MiniMax Bandsaw

[DaveL]

Does anyone own the MiniMax S45 bandsaw? If so please give me your impression/recommendations.

I am thinking about upgrading my Jet 14" to a Jet 18" or the Minimax but there is not a minimax locally to take a look at.

Thanks for any information,
Dave

 

[Steve Worcester]

First let me say, I am a Laguna ZEALOT!

You may want to look at the Laguna saws, www.lagunatools.com .
I owned a 16HD for quite a long time and then upgraded to a 24" (With 24" resaw and I have used every inch of it). They have the 16HD with 16" resaw on sale at $1995, only a $100 more than the minimax. I looked at both, and both are real good saws and certainly an upgrade from the 14" Jet. More power for sure.

 

[mrGeeze]

another laguna fan.

i do like my 20" laguna bandsaw.
i bought it almost 2 years ago. paid 3 grand with a few blades & stuff.

i use a 3/8" for cutting blanks out of wood as thick as you can heave up on the table. weighs 500lbs & it doesn't move around when you lay into it.
5hp cuts about anything. my wife can move it around with the mobility kit.
nice big flat table.

the 1"resaw blade cuts 12"pecan boards like they were nothing.
it is truly a nice tool.

truth be told most blank cutting can be done with a bandsaw costing $1,000 or less. but, if you are stepping up to a real professional level bandsaw you should check out the laguna .

 

[Bill Boehme]

Does anyone own the MiniMax S45 bandsaw? If so please give me your impression/recommendations.

I am thinking about upgrading my Jet 14" to a Jet 18" or the Minimax but there is not a minimax locally to take a look at.

Thanks for any information,
Dave

Dave,

If you go to SWAT, I am confident that both MiniMax and Laguna will be there. I own the MiniMax 16" bandsaw (the 500 pound gorilla). There is nothing to not like about this beast. It will walk through anything that you feed it and it is a very solid machine. I looked at both the MiniMax and Laguna at the DFW WW show before settling on the MiniMax because it impressed me just a bit more than the Laguna. The fact that I could drive down to Austin and pick it up in person was also a plus. You could make a side trip to Austin since it is very close to Temple if you go to SWAT and pick up one of those bad boys. After getting my saw, I swung by my brother's pecan orchard near San Saba and got a load of big mesquite before heading back home.



Bill

 

[DaveL]

Laguna vs MiniMax vs Bandsaw

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the info. I looked at the Laguna, but their sale price for the 16HD does not include shipping, mobility kit, or carbide blade which is all included with the MiniMax sale so the price difference between similar packages is $250.

Bill,

I used to live in Corpus Christi, so I attended the last two SWAT's and both times the Bandsaws were sold before the show's even started. The Navy just transferred me to Norfolk VA so i thought i would be able to get a MiniMax cheaper since they were located in Georgia. Now when i am ready to pull the trigger, i find out that they have moved to Austin :mad:, typical of my luck.

Has anybody compared either machine to the new Jet 18" saw? I just priced the 3 HP version of the Jet and it will be on sale in July for ~ $1250.

I know that both the MiniMax and Laguna are the cadillac of bandsaws but are they worth twice as much as the new Jet?

Thanks for any insight or opinion!
Dave

 

[Steve Worcester]

Unless you are going to cut dry wood for resawing, the carbide blade won't last long anyway, although it can be resharpened.

As far as how the 18" Jet (JWBS-18X-3) compares.
The guides on any of them will work fine for wet ripping wood.
The Jet only has 12" resaw, meaning you can only cut 12" logs without having to chainsaw them first. The MM and Laguna, would allow 16". Depends on your projected lathe buys or current lathe ownership. Can you swing greater than 12" now? Also, regardless, think 220V, even though the Jet can go 110V.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Dave,

The carbide blade is intended for cutting dry wood only (12% MC or less) -- so that leaves out bowl blanks -- I know because I bought a carbide blade and then found out the rest of the story. Best thing for large bowl blanks is a 1", 2 or 3 TPI blade -- a cheap blade is fine since you are not cutting furniture.

The Jet 18" is a disappointing (to me anyway) flimsy machine after seeing the MiniMax and Laguna saws. The Jet flexes as the blade is tensioned, the table wiggles, and the upper arm guide is flimsy.

Bill

 

[DaveL]

Bandsaws

Steve and Bill,

Thanks for the information, I appreciate your efforts.

Interesting information on the Carbide Blade, I was not aware of the problems with using them on wet wood. I originally was not even looking at carbide blades but it is packaged with the Mini Max as part of their sale so I was trying to include it as a price point so I was comparing apples to apples on other saw prices.

I have a Powermatic 3520 so I would definitely like a 16" resaw capability if at all possible.

Thanks again for all of the information, now I just need to justify the expense of a 16" saw and pull the trigger on the credit card.

Dave

 

[C Edward Moore]

LeNeave in Charlotte, NC

Dave,

I highly recommend LeNeave Northstate bandsaws out of Charlotte. Others who have heeded my suggestion have also been very pleased with the 3HP 21" saw. I am in no way connected with LeNeave, but if you decide to call them, ask for the "Ed Moore deal". As they told me at the show where I first saw their bandsaws, they have a Minimax in their showroom next to their saw, and they can't seem to sell it. Folks choose the LeNeave. I have always found the power to be quite adequate.

Check out:
LeNeave Machinery

 

[Bill Boehme]

Dave,

I highly recommend LeNeave Northstate bandsaws out of Charlotte. Others who have heeded my suggestion have also been very pleased with the 3HP 21" saw. I am in no way connected with LeNeave, but if you decide to call them, ask for the "Ed Moore deal". As they told me at the show where I first saw their bandsaws, they have a Minimax in their showroom next to their saw, and they can't seem to sell it. Folks choose the LeNeave. I have always found the power to be quite adequate.

Check out:
LeNeave Machinery

[font=&quot]Maybe the MiniMax is the S45 or one of its predecessors that LaNeave has in their showroom. Here is a link to the MiniMax MM16 Bandsaw. From there you can also see the specs on their other bandsaws. The MM16 and MM21 both have 4.8 HP motors. The MM16 is over 500 pounds and the MM21 is over 800 pounds. I am sure that the price of the LaNeave is lower in cost because the motor is smaller and some of the components are lighter weight and its performance is totally adequate for the needs of many woodturners. I am sure that there is a point of diminishing returns, but the competition on these big saws is focused on what features MiniMax and Laguna each have on their bandsaws. It boils down to a “Tim the Tool Man -- mine is bigger than your's†macho sort of thing.

Bill[/font]

 

[C Edward Moore]

If you need a bandsaw with 4.8 HP, then I have absolutely NOTHING of value to add to the discussion. I did check back to LeNeave's page and they had a 15 3/8" resaw capacity bandsaw with a 15 HP motor. From the picture I would assume that the table doesn't vibrate.

They also had another saw with 25 HP and a 40 HP option.

 

[Tom Lewis]

I am one of those who followed Ed's suggestion concerning a LeNeave band saw. I got the same model he has and have been very happy with it. It has heavy cast iron wheels, ball bearing blade guides, and a quick release blade tension lever. Blades are easy to put on and take off. I have a dust collection hose on the saw and almost all the dust, shavings, etc. is vacuumed off.
The folks at LeNeave also gave me a great deal on the shipping.

 

[pyrocasto]

If you need a bandsaw with 4.8 HP, then I have absolutely NOTHING of value to add to the discussion. I did check back to LeNeave's page and they had a 15 3/8" resaw capacity bandsaw with a 15 HP motor. From the picture I would assume that the table doesn't vibrate.

They also had another saw with 25 HP and a 40 HP option.

The motor I'm puttin oh my Band Sawmill is 15Hp. Resawing long boards I think would but the only thing to make it worth it, but for bowl blank legth stuff that's way overkill.