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Thread: MM Shaper gloat & mini review

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Bellingham, WA
    Posts
    1,933

    MM Shaper gloat & mini review

    One of the side benefits of having a woodworking business and being a bit of a tool nut is being able to write off equipment. I just moved from my garage shop to a commercial space 7 months ago. Now I’ve got room to focus on efficiency, and after hiring some help, realized that equipment costs far less than labor.

    This post is a bit of a gloat, I suppose, combined with a mini review. About a month ago, I was browsing for equipment on the big auction site while having my morning coffee. I came across a late model MiniMax T40N shaper for less than half of IWF show promo price. And it was in Seattle, less than 2 hours away. Before I was done with my coffee, I was the new owner.

    It came with a manual, tools, standard fence, and tenoning hood. I believe it is the 4.8 HP motor, and the whole thing weighs about 400 lbs. Here it is on the day it got to my shop:

    You can see one of the mildly disappointing features sitting right on top. The fence is a lightweight, hollow aluminum assembly instead of solid cast iron. Only one side is adjustable forward and backwards. That turns out to be less of an issue than I first thought, because for some reason the table attachments go right through what would normally be the adjustable portion. So basically, you need to do a lot of fiddling to get the fence adjusted. So that helped define its new role as a dedicated coping machine:

    Another argument in favor of a dedicated setup is the fact that the spindle lock and speed adjustments are behind a door. Not a big deal except that you have to slide the handwheel off, unscrew a bolt handle (instead of a cam lock). The motor pivot is locked by tightening a lever-handled bolt. Then reverse it to button back up. The vertical adjustment seems to be greater per revolution than what I am used to.

    Here is a shot inside that shows the spindle housing, motor and belt adjust lock. The assembly is fixed to the bottom of the table and the motor seems to be located at a good balance point. Adjustment is smooth, and the spindle runs with mimimal vibration, definitely less than the Powermatic #27 that I also use for coping. The #27 speed changes are definitely not a model of efficiency. They are meant to set and forget. The T40N is doing a great job.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    JR

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Bellingham, WA
    Posts
    1,933

    Just for grins

    Just for grins, here is how it compares to its big brother, the SCMI T110 (not fully set up yet, so I’ll hold off on the full gloat). Weight is more than double, and the fence is fully adjustable :-)

    Similar structure underneath, but the pic doesn’t capture the difference in scale. The T110 is more massive, with a quick-action lever for speed changes on the left. The spindle lock is actuated from the front panel (knob to the left of the hand wheel), and you can barely see the foot actuated brake pad cable coming down behind the milled adjustment screw that moves the spindle vertically.

    I just installed an old ProScale on the T110 today, and am waiting for the spindle nut and table rings to arrive before it gets put into production. The Univer feeder got moved over from the T120 shaper. I wanted a 4-wheel on the big one for raised panels where it can simply pivot to change feed direction. I’m not terribly impressed with the Delta 4-wheel feeder suspension, but hopefully it will break in a little.

    I’ll have to put up a new shop tour in a few months after everything is reshuffled into place. I just submitted a permit to put my DC outside, which will free up some prime floor space!
    Attached Images Attached Images
    JR

  3. #3
    nice gloat jr! sounds like you stole the little shaper, congratulations on the new toys and the new floorspace...tod
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