Minimax FSB 35/ FS 35 setup and adjustment

[Tanner Mann]

Hi Everyone. I just bought a Mini Max FSB 35 (which looks to be almost identical to the FS 35). I am having trouble during the adjustments to get the tables co-planer. This jointer isn't standard, so I am hoping someone smarter than me can help. The outfield tables are set as far as I am concerned, so the in feed tables need to be adjusted.

The in-feed table sags at the back, so it needs to be shimmed to compensate for that. I have shimmed the hinged side and gotten that side all set up. However when I shim the back of the non-hinged side, the front foot pops off of its resting plate. I have included some pictures.

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I am shimming in between the table and the bracket that mounts the table to the hinge. This problem also appears if I shim in between the feet, or if I shim underneath the metal piece that the feet rest on. I am using a precision lee valley straightedge, feeler gauges, and I’ve also checked for warping; it seems like this is strictly a problem with shimming.

To be clear the gap is not present when there is not shim in place, but with the shims, it's big enough that I can fit a .004” shim through it. The result of the foot lifting up is that the front of the table lifts up, essentially negating what the shim is supposed to do. I can pull the front of the table down with the threaded hole and the bolt (see below),
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but that’s not really a good solution because then I’ll have to re-setup the jointer tables every time I want to switch between jointer and planer modes. Also that hole is not really meant for this purpose, its meant as a lifting point. Any suggestions?

[John TenEyck]

I have an FS-35 and it looks the same as yours best I can tell. I'm the second owner and had to take the tables off to get it down into my basement shop. There were no shims under the hinges when I took it apart and it went back together with perfect alignment.

The first thing I would do is make sure the machine is resting on a flat plane. I've never noticed any racking but if I were trying to align the tables I'd want the base to be sitting flat with no twisting forces on it. If I had to shim it to get the infeed table coplaner I would start by removing the big stop bolt under the front side of the table or turning it clockwise so that it no longer contacts the base. Then working on the hinge side I add whatever shims are needed under the hinge mounting blocks, between them and the machine base. Once the hinge side is in the same plane as the outfeed table I would shim under locking handle bracket on the front side, not where you did under the table. The hinge mounting blocks and the bracket on the front are the same height so I think you have to keep them tight to the table on both sides. Any shims you need to adjust the infeed table coplaner with the outfeed will therefore need to go under the mounting blocks. If you put any shims between those blocks and the table on one side a gap will be created on the other as you are getting.

Once the tables are coplaner I would reinstall the big stop bolt on the non hinged side and adjust it so that it rests on the frame at the same time the table closes on the locking handle bracket.

John