Mini Max MM16

[Bruce Page]

The new Mini Max MM16 arrived Friday afternoon - less than two weeks after I ordered it. The saw was bolted to a small skid which was bolted to a regular 48" pallet. The trucker and I had to lay it on its back to get it through the garage door. When the tilt angle reached past 45 degrees that sucker got extremely heavy and I thought I might not be able to handle it - a scary moment for sure. :eek: Thank God the trucker was young & strong! After removing the crating, my son & son-in-law helped me stand it back up on its base.

I spent several hours Saturday removing the shipping goop (a required evil, I guess). I wired it up using a flexible 10-3 conductor. The 10 gage wire is probably overkill. We had the kids & grandkids over Sunday so I didn't get any playtime. I am looking forward to next weekend! :D

I am very happy with the obvious quality of the machine. I spent the first 25+ years of my working career as a prototype machinist at two different government R&D laboratories - the places where they think nothing of spending 500K, or more, on state of the art machining centers, so I know quality machinery when I see it. How Mini Max can build a machine like the MM16 & ship it across the Atlantic for 2K is beyond me!

The only complaint that I have is the sorta 4" dust chute. I use the black plastic "quick connect" on my DC hose that I just push onto the standard 4" dust outlet on all my machines. The MM's dust chute diameter is about 1/8" larger so the quick connect won't fit it ARRRGH! :mad: :mad:

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Bruce, Congrats on the new MM16; you will love it the more you use it. I've had mine for a year now and its power is still amazing to me. They gave me a Lennox TriMaster blade and the cut with that is just amazing. It's so smooth you could swear you used a table saw. Enjoy the new toy , er tool. Alan in Md.

[Tyler Howell]

Nothing but the best for a pro. She's a beauty Bruce, but that OSHA approved international orange handle on the fense has me a little of balance:eek: . I suppose if someone would send me one I could get use to it. Verrryyy nice!

We'll be anxiously looking forward to the fruits of your labor (pleasure).
Enjoy;)

[Chris Padilla]

All right, Bruce! I wonder, have you gotten the Lenox blade yet? Mine STILL hasn't shown up yet. Your saw is a damn sight cleaner and shinier than mine! I also didn't get a miter gage! :)

[Rich Konopka]

I'm sitting here waiting for the Watkins truck to arrive any moment with my MM16 :D

Yeah Baby !!

[larry merlau]

chris was it you who mentioned hortons brass hardware? if so do you have a web address for them? thanks

[David Brown]

ok, I am 6'3" and find my MM16 about 5" too low, is this due to my experience w/ my old Boyce Crane being higher or do others find it low? Otherwise great saw! :)

[Bruce Page]

I'm sitting here waiting for the Watkins truck to arrive any moment with my MM16 :D

Yeah Baby !!
Rich,
Did you get the Adobe pdf. "Delivery, Uncrating And Inspection" guidebook already? Mine came after I had it all set up. If you don't have it I can email it to you.

Be sure to post some pic's!

[Chris Padilla]

chris was it you who mentioned hortons brass hardware? if so do you have a web address for them? thanks
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7288

A quick search using horton brass found it. :)

[Bruce Page]

Chris, I haven't got the Lenox yet. I need to call Dain this afternoon with some other questions and will find out about the Lenox.
All right, Bruce! I wonder, have you gotten the Lenox blade yet? Mine STILL hasn't shown up yet. Your saw is a damn sight cleaner and shinier than mine! I also didn't get a miter gage! :)

[Bruce Page]

ok, I am 6'3" and find my MM16 about 5" too low, is this due to my experience w/ my old Boyce Crane being higher or do others find it low? Otherwise great saw! :)Dave, I'm 6'3" and I find the MM16 table height a little on the low side also. I'm thinking of adding a regular mobile base to it which would raise it a little.

[Chris Padilla]

Ask Dain to figure out WTH my blade is!!! :mad:

How do you like the mobility kit? I think it is kinda cool and certainly interesting to maneuver around!:rolleyes: Time will tell if the wheels cause any stability problems if resawing something really wide and hard since they slightly raise the base of the saw.

I wheeled it down my driveway a bit and took a leaf blower to the sucker and really cleaned it out. After the resawing stint with Rob Littleton a couple weeks back, there was sawdust EVERYWHERE in that sucker!

BTW, the height is cool for me! :D ....course, I'm only 5' 7".... :D

[Donnie Raines]

The table height is determined with re-sawing in mind. I am 6 foot tall and find the table height perfect....but thats just me. Rather then lug a board up to the height of one of those 14 inch saws, which makes it more difficult to balance the board through the cut and to ensure proper leverage through the cut, "they" have lowered the table down to make life easier...for most any how. :rolleyes:

[Rich Konopka]

Rich,
Did you get the Adobe pdf. "Delivery, Uncrating And Inspection" guidebook already? Mine came after I had it all set up. If you don't have it I can email it to you.

Be sure to post some pic's!
Bruce,

I did not. Can you email it to rkon02@yahoo.com ? Thanks

I tried posting a couple of pictures and it did not work. They previewed ok? I ended up deleting the message. I did get a 1/4 and 1/2 inch Olson Blades along with a 1" stock blade.

[Jim Becker]

Congrats on the new saw, Bruce! (Dain's a good guy...he called me on Saturday night...twice...when I had asked a question about an issue on the Mini Max forum)

As to the dust chute...it's 100mm, not 4", but a "good quality" 4" hose will slip over it very nicely if you heat is slightly with a hair dryer to make it more flexible. With the Onieda hose I use, I didn't even have to do that...it streched just enough to go on securely.

[Rich Konopka]

Bruce,

I did not. Can you email it to rkon02@yahoo.com ? Thanks

I tried posting a couple of pictures and it did not work. They previewed ok? I ended up deleting the message. I did get a 1/4 and 1/2 inch Olson Blades along with a 1" stock blade.

I'm going to give this one more try and post a picture of what showed up in my driveway.

[Rich Konopka]

I'm going to give this one more try and post a picture of what showed up in my driveway.

I scare myself sometimes by overcoming these obstacles like posting a pic to the internet. :D

[Chris Padilla]

Congrats, Rich!! :D

[Tyler Howell]

I think we may have to audit this bunch. Way to many coins floating around:p

Congrat Rich and Bruce!

[Bruce Page]

Rich, It should be in your inbox.

P.s., when posting pictures, do not do a preview. For some reason the preview will mess it up.

P.s.s.s.s., Congrats on the new mochine'


Bruce,

I did not. Can you email it to rkon02@yahoo.com ? Thanks

I tried posting a couple of pictures and it did not work. They previewed ok? I ended up deleting the message. I did get a 1/4 and 1/2 inch Olson Blades along with a 1" stock blade.

[Bruce Page]

How do you like the mobility kit? I think it is kinda cool and certainly interesting to maneuver around!:rolleyes: Time will tell if the wheels cause any stability problems if resawing something really wide and hard since they slightly raise the base of the saw.Chris, I find the mobility kit awkward at best. I'm sure that if you had a large shop it would be easier to use, but in the confines of my crowded shop I find the Johnson bar a royal PIA. :(

Right now, I have some of the best minds in the country engineering a method to lift a 500 lb saw so I can slip a mobile base under it. :rolleyes: :p :D

One thing I noticed about the table height - it's almost exactly the same as my Unisaw.
P.s., I'll put a rush on that blade for you!

[Bruce Page]

I think we may have to audit this bunch. Way to many coins floating around:p

Congrat Rich and Bruce!
Tyler, I'd sure like to get a good look at your home sound system! :D :eek: :D

[Bruce Page]

Congrats on the new saw, Bruce! (Dain's a good guy...he called me on Saturday night...twice...when I had asked a question about an issue on the Mini Max forum)

As to the dust chute...it's 100mm, not 4", but a "good quality" 4" hose will slip over it very nicely if you heat is slightly with a hair dryer to make it more flexible. With the Onieda hose I use, I didn't even have to do that...it streched just enough to go on securely.
Thanks Jim,
I was able to get my hose over the MM dust chute, unfortunately my DC "system" consists of me rolling my Delta 50-850 around and connecting the hose to the machine I'm using at the time. The little $10 quick-connect on my DC hose makes it very easy to make that connection. I plan to somehow modify the MM chute so it will also allow me to make the connection. I will let you know what I come up with.

[Mark Bachler]

I think we may have to audit this bunch. Way to many coins floating around:p

Congrat Rich and Bruce!



Instant Shop, just add money.

[Rich Konopka]

Rich, It should be in your inbox.

P.s., when posting pictures, do not do a preview. For some reason the preview will mess it up.

P.s.s.s.s., Congrats on the new mochine'
I just got the doc. Thanks so much. Everything looks ok execpt I am missing a cotter pin and washer for the Johnson Bar. Thanks for the tip on posting pictures I'm still a newbie.

MiniMax Regards

[Bruce Page]

I just got the doc. Thanks so much. Everything looks ok execpt I am missing a cotter pin and washer for the Johnson Bar. Thanks for the tip on posting pictures I'm still a newbie.

MiniMax Regards
LOL! My johnson bar was missing a pin & washer too! It must be those blasted ship rats!:D

[Sealtiel Moran]

Bruce:
This new Band Saw looks terrific!!!

[scott spencer]

Congrats on a great saw Bruce! Last fall I helped fellow creeker Tom Pritchard move his MM16 from a loading platform to his pick up, then from the pickup to his basement. I'm still recovering! The house may blow away, but I'd guess the MM16 will anchor the basement down!

[Bruce Page]

Thanks Sealtiel, don't make yourself a stranger around here!;)

Thanks Scott,
Yeah, that puppy is heavy. When the Watkins trucker and I were laying it down, I really underestimated it's weight, I came real close to to dropping it. :eek: :eek:

[Bill Foreman]

For years I had a fully equipped 14" Delta bandsaw that served me well except when I had to mill large chunks of wood. So, entering retirement, I wanted to make sure that I would have a bandsaw adequate to just about any task. And, like any "true red-blooded American", I want the perfect bandsaw!

Well, to make a long story short--I am not going to reiterate over the enumerable features and opinions of my fellow woodworkers--I was exhausted by the frustration and anxiety brought on by trying to optimize my purchase. I certainly didn't want any one to say, "Why'd you buy that POC when you could have had ..."

I missed the boat several years ago when these bandsaws were more affordable. But now, the Italian saws have nearly doubled in price and companies are going to Taiwan and China to make cheap, light saws that look like their European counterparts, but are designed to cater to the occasional user.

So here's what actually happened:

On Monday I took a final look on craigslist before going down to the Woodcraft store and taking another look at the LT14SUV and LT14/12 bandsaws. And there is was: an MM16 bandsaw for $800.00. What? I call the guy and I ask him why he's selling the saw for so little. He laughs and says he'd be happy to raise the price if it would make me happy. I laugh. Right!

So I hop in my crappy Ford pickup, say a prayer that it will get me the 140 miles to the guy's shop and back. I get there and I see the saw sitting on a hydraulic table. It looks pretty good--just a little rust here and here. He starts it up and I feel some vibration, but he says that is to be expected because the saw isn't level on the ground. We chat and I get the feeling that if I want the saw I'm going to have to trust this guy. He tells me that he's retiring and just doesn't want to fool around with a bunch of people looking at the saw. So, I say, "Let me get some money." He and his partner chant, yeah, money.

Now I'm driving back with a 500 pound saw standing upright in the back of the truck. People are looking at me weird all the way back. I'm sweating and freaking out every time the saw leans a little to the side, even though I've got straps tied to the saw. I get it home and now I've got to take as much of it apart as I can to lighten it so a couple of friends and I can brute force it down to the ground.

I get the saw into the shop and work the rest of the day cleaning and putting everything back together again. Finally, it's ready to turn on. I put a nickel on the table (just for laughs) and turn the saw on. Lots of vibration; the nickel falls over. Crap! I level the base using the set screws and try again. Walla--the nickel doesn't even budge!

Now I'm sitting in my shop just staring at this thing of beauty. I am the proud owner of a 2004 MM16 bandsaw! We'll see what my friends think of that. Perhaps I should charge admission.

All joking aside, here is what I learned when all was said and done.

1. The saw is an INDUSTRIAL saw, not a toy. Just turning the thing on is scary the first time. To give one example of the difference: When you spin the wheels on a Chinese made Laguna, Rikon or Jet, notice that the wheels spin freely. That is indicative of cheap bearings that will collect dust and crap out on you very quickly. Good bearings do not spin freely!

2. The saw is not perfect. It doesn't have a quick release lever, or a micro adjustable tilting table, or even a view window for adjusting tracking. But everything it does have works perfectly and is massive. This saw will last me the rest of my life and then some.

3. The saw is actually (after direct measurement) a 15.5" saw with barely a 15" throat. With 14" of resaw height and a 3.5 HP motor the saw is more like an industrial version of the LT14SUV!

4. I needed to order some parts. New tires and 4 lock nuts for the guides--for some reason the previous owner threw them away? MiniMax has been one of the best group of people I have ever worked with. They are very smart and will go the extra mile to solve your problem without even being asked. They told me they couldn't order the lock nuts and two days later I got a call saying they had found them. Really nice people, and they don't seem to care that I bought the saw used. They want all their saws to work.

4. Would I rather have the Laguna, or any other saw? No way in hell, unless someone is going to drop an MM20 or Aganazzi into my shop, free of charge.

The moral: I was just plain lucky. I took a chance and everything worked out. Sometimes you have to go with the flow. I could have just as easily wound up with the LT14/12. Patience helps. Also, if you do not have engineering or industrial type experience with tools, take someone with you when looking at a saw. Don't buy some shiny POC and be disappointed a couple of years from now. The MM16 is a tank. The LT14SUV is a small economy car.

P.S. I like the euro guides. They are easy to work with. A little tight under the table, but lots of flexibility. My version of the saw does not have a conflict with the blade guard and will adjust to small blades without doing anything special. But I guess people complained about having to look through the plastic guard and MiniMax responded with a weaker design.

[Mike Heidrick]

Buy a 4" to 4" S&D to clay adapter from lowes for $5 and it will attach your quick attach 4" to the Euro dust port. Basiclly a rubber boot with one side slightly larger and clamps on both ends. In the plumbing isle.

I made a couple web sites on adding a Laguna Driftmaster and their ceramic guides to my MM20 if you ever want to change them out.

http://myplace.frontier.com/~unix888/lagunadriftmasterfenceinstallonminimaxmm20bandsawr eplacingtheoriginalfence/

http://myplace.frontier.com/~unix888/lagunaceramicguideinstallonminimaxmm20replacingthe originalbearingguides/

[Bruce Page]

Congrats Bill, you got a great deal on a great saw.
Welcome to SMC!

[Chris Padilla]

How's that 10 year old bandsaw doing, Bruce?! hahaha!!!

[Albert Lee]

I've bought my MM16 (now S400P) 4-5 weeks ago and very happy with it, I must confess I dont use it as often though, only once a week?? but I am sure it will last forever.. I am very glad I've bought the Minimax and not other brand/make.

[Chris Fournier]

Up to 36" moving BSs is childs play. Seriously, a one man job.

[Bruce Page]

How's that 10 year old bandsaw doing, Bruce?! hahaha!!!

It's been a few weeks since I have used it but it's doing great Chris. I spend most of my time playing with the CNC.

[Joe Mioux]

The new Mini Max MM16 arrived Friday afternoon - less than two weeks after I ordered it. The saw was bolted to a small skid which was bolted to a regular 48" pallet. The trucker and I had to lay it on its back to get it through the garage door. When the tilt angle reached past 45 degrees that sucker got extremely heavy and I thought I might not be able to handle it - a scary moment for sure. :eek: Thank God the trucker was young & strong! After removing the crating, my son & son-in-law helped me stand it back up on its base.

I spent several hours Saturday removing the shipping goop (a required evil, I guess). I wired it up using a flexible 10-3 conductor. The 10 gage wire is probably overkill. We had the kids & grandkids over Sunday so I didn't get any playtime. I am looking forward to next weekend! :D

I am very happy with the obvious quality of the machine. I spent the first 25+ years of my working career as a prototype machinist at two different government R&D laboratories - the places where they think nothing of spending 500K, or more, on state of the art machining centers, so I know quality machinery when I see it. How Mini Max can build a machine like the MM16 & ship it across the Atlantic for 2K is beyond me!

The only complaint that I have is the sorta 4" dust chute. I use the black plastic "quick connect" on my DC hose that I just push onto the standard 4" dust outlet on all my machines. The MM's dust chute diameter is about 1/8" larger so the quick connect won't fit it ARRRGH! :mad: :mad:



I pulled this post up earlier this morning (not paying attention who the original poster was) and then thinking to myself; Bruce Page really needs to start building and marketing his machined adaptor.... OOOOPPPPPPSSSSSSSS wait!!!!!!!! Bruce was the OP....

LOL I feel so stupid.....

[Peter Quinn]

Congrats, good deal. Enjoy that saw. I have an older Meber, I like the italian BS feel. I'm about 6 months into using a new MM16 at work, gotta say the new guides and blade guard are not an improvement versus my recollection of a MM20 I used to use. The lower guides have broken twice in ways I would never have suspected, if I didn't know better I'd think they were Chinese junk cast white metal. Supposedly the Carters are an upgrade? Made of cast white metal of some kind, week link in an otherwise rock solid tool. Call CS...way long wait for parts. Blade guard will surely keep you safe..until you try to change blades and start chucking stuff BC that telescoping thing seems intent on vexing you when swapping in or out wider blades. Strong saw, great resaw, very rigid upper arm/guides. But should you have to buy new guides after market on a saw that expensive? The good old euro guides were a breeze to set up tool less, these new ones have hex screws in places you can barely reach. A rack and pinion table angle adjust wouldn't suck either as long as we are joining the 21st century! Micro adjusting that large table solo to a precise angle is no joy I can tell you.