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Dream band saw

I have a MiniMax 16 also, traded down from an old Crescent 36 for space reasons. The (Centauro) MM16 is a nice compact saw with a 16" resaw height, a 4.5 hp motor and a few niggling drawbacks. The stock door hinges require that the doors open well beyond 90* to change the blade so you can't back it up tight to a wall (I rejiggered the hinges) and the blades have to be threaded through a narrow slit between the doors. The table is rather small and the starter switch is notorious for failure (I replaced it with a generic magnetic starter). The stock Euro guides are adequate but nothing to write home about. Overall a good saw and it meets my needs, but if I could afford the room I would rather have my old cast iron behemoth with its Wright guides and huge table.

European saws generally have a small footprint and good resaw capacity. Vintage Delta and Powermatic 20"welded steel saws are similar but often have relatively light motors. I think 20" is the sweet spot for turners, and 12" a reasonable resaw capacity.
 
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For a smaller saw, I don't think I could be happier than with my Walker Turner 16" saw. Dream would be an older 30-36" saw, such as a crescent or yates american. Those are so appealing with their mass and class.
 
I'm pretty happy with the Jet 14 SFX. 120V, large table, two miter slots, good resaw capacity. Newer versions have improved lower guides. If I had a magic wand I'd add a brake.
 
I currently have an old (from the early 80’s) Craftsman 12” that was my Dad’s. As much as it is nostalgic, it doesn’t work very well. I will be replacing it with a Harvey Ambassador C14. With a 3HP, 230v motor, 14” resaw capacity and footbrake, that is all I need. I keep an eye on their website because they go on sale often.
 
Joel Daniels said:
I currently have an old (from the early 80’s) Craftsman 12” that was my Dad’s. As much as it is nostalgic, it doesn’t work very well. I will be replacing it with a Harvey Ambassador C14. With a 3HP, 230v motor, 14” resaw capacity and footbrake, that is all I need. I keep an eye on their website because they go on sale often.
Click to expand...
It’s on sale now…….
 
I don't think I have one single tool that I wouldn't change a bit.... I do have 2 bandsaws, a 14 inch Powermatic, and a Laguna 16HD. The PM only cuts 6 inches high, and I would change that to maybe 8 inches since I seldom cut bowl blanks any bigger/taller than that. It has a cast iron frame and 3/4 hp motor on 120 volt so it does everything I need for the 6 inch capacity. My big saw is a Laguna 16HD with a 4.5 hp. Baldor motor. It is a beast and will walk though just about anything. It does have a foot brake, which I think should be standard on all bandsaws. I don't think they make it any more. It did require a 30 amp 220 circuit though. 1 1/4 inch blade on it for cutting slabs.

robo hippy
 
I have a Laguna 18”. Foot brake alone was a significant upgrade from previous commodity Delta BS, foot brakes should be standard. 18” height is probably more than I need, 16” would suffice, but the wider throat is wonderful. A 1 1/4” blade sits on this most of the time. I wish I had enough space in my shop to also have another BS with a ~3/8” blade set up all of the time.
 
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