Minimax S45 Bandsaw Manual ^NEW^
Download File - https://tlniurl.com/2t7etL
FEATURES: 12" resaw capacity Carter-style roller bearing guides Magnetic starter with overload protection Precision fence assembly with high/low feature Cast iron table Cast iron flywheels Tool set and owner's manual Rack-and-pinion guidepost adjustment Cast-Iron trunion with three locking levers Retractable integrated mobility kit SPECIFICATIONS: 2.5 HP motor 18" Diameter cast iron wheels Table size: 23.5" X 20.5" Table height: 35" Table tilting range: 0 to 45 deg. Blade width capacity: 1/16" to 1.0" Maximum cutting height: 12" Maximum cutting width: 17.25" Blade length: 146" Shipping weight (lbs.): 520 Net weight (lbs.): 444 Electrical requirements: 20 Amps at 230 V, Single phase
Also read the extensive posts on this site and on sawmill creek about bandsaws. Pay particular attention to ongoing electrical switch issues, tables not flat, poor crates resulting in shipping damage, fences not square to the table, Euro guides that are hard to use, poor customer service, can't use 1/4" blades without modifications, tension guides that are unreliable, can't open bottom door without removing one of mobility wheels, etc.
's get placed here -->XReplies Buglehead |Oct 06, 2003 05:50am |#1I did the same installation on my S45 a few years back, and it was easy. I thought the instructions were decent, but it was a while ago. They are much better than the factory ones. Only thing I did not like was the lower guides were difficult to adjust due to crowding. Great saw, sold it to a friend during my shopless years. Just moving into new shop, not ready for a bandsaw yet, still getting the basics sorted out. Dust collection and a planer are the first buys to make.
No comment from here on the guides installation, but a question on your experience with the S45. (I didn't realize that model had been around for so long.) Someday I hope to upgrade to a steel frame bandsaw,, and the S45 is on my list. I recently sent off for a brochure and promotional video from MiniMax, and one thing I noticed was the distance that the lower guide is from the bottom of the table: looks like at least 5 to 6". Isn't that quite a long ways to expect any efficient support from the lower guide?
I bought the S45 about 15 years ago. At the time, it was the best-going bandsaw for the money. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great saw and maybe the smoothest running 18inch saw around. Recently I looked at the Jet 18 inch saw at the local Woodcraft store and this is what I like about the Jet compared to the S45:
The MM line of bandsaws are built by Centauro in Italy, for MiniMax. Centauro is, arguably, the best in the world. Agazzani was the only real competitor, but in mid-2012 (with the death of the last of the founding family) Agazzani was sold to Panhans, a reputable German manufacturing company, who is closing the Italian facility and moving the bandsaw manufacturing to their facility in Germany. (Earlier rumors that they were moving to Asia are not true.) As with any major factory move (with new staff and different manufacturing facilities) there is substantial risk, Panhans/Agazzani has to prove itself, in my opinion, but it has the potential to regain it's position.
An expert I respect includes ACM Italy in the group of top bandsaws, as long as you compare the heavier line (BS 540, BS 640, BS 740, etc., rather than the light weight Star 400, Star 500, Star 600, etc. He also noted that the Felder FB series are partially Chinese, and while not a bad saw, won't tension wide blades as high as a Centauro or ACM Heavy.
The MM bandsaws appear to basically be derived from the Centauro "CO" line of saws. In the mid 1990s they were configured with much greater resaw heights, for the marketing "resaw wars" in North America. As they are re-designated with metric based numbers, I can speculate that this large resaw configuration may become available outside the North American market.
All of the equipment weights are taken from MiniMax materials - manuals or web sites. Sometimes the actual weight is significantly different - for example, shipping documents for one person's S600p recently showed 660 pounds rather than the 765 pounds listed by MiniMax for that model. Rather than try to collect shipping data on all the models, I have left the published data on this page, for comparison. Be aware, the actual weight may vary - perhaps as much as 15% or more.
In 2003 and before the MM16 reportedly had a 3.6 hp motor (although I heard the motor was even smaller than that on very early machines). It uses a 148 inch blade up to 1 inch wide, and had a 12.5 inch resaw height. According to an old manual, the unit weighs 451 pounds.
The older MM20 has a max cutting height of 16 inches, according to a manual I have. This model takes a 168 inch blade, up to 1 3/8 inches wide. It has the usual 4.8 hp motor, and according to my old bandsaw manual weights 568 pounds. This appears to be much like a MM16 stretched for larger wheels and resaw height.
The older MM24 has almost 15 inches resaw height (I would have called it just under 14 inches on my old MM24 saw), with 4.8 hp motor. It takes a 178 inch blade. Overall weight is 650 pounds, according to a user manual. This is occasionally found on the used marked, often a three phase version for under $2,000.
One of the active forum users was planning to get a MM20, but at the last moment switched to the MM24. He describes the MM24 as the smallest of the "large chassis" Centauro bandsaws, with larger tables, heavier construction, etc. (It is made from 6mm thick steel - 1/4 inch thick) I am only reporting what I heard - I don't disagree, but I haven't done the comparison myself. There is a substantial weight difference between the MM20 and MM24, with the weight of the MM24 much closer to the weight of the larger saws.
By the time we reach the MM28 and above, the resaw height marketing war no longer applies - each of these machines has a reasonable resaw height, a very large table, at normal bandsaw table height of 37-38 inches, with a fairly normal wood cutting blade speed of about 5000 feet per minute (about 4-6 blade revolutions per second). I expect they normally come with a 7.5 or 9 hp 3 phase motor, and can probably be special ordered with a 4.8 hp single phase motor.
The E16 bandsaw is no longer in the product line, but it was made by Centauro, apparently based on their low-end SP400. Everyone agreed that it was a good machine, but far less than a MM16. It has a 12 inch resaw, and a 2.5 hp motor.
The S15/S16 bandsaw was very similar to the E16, but was made by Meber, and was also sold by Laguna with their label and number. I found hard evidence of an S16 sold by MM in 2004 for $1,300 to $1,600, and another that was sold by MiniMax with the Meber label rather than MiniMax labeling. It had a 1.8 KW motor (about 2.5 hp). A user reports that it is smooth running, quiet, and cuts very nicely, but the table is low and small, the table angle is awkward to adjust (requires a wrench), the fence is clunky, no foot brake, no rack and pinion on the guide post adjustment, and sub-par dust collection (he is upgrading to a MM16).
The S14 bandsaw was only in the MiniMax product line briefly around 2005. It had 14 inch wheels, 8 inch resaw, and a 3/4 hp motor. It reportedly was a decent machine, made by "OAV Equipment&Tools" in Taiwan. MiniMax no longer supports this machine, but it apparently is still being made by OAV for other vendors.
The S45N bandsaw is the current "light weight" bandsaw, manufactured by MiniMax (not Centauro), in various versions since the 1980s. The 45 apparently refers to the wheel diameter in centimeters, which is almost 18 inches. The resaw height is 12 inches, the blade size is 1/8" to 1". The unit weighs 390 pounds with a 2.5 hp motor. This saw has urethane tires, which may suggest crown tires (like most hobby bandsaws), rather than flat hard rubber industrial tires on most or all of the MM saws. It has sealed bearings in the blade guides, so they should not be soaked like the maintenance tricks for MM series saws. The dealer on the web says the list price is $3,195 but call.... (Even though this is an 18 inch bandsaw, that price surprises me, being so close to the price of a MM16. Traditionally this machine was about 20% less than the MM16.
The MM16 - S400p is an exceptional bandsaw - the machines that were really competitive cost several hundred dollars more, which is apparently why SCM raised the prices in 2014. So why buy a MM20 - or a MM36? The answer is largely subjective (and budgetary) - so this is my opinion, not a lab analysis.
Some people primarily resaw - making musical instruments blanks or veneer from super expensive exotic woods, where they expect their cuts to be within 0.2mm (far less than the thickness of a sheet of paper). If that is your use, I suggest going to the MM24 or larger (either new or old model), since that is a heavier frame, the larger wheels are better flywheels, you may want a blade 1.5 or more inches wide, etc. As one of the MM forum users (who did a detailed analysis) concluded, the MM16 and 20 are very similar, the MM24 is the smallest of the "large frame" bandsaws that are similar from MM24 to MM36.
The other big factor is the blade stress. For many years, Lenox (the primary vendor of carbide blades) required a minimum of 18-20 inch wheels for the 1 inch carbide blades. Many other vendors still require an 18 inch or larger wheel for a 1 inch carbide band. Several years ago Lenox changed the steel in their bands, so there is no problem using their 1 inch blade on a 16 inch wheel, but recognize that you are flexing it to the limit - a strong argument for taking the tension off the blade most of the time. (With the larger bandsaws, most of us are casual about de-tensioning - I know an owner of a MM36 who never de-tensions the blade). The wheel diameter, not the resaw height, led me to put the MM20 on my wish list, and I jumped at the opportunity when a rebuilt MM24 became available. 2b1af7f3a8