Mm20

[Ron Bible]

Just brought a new mm20 home (yesterday, 3/16/07) Now for the set-up and learning how to use this big guy......I appreciate all the prior posts about this saw........helped me make the decision to get one.
Thanks again, Ron

[Jeff Wright]

Just brought a new mm20 home (yesterday, 3/16/07) Now for the set-up and learning how to use this big guy......I appreciate all the prior posts about this saw........helped me make the decision to get one.
Thanks again, Ron

Ron, you'll love your new BS. It is a serious machine, one that you will be proud to bequeath to some lucky woodworker "coming along behind you!" Give some consideration to putting Zambus casters on it (www.zambus.com (http://www.zambus.com)); they make moving it around the shop a snap. They fit into the leveling threaded holes in the saw's base with the bolts provided as standard with the casters. Casters are about $35 each, but well worth it.

[Ron Bible]

Thanks for the info on the zambus casters Jeff. I'll certainly consider them as I definately need some way of moving the saw on a frequent basis. I'm very much looking forward to using this saw. I learned a long time ago that the pain of paying the extra money for a good piece of equipment soon fades as you begin to appreciate the quality and performance of a nice machine. Right now I don't Know enough about it to even ask questions, so I'll hold off on burdening the sawmillers with unnecessary "silly" questions. Thanks, Ron

[Jim Becker]

Ron...congratulations...I think...no pictures!!! ;) (Seriously, congratulations...that's a great machine)

[Jeff Wright]

Thanks for the info on the zambus casters Jeff. I'll certainly consider them as I definately need some way of moving the saw on a frequent basis. I'm very much looking forward to using this saw. I learned a long time ago that the pain of paying the extra money for a good piece of equipment soon fades as you begin to appreciate the quality and performance of a nice machine. Right now I don't Know enough about it to even ask questions, so I'll hold off on burdening the sawmillers with unnecessary "silly" questions. Thanks, Ron

Ron, should the time come to get the Zambus casters, you'll want the AC-300S model. They seem to have the weight capabilities for the MM20 and have the mounting design best suited to the MM20. Keep in mind, I am not a structural engineer . . . they seem to work for me and others who have used them. Some have cautioned about the threaded bolts not having the sheer strength required to do the job, but I've not heard of any failures. I suppose one could always get bolts with higher sheer ratings.

[Jerry White]

Jeff,

I have seen the Zambus casters recommended several times for the MM band saws. I am unfamiliar with the Zambus type casters. After studying the Zambus website, these casters sure do appear to be heavy duty, and directly bolting through the leveling screw holes sounds great. However, I am not sure how the locking mechanism works on these. Is the wheel just lowered by the locking wheel? If so, that just sounds inconvenient, as I envision you would need to jack the weight off the caster to lower the wheels. Also would you put the same swivel casters all the way around?

Any explanations appreciated! I know I must be missing something.

Jerry

[Jeff Wright]

Jeff,

I have seen the Zambus casters recommended several times for the MM band saws. I am unfamiliar with the Zambus type casters. After studying the Zambus website, these casters sure do appear to be heavy duty, and directly bolting through the leveling screw holes sounds great. However, I am not sure how the locking mechanism works on these. Is the wheel just lowered by the locking wheel? If so, that just sounds inconvenient, as I envision you would need to jack the weight off the caster to lower the wheels. Also would you put the same swivel casters all the way around?

Locking the wheels entails spinning the red knurled discs (or wheel-like things) so that durable rubber-like pads sit on the floor. You are correct; trying to 'lift' the machine off the caster wheels would be impossible or an inconvenience at best. In effect, the wheels remain on the floor at all times with the lowered rubber-like pads preventing any rolling movement. I've had no sense of instability or looseness when in the 'locked' position. In order to get unfettered mobility in all directions, I went with all four swivel wheels. That does require you to be watchful of the saws motion on any floor that has an incline to it like my garage floor. But it is not in any way unmanageable if you use care when pushing it. The ease of moving the saw has allowed me to stow it when not in use and move it around the shop and attach my dust collection system to it via a flex hose only when in operation. I have the option of repositioning the saw anywhere in the shop . . . even open the garage doors for unusually large work pieces, something I've not yet had to do. I also make a point to keep my shop floor swept to eliminate the wheels from catching on larger wood chips. But those chips usually only come from using my drill press.

[Jerry White]

Thanks, Jeff. That helps a lot! Think I got it now.....:)

Jerry

[Vijay Kumar]

Ron, you'll love your new BS. It is a serious machine, one that you will be proud to bequeath to some lucky woodworker "coming along behind you!" Give some consideration to putting Zambus casters on it (www.zambus.com (http://www.zambus.com)); they make moving it around the shop a snap. They fit into the leveling threaded holes in the saw's base with the bolts provided as standard with the casters. Casters are about $35 each, but well worth it.
Jeff.

It is not clear on the Zambus site how to go about ordering or what the prices are. Any links that I may have missed?
Thanks
Vijay

[Jeff Wright]

Jeff.

It is not clear on the Zambus site how to go about ordering or what the prices are. Any links that I may have missed?
Thanks
Vijay

I ended up calling them. The casters were, I believe, $33.00 plus some shipping charges. I have never found them anywhere else, unless maybe some industrial sources that I am not familiar with. They shipped fast and were well packaged. BTW, I also installed them on my Oneida 3HP DC system. Not that I move that around everyday, but I figured when it comes time to repaint the floor or do a thorough cleaning job, or if I decided to relocate the tools in my shop, being able to roll the monster around the shop would come in handy. See photo below; you can just make out the casters that I installed on a length of angle iron connected to each of two legs. I also plan to install the 600 series zambus casters on my MiniMax 410 combo. A fellow combo owner figured out a way to install them so as not to raise the combo too high for comfort. The casters WILL raise your machine some 2- 3 inches or so, an impact that I really appreciated with the MM20 bandsaw as it was too low for comfort. I am 5' 11" with short legs. It made it so much more comfortable to work the wood at the higher level.

[Charles Grosjean]

Jeff.

It is not clear on the Zambus site how to go about ordering or what the prices are. Any links that I may have missed?
Thanks
Vijay

For Zambus casters, call them directly. You have to buy in multiples of four, and the price has gone up to $35.13. There is also a similar product from a company called Footmaster and that product is available at McMaster Carr. Both are manufactured in Korea, but apparently the companies are not related and the originator was a Japanese company.

They also work on Bridgewood saws although you'll need some large 1/2" washers. Highly recommended.