrals/visits is a normal part of how Felder and SCM/Minimax do business. (as well as other Euro type manufacturers) It's not a "retail/showroom" kind of business at this machine level, for the most part unless you happen to live near one of their major offices, and even then, there's a limit of what you can "fondle". Once you're an owner, it's likely that you'll occasionally get asked to "entertain" a prospective customer and it's a great experience to do so. I've done this quite a few times, most recently a few weeks ago.