Looking to buy a MM S315 WS, any pointers?

[Mark Hubler]

A Minimax S315 WS is for sale locally, a 2005 model. I am not that familiar with this machine and am looking for any pointers. If anyone has/had this machine, I would like to here from you. Good point, bad points, any response would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Jim Becker]

That's an excellent saw, Mark. I wish one showed up for sale locally to me for the right price! It would be in my shop "really fast"...

[steve tompkins]

my shop has one. older by 5 years, a 2000(+-) model. it has had a long hard life. my point is that with moderate use it would be a fine saw. or with heavy use be ready to rebuild it every so often. berings on the slide table seem to be the first to go then the flip down arms are fragile and wont take much abuse. now i'll say this, if my boss decided to up grade to a bigger saw and sell this one i would buy it in a heart beat. i know what is wrong with it and have gotten used to it.
it is a nice saw that will need will need to be maintained. i hope this helps
st

[lou sansone]

they seem to be decent entry level saws. I know a couple of guys who have ones in the 2 - 3 year old range and have pounded them pretty hard and they are still accurate. From what I can tell they have over the years made improvements to the saw and beefed it up in the areas that were "soft". The new version under the tecnomax label ( 2006 models and later ) is quite a lot heaver than the previous versions.

I guess one question would be is " what are you planning on doing with it and are you replacing an existing slider "

best wishes
lou

[Ed Kowaski]

I don't think there is a better saw in this price range. I have an 06 S3315 WS, it's my fourth panel saw fwiw.

[lou sansone]

I don't think there is a better saw in this price range. I have an 06 S3315 WS, it's my fourth panel saw fwiw.

I would agree completly
lou

[Todd Solomon]

The 315 is the big brother of the slider I used to own, the SC4-WS. It has the same frame and slider as the 315, but a different trunnion. It was a great saw, quite a machine for a hobbyist. I suspect that, unless you're running it all day as a production machine, you won't have any issues with slider slop for a decade or two or three. Mine was plenty beefy. No significant gripes. I didn't like the crosscut fence stops on the SC4, but I understand that the 315 has an improved design.

Just make sure you try it out, and measure whatever you can. You'll want to make sure that the slider is parallel to the blade, that the height of the slider is just higher than the cast iron table top, that the slider runs smoothly, and the scoring works correctly, among other things.

If you really want to know the nitty gritty on slider calibration, there is a manual that was written by a Felder user, for Felder machines. But much of the info is applicable to all sliders (measurement of accuracy, calibration techniques, scoring blades, use of the machine, Etc.). You may want to buy it, and get an idea of what to look for. It's David Best's Unofficial Survival Guide for Felders (or something to that effect), available on Cafe Press:

http://www.cafepress.com/davidbest.14337605

-Todd

[Jay Brewer]

Very nice saw, will last a lifetime in non industrial use, make sure the price is right, Minimax has marked them down for year end, use that price to negotiate, good luck

[Mark Hubler]

Thanks for all of the replies!