Stealth band saw on the market ?
gramparon
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I recently became aware of a new band saw. (new to my knowledge) I have N E V E R heard or read a review of any type on this machine. Please educate me ! ! The minimax line. just watched a video from the U.S. distributor ,was on the web site page. Italian made and looked pretty darn impressive to me. ( Then again I m like Shultz….I know nothing ) I would very much like to hear from owners / or people in the know. I find it very hard to believe with the number of mags in the community no one has done a review. Help me please . Ron
Replies
The Mini Max line of bandsaws are excellent. You will usually see them in a shop that has a Mini Max or Felder Euro slider.
Their is an excellent Yahoo forum for Mini Max.
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/MiniMax-USA/?yguid=204283427
Here is a link to a Mini Max 16" bandsaw.
http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/mm16bs.pdf
stealth brands
MiniMax, Felder, and a few other brands are at the end of the scale that is beyond most amateur woodworker's budgets, so they tend not to be reviewed by consumer-oriented magazines. It's rather like not finding too many Rolls Royces at the corner used-car lot. ;-)
MiniMax does, however, seem to have an excellent reputation within the well-funded pro circles.
minimax bandsaws
This is my situation , I need and want a band saw . Thats a period at the end of that statement. I am so darn confused with the market place with complaints , size , problems with this or that etc , etc , etc. I am also miffed that we in the United States can or will not produce decent machinery. I am fighting the masses and trying not to buy a made in China or near neighborhood product. I was expressing my feelings at my voc tech shop class and one of the guys offered info on the mini max ( while slamming Lauguna ) I am and have been on medical retirement since age 49 , accident , short on extra $ $ I wish to buy it once and right. So thats where I am at. Three Grand is a lot of cash , but if it is a quality product.....I'll cut back on my Jack Daniel's spending account !
Intended use?
Mini Max products are aimed at the industrial market, where the tools see almost continuous use. They don't list prices on their Web site, so I'm not sure of the actual cost. It is possible, however, that you don't really need that level of machine.
You might consider a Powermatic bandsaw, for example. Their 14" 1 1/2hp sells for about $1200, but their industrial 18" 5hp 230v runs about $4,700. A new 14" 1hp Delta (imported) runs about $700.
Laguna (also Italian made, I believe) is uaually highly regarded, but they did go through a rough patch a few years ago, during which their customer service suffered a bit, I understand.
Otherwise, I agree with Bruce - consider an older, American made machine, and refurb it.
Factory fresh not needed
Have you considered purchasing "Old Iron" ? Look for some used USA machines ! Yates, Oliver , Walker Turner, Boice Crane.
Restoring a vintage machine, built like a tank, is a very enjoyable experiance and the rewards are great !!!!!!!!! And for sure a lot less expensive, VERY BIG bang for the buck, they don't build them like they used to.
There arn't too many problems that can't be fixed with old Iron, and it's a great thing to bring back to life an old orphaned machine. I personally have four pieces of Old Iron that I use all the time, and looking for more.
It feels good to restore vintage machines. Especially when you see them up and running again. There’s that unique sense of fufillment when you give them another life.
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