Help Selecting A Band Saw -Thanks

[Mac Cambra]

Guys,

New to the site, having a lot of fun reading the forums and haven't quite figured out how to narrow a search on previous posts without getting a whole bunch of other stuff to filter out. All that said I am looking for some advice regarding a band saw purchase. I am looking for a saw with at least 12" of resaw capacity, it is for a hobbyist shop, I have 220V 20amp service in the shop and my primary goal is a tool that will let me pursue interests in bent wood lamination.

I know I have seen all lot of endorsements for the MM16 however that saw requires a lot of current (amps), 30A service that would have to be added. I am wondering if the MM16's little brother the E16 is any good? How does it compare to the S45 and for that matter the offerings from Jet, Delta and Rikon (18" saws)?

I don't have any band saw experience and I don't want to make any costly mistakes and end up having to buy twice so your advice would be very helpful.

Thanks Mac

[Dave Mapes]

Mac

You might want to take a look at the grizzly G0513 it is on close out because they replaced it with G0513X. Resaw is 12" and Motor is a 2hp that requres 220/20 amp for both 513/513X. Grizzly has it on sale for $745 and if you get it with the resaw fence for an addition $80 it would be the same as G0513X only cheaper.

I have G0514X mainly because of the 3hp motor and can highly recommend it. Arrived in great shape, run great out of the box couldn't ask for anything better. But for the money I think the G513 is good buy.

The Mini Max are good machine and do have greater resaw capacity but unless you need it saw a couple of bucks for something else.

[tod evans]

mac, if you`re going to be using a saw for resawing even a 30 amp motor may be a little small. for lamination work i`d strongly suggest looking into a trimaster blade and a powerfeeder, this combination will actually save you money in short order just in saved wood. read all you can stand before you cut a check so you only have to do it once! welcome to smc, .02 tod

[John Downey]

Mac,

Since you mention having a current limitation, I'll point out that you can resaw with a saw that has a 1 1/2 horse motor, though you have to work a bit slower than with more powerful units. It really depends on your plans vs. present capacity vs. budget, and you're the only one who can make that call.

John

[Charlie Plesums]

I have resawn for years with my Grizzly. I now also have a MiniMax, and the difference is night and day. I like my Griiz and will keep it for curve work, but the MiniMax requires little or no sanding after resawing with the TriMaster. I even did some bent laminations before I put on the "good" carbide blade.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

A smaller motor will have an awful time driving a 12" cut. That's a lot of lumber to saw, 6" is a lot too. Many folks doing resaw want 5HP. I know I would. I'd shy away from a low HP motor even for a 12" re-saw.

The brands like Rikion & Grizzly etc., are perfectly fine. You can spend more but whether you'll get oodles more for your $$ is another issue. Generally most manufacturers tend to treat the smaller saws poorly putting all their love and rockets into the bigger models.

Installing a sub panel off the main is the best way to get your 30 amp service plus you can have more power more for other things.
It's very, very easy to do..
Take a look at this:
http://www.electrical-online.com/subpanelinstallation.htm
The authoe is sdealing with a sub that is inside the original building as opposed to a detached building.
If it were going in a detached building you'd bond the nutural buss and the ground buss juist like it's done on your main. In subs you keep 'em seperate. The rest is color coding. Just use heavy cable from the main ( I like #4 multistrand) and don't cross the blacks and whites up.

[tod evans]

fyi, 17" mahogany makes a 9hp motor grunt at 3meters/per min. so if you`re plans really include resawing 12" on a regular basis you might want to rethink even single-phase let alone 30 amp.....02 tod

[Mac Cambra]

Based on all of your inputs I am concluding that if I want to avoid the usual pitfalls I probably should plan on upgrading the electrical service in my garage as well as the saw itself. I am not confronted by that just wanted to avoid it if at all possible.

Honestly I expected more comments about the various MiniMax saws. Reading between the lines I guess what is being said from a resawing standpoint is that I shouldn't consider the 2.5 HP machines (E16 or the S45). The MM16 is a 4.8 HP machine so that is probably the right option.

[Brian Hale]

Have you considered the Bridgewood PBS 440 saw from Wilke?

http://www.wilkemachinery.com/default.tpl?action=full&cart=1147984073178578&id1=2&--woSECTIONSdatarq=2&--SECTIONSword=ww&--eqskudatarq=2093

Brian :)

[Jim Becker]

Honestly I expected more comments about the various MiniMax saws. Reading between the lines I guess what is being said from a resawing standpoint is that I shouldn't consider the 2.5 HP machines (E16 or the S45). The MM16 is a 4.8 HP machine so that is probably the right option.
There are not a lot of E16 and S45 users as compared to MM16 owners; hence, the lack of comments. (I have the earlier 3+ hp version with 12" resaw)

BTW, welcome to SMC! (the 'rents live in central Florida, too...just south of Ocala)

[tod evans]

mac, i own and abuse both the mm16 and mm28 what do you want to know about either saw? tod

[Ken Garlock]

Mac, I have been running my MM16 on a 240v 20 amp circuit for the past 4 years without a wimper. :cool:

[Mac Cambra]

I think after coming to terms with the sticker shock of the MM16 that is the saw I am going to get, I was reading some of the prior posts on this saw and read a pretty extensive thread surrounding some electrical and service issues a couple users have had. I guess I am hoping that they are the exception and not the rule. The way I am kind of looking at this is that the MM16 is one of the cadillacs of hobbyist band saws and I expect it to work that way.

Thanks for the welcome, I started to get serious about wood working about a year or two ago and I have the tool bug bad. Sometimes I tend to go a bit overboard but most the time I have a lot of fun with it. Mostly I enjoy learning various skills just for the sake of it and the end result is hopefully a nice piece of furniture that someone ends up enjoying.

BTW: Is that the general experience that the MM16 will run on a 20A circuit?

ALso Tod and Ken in general are you happy with the MM16, the bigger saws are out of my league for sure.

[Jim Becker]

Mac, I have been running my MM16 on a 240v 20 amp circuit for the past 4 years without a wimper. :cool:

Ken the older ones like you and I have will run on a 20 amp circuit. The current version, with the 4.8hp motor requires 30a.

[tod evans]

mac, my saws are the "old" style, and yes i`m very happy with the way they perform. i`ve never had a lick of trouble out of either one. call dain at minimax his number is 800-830-2515 he`s a straight shooter and will answer any questions you may have regarding problems you`ve read about or the saw in general...02 tod

[Bill Stoffels]

I was looking for a saw for about 6 months. ended up with a MM16. all I can tell you is that with the 4.8 hp motor there is nothing that this saw could not do at least for me.
In the long run this is one saw to strongly consider, I have this one now and would not suggest any other. Yes they are more money but you really get a Quality product , industrial grade that will last me forever.

If you have any questions call Sam Blasko at Minimax or contact him on this site.

BTW the old MM16 can use 20 amp the New MM16 with the 4.8 motor needs 30 amp mine draws 24 amps as closee as I can tell.

Good luck with your purchase.

[Allen Bookout]

OK.

My curiosity has finally got the best of me. Because of what I have seen on this forum the last year or so I have no doubt that the MM is the King of bandsaws. My question is: What makes this brand of bandsaw perform so much better than the others in its class?

Allen

[tod evans]

OK.

My curiosity has finally got the best of me. Because of what I have seen on this forum the last year or so I have no doubt that the MM is the King of bandsaws. My question is: What makes this brand of bandsaw perform so much better than the others in its class?

Allen

design....02 tod

[Allen Bookout]

design....02 tod

Could not ask for a more concise answer than that.

[tod evans]

allen, centauro has been building bandsaws and lathes for almost a century, it`s a safe bet to say they`ve got the kinks pretty well worked out. .02 tod

[rick fulton]

Allen -
My take on why MM is the real "Resaw King";
Solid structural integrity - Allows you to tension the blade so tight that it has to cut straight.
No compromise on the adjustable blade support above and below the table.
No need to adjust for drift, or center the blade on the tire.
Lastly, more resaw capacity and power than BSs with comparable wheel diameters.

rick

[Allen Bookout]

Well Mac,

Looks like that you are stuck with buying a MM16. I just love spending other peoples money. Makes me feel great.

I will have to wait a while for that one.

Allen

[lou sansone]

just my 2 cents
I happen to own one of those 3000 lb monster bandsaws, but honestly the current mm line of saws is pretty impressive and really very well built. You would have to spend a ton of money to do better IMHO.

lou

[Jim Andrew]

The cabinet shop where I bought my kitchens didn't have as good a bandsaw as a minimax. When I bought mine, the salesman said you could
run it 2 shifts a day for 20 years. And I believe it. I ran some slabs through mine that the sawyer left, and I could push them through like you
could cut 3/4" on one of those little cheap saws. Only bad part is I can
barely lift the slabs. Jim

[Gary Herrmann]

You won't be sorry you got an MM16. I've had no problems with mine at all. Great saw. Makes me want to buy more MM products, if I can figure out a way to get them downstairs...

[Mike Wilkins]

Well, since no one else has done so, I guess I will mention that a Laguna LT18 has resided in my shop since August '01. 12" resaw capacity, 3 horse motor with a 20 amp rating, rock solid ceramic guides that are easy to align, heavy beast, not a single problem since its arrival, heavy, cuts the thick stuff like a hot knife through butter. Did I mention that I like my machine?? There are lots of Laguna owners around the country that like their machines, and when you do your research, you will find that there are not a lot of differences between the various offerings. Minor differences at best.
Since you live on the east coast, you will also need to consider shipping costs. Having said that, you may need to look at a dealer on the this side of the USA such as Bridgewood or Felder. Both of these machines are similar to the Laguna and are fine offerings. If a UFO crashed into my shop and I had to re-tool all over again, would I get another Laguna??? In a heartbeat.
Good luck with your decision and watch those fingers.

[Brad Way]

Mac,
I spent 6 months looking at all the different options and ended up with a MM16. I looked very hard at the E16 and S45 as well as the Bridgewood and Laguna saws. I was a little turned off with the negotiating style of Lauguna so after my first call I never called back. (they didn't do anything wrong but I just wasn't sold on their style). I look at Bridgewood and I liked the saw but they seemed to have a set price and the salesman was helpful but he didn't really sell me on the saw. Minimax was a whole different story. I purchased from Minimax because they helped me understand what makes a great saw and were very helpful. While they sold the idea of the Minimax saws they first help me understand that makes a great saw. Once I had a good idea of the differences then I just had to pick the model that fit my needs. In the end the MM16 had it all and while it seemed like more than enough saw I am very happy with the product. The E16 looked nice and if the money was the biggest problem I would have ended up with that saw. I guess I followed the advice to buy the nicest saw I could afford and I was able to get the MM16.

Good luck,
Brad

PS I worked with Eric Lonza at Minimax and I am confident that if you spend a few minutes on the phone with him you will understand why they have first class customer service.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I'll jump in here and give you one option that you will not see or hear about much, as these saws are not so common in the US (I understand)

The Hitachi CB75F Resaw bandsaw.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000223KH.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.gif
Cheap...?

Nope, Amazon sells it for $2,489 yep, not cheap.

2.8HP, 120VAC, 15A, 1PH motor - 900 RPM.
Hand brake next to start and stop buttons for extra safety.
20-1/2" x 19-1/4" cast iron table tilts 45° and has miter gauge groove.
Rack and pinion fence adjustment provides smooth operation and accuracy.
Accepts blades 1/4" to 3" wide.
All-steel body with built-in 4" dia. dust port.
Includes durable 3" wide Stellite^® blade, guide assembly,
60"H x 37"W x 29"D, weighs 308 lbs - designed for floor mounting.


The motor is a universal motor, not very big, but it is geared down a ton.

I have the older version of this saw, and I've cut just about everything I can on it, and I've yet to slow it down, it just rips through anything.

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/round/feb_27/chopping_block_cut2_done.jpg

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/jackpot/bb_slicing2.jpg

Just thought I'd add it to the list. :D

Cheers!