A bit of BS...err...BS gloat

[Jim Becker]

The new Mini Max MM-16 band saw (all 465 lbs of it) is now safely in my frigid shop...and thanks to the help of my friend, Fred, it's in the same condition is was before it left the show floor in Somerset late today. And lucky me, they decided to use mine as a "prop" to illustrate the innards for folks at the show, so there is very little grease and cosmoline to deal with when I can get back in the shop later this week. (I suppose I owe Erik a bit for the nice clean-up, however)

But no good event goes unpunished as the roll-top on my truck froze shut completely on Friday night, making delivery of my previous saw to Ken Robb a little more cumbersome--thank goodness for a back seat in the truck and the availability of Fred's truck today!

I will surely do a full review on this machine, but "it are solid"...'can't wait to tension up that 1" carbide blade and make some nice slices! Really, this is noticably built well, especially as compared to several other similar sized machines at the show.

Pic: Myself and Fred Voorhees with the new arrival after tipping it out of the pickup and into the shop.

[Julie Wright]

Looks like you Boys are COLD!!!!
Can't wait to read the reviews on your new Toy!!

[Jim Becker]

Looks like you Boys are COLD!!!!


Yea, it was uncomfortable, but you should have seen Jim and Erik loading out at the show...they be Texas boys...Jim was feeling what most folks associate with an "ice-cream headache". If I wasn't one to mind the cold myself, I might have laughed!! :rolleyes:

[Bob Lasley]

Congrats on getting the saw home in its altogether. Fred looks a bit red faced there. You didn't slack and make him bear most of the load........did you? :D

Looking forward to your review.

Bob

[Bob Marino]

Hey Jim,

Sorry I didn't make the show. Nice Haul. Too bad the weather isn't too conducive to playing with that iron, but as other have said, lookin' forward to your comments once you get to start slicing.

Bob

[Todd Burch]

Nice saw Jim! Hope you can start cutting on it reeeeeeal soon.

By the way, what's that little bitty machine table to the left side of the picture.... HAR HAR HAR!!!

[Jim Becker]

By the way, what's that little bitty machine table to the left side of the picture.... HAR HAR HAR!!!

They had the FS41 Smart (16") at the show...just a little bigger and heavier at 1020 lbs. And as it turns out, they do sell a 20 incher, but don't advertise it for some reason. I slapped them around about that since folks are buying big Felders when they could be doing business with Mini Max... :D

[Rob Littleton]

Hey Jim, is that the MM-16.

I hear there was recall on those recently. Yeah, you have to ship it to a dude in San Jose California and he will take care of it for you :-)

Nice saw dude.

[Dennis Peacock]

Congrats Jim on getting the MM-16 BS!!!!!! I am happy for ya and can't wait to read and see the pics of the reivew. Now...go and get warm before I start getting cold... ;)

[Jerry Todd]

Jim, You & Fred look too cold. Want to warm up? Come on down to the sunshine state. ;)
Jerry

[John Miliunas]

Congrats on the new BS, Jim! Looks to be a substantial machine! Will be looking forward to the review on it. And, FWIW, it was in the 30's round these parts this weekend and a balmy 67 in the shop! :cool:

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Tha sure does look nice Jim, I saw a demo of one of those at the last ww'ing show...what a machine!

He's right about Texans and the cold....heck it's 44 right now and headed for 65 today....putting us in a real winter situation is called shock!!

[Terry Hatfield]

Jim,

BSer did you say????? hehehehehe :D

Nice haul. Sure look like a fine piece of equipment.

Terry

[Alan Turner]

Jim,
Enjoy your new toy. I thought I would share a comment I received when I got a new BS. Both Eagle tools, and Mr. Iturra recommended against a 1" on a 16" wheel, and said instead to go with the 3/4" blade. They said there have been some problems with it cracking because of the tighter radius.
Resawing with a serious BS is a true pleasure. I am sure you will have a great time.
Alan

[Byron Trantham]

1" carbide tipped saw blade!? Boy that will be nice. What you tryin' to do, make your shop tools all match? ;)

Congrats.

[John Scarpa]

Jim,
Nice haul! I remember struggling to get mine into the garage. Un crating it by myself was a study in the careful use of leverage. Got it done safely tho. It seemed to take forever to get all of the cosmoline off of it. Sadly I still don't have electricity to mine so I'm looking forward to hearing your first immpressions.

Any other comments on 1" Vs. 3/4" BS blades on a 16" saw?
John

[Michael Perata]

'can't wait to tension up that 1" carbide blade and make some nice slices!

Jim - I have that BS, er Band Saw, and you'll be very pleased with what it can do.

One thing it can't do, it should not use a Lennox 1" carbide blade. (Check out the Lenox site.) This blade has a .035" cross section and will fatique rapidly on the 16" wheel. If you bought the blade through MiniMax, call them up and cancel the order. They know better than to sell you that blade for the MM16.

Iturra Designs has, or will shortly, be marketing a carbide blade in the 1/2" range that will have a significantly thinner cross section and will last a lot longer.

The 1" Lenox carbide blade will only last 6 - 12 months of normal usage, and that is not very much for a $160 blade.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Jim, sweet saw! I guess you're into a whole different line of tools than me when your Mini is much bigger than any of my Max :D I'll try to keep my jealous impulses at bay. :p Jason

[Fred Voorhees]

And I DO look cold don't I. Well Jim, this serves as my first official post on Sawmill creek. As we talked last night on the way home with that beaut in the back of the pick up, I just registered and am now a member of "the family."

Fred

[Noah Alkinburgh]

Well Jim, I'd say bring it over to my shop, but I don't think it will fit in :)


Noah

[Jim Becker]

Enjoy your new toy. I thought I would share a comment I received when I got a new BS. Both Eagle tools, and Mr. Iturra recommended against a 1" on a 16" wheel, and said instead to go with the 3/4" blade. They said there have been some problems with it cracking because of the tighter radius.

Yes, this can be an issue, but some of the folks on the MM board have indicated that if you detension religiously and keep the blade off the machine unless you are actually using it for its intended tast, the blade lasts for a good long time. Also, Lenox is due out with a new version of their carbide blades with a more flexible back...sometime in the next few months. That should help out with the situation on these smaller saws, too.

[Jim Becker]

One thing it can't do, it should not use a Lennox 1" carbide blade. (Check out the Lenox site.) This blade has a .035" cross section and will fatique rapidly on the 16" wheel. If you bought the blade through MiniMax, call them up and cancel the order. They know better than to sell you that blade for the MM16.

Umm...it was a special deal for using my machine for "show and tell", so I'm not worried about it. Besides...they cleaned the machine off, too. Who am I to complain! :D If I wear the blade out quicker than I should, I'll got to a smaller one next time when I'm paying for it. In the mean time, I know it will "work" just fine as the one sitting next to it on the floor was making nice 1/16" thick veneer sheets using the same blade...without a tall fence. Most of the time, I'll have a 1/2" blade on it which does the majority of things I use the BS for in support of turning and other projects.

[Brad Schafer]

hmmm. careful with those acronyms, fellas ... :D

-bs

[Dave Malen]

Jim,
Jim I'm maxed out with envy. That is one heck of a saw! Enjoy!

Dave

[Jim Becker]

Well Jim, I'd say bring it over to my shop, but I don't think it will fit in

The saw would fit...but I don't think we could bend it around the oven to make for the stairway...and it could double as a support for that beam that holds the house up. hee hee

I still think you should kick those animals out of that nice sturcture back behind your house and convert the whole thing into "Noah's Amazing Shop". They really don't need such a large shelter...

BTW, I forgot to mention in my email that the patio looked super! Nice job.

[John Weber]

Jim,

You are Mr. Big Iron Gloat. The saw looks great, I saw one at the Columbus show last fall, as well as the planer/jointer, nice machines for sure. So what is next???

John

http://www.minimax-usa.com/images/products/ST_4.jpg

[Jim Becker]

So what is next???
http://www.minimax-usa.com/images/products/ST_4.jpg

Honestly, John, I'd need a different shop for something like that! The smaller saw/shaper combo would be about the only thing I'd consider sometime far in the future, but given little need for a shaper, I could not justify replacing my Jet LT cabinet saw...other upgrades are coming this year, however, with a larger cyclone (negotiating), 60 gallon compressor, a Stubby lathe and a 22-44 Plus drum sander. I put off the Stubby when I opted for the FS-350, but not for much longer. I want this shop equipped the way I want it while I can do it. Who knows what the future holds when you work in the tech industries...

[John Weber]

Jim,

You can't stop now! That Jet just won't look right along those giants. And a 22/44, you gotta have a wide belt in a shop like yours. Seriously, it sounds like you are well equiped, not all you need is to become a neander, so you have more stuff to buy. Have fun with your toys.

John

[John Scarpa]

Jim,
I hear you loud and clear on the obtain it now while you can. I'm looking at 60 gal. commpressors as well. Take a look at the Quincy brand. They are low RPM (quiter) oil bath types. Quincy has been around forever and is considered a standard in the industry. Wood magazine did a comparison a year or two ago and the Quincy portable (same basic compressor design) came out on top.

I would like lathe too, but I'm not sure where I'd put it! I'll have to keep looking at my floor plan :)

I'm still finding cosmoline I missed in the MM16 but I'm happy they protected it so well.
John

[Jim Becker]

Take a look at the Quincy brand. They are low RPM (quiter) oil bath types. Quincy has been around forever and is considered a standard in the industry.

Yes, Quincy has a good reputation, although I'll probably end up with an IR due to easier availability. (Locally at Tractor Supply when on sale with tax, or from Northern Tool when on sale with free shipping/no tax)


I'm still finding cosmoline I missed in the MM16 but I'm happy they protected it so well.

One good thing about my machine being on the show floor was that when we were getting ready to load out, Erik was able to carefully point out many of the places that the grease and gunk "hides". He recommended a 1" paint brush to help with those areas. Since they also had the top wheel off for the "show and tell", I also got to see just how heavy those ballanced cast iron wheels are, not to mention the quality of the tensioning and blade guide assembly. I wish I would have remembered to take my camera with me to snap a shot before the wheel was reinstalled. Oh, well...

[John Scarpa]

Yes, Quincy has a good reputation, although I'll probably end up with an IR due to easier availability. (Locally at Tractor Supply when on sale with tax, or from Northern Tool when on sale with free shipping/no tax)

Forgot this link, free shipping. Something to put in that planning folder anyway.

http://www.bobstools.net/Store/25Q151C60VC3.html

1" brush huh? I'll see if I can get the final remenants of grease out. The MM16 is really a robust saw isn't it? I have no regrets on that purchase.