Thread: Minimax C26

Hi TommyC

Recently I got a price of $6600 (incl) for these from Gabbetts. What price have you got on them?

F.D. - I have seen them in the Hare&Forbes catalogue at $6,300ish, but i have read that Gabbetts will deliver, set up and commission a machine that is purchased from them - could this account for the difference?

I think the RRP is $6300, saw this on the skillspublish website:

The winner of the competition will receive the standard C26 Combination Machine including saw blade and planer/thicknesser cutter block (RRP $AUD 6268.90 inc GST) plus a 148mm dia. cutterblock with one set of straight knives for the spindle moulder.

Tommy, if you dont have any luck finding out about the c26 try posting a message on the Minimax yahoo user group.


Joez

If you will permit some observations: This unit looks like a 3/4 scale combination machine. The max saw blade at 250 mm is the minimum size I'd want. The 150mm max cutter block dia on the spindle is too small for many profile cutters. they don't specify what the max dia cutter is when the spindle is tilted. The 500 max rip and 1 M slider are too small to cut a panel in half in either mode, in either direction.
The weight, at 210 kg is really light. I have a small Felder that weighs more than twice as much. (I forget right now, but I think its 800 kgs).

Some questions that you may like to ask are:

What size dust ports are there, and are they all the same size? What about power? The one illustrated has 3 phase. wheels? Where is it made? How is the arbor for the saw suspended from the chassis? How about the trunnions for the spindle? How are the tables for the P/T adjusted relative to the cutterblock? Is the cutterblock Tersa? What kind of knives are included? How much are replacements? What kind of rollers are installed in the thicknesser section? How are they driven? who makes the motors? What size are they? Is the thickneser section accurately set? By what means? Is the index a DRO or other precision scale? Why not? How much plastic is involved? Who makes the switches and internal relays? Is the machine operated on 24v control voltage, or mains voltage? How many stop buttons, and where are they? Can a power feeder be fitted? How are the machine functions selected? How long are the planer tables? Can extensions be fitted? Does the spindle tilt forward or rearward? How is the spindle driven? Are there in fact separate motors for each machine? an 80 mm saw blade projection means that at 45 the max cut is 56 mm. (Not being able to crosscut a 4" board would me off)



It's nice of them to throw in the blades and the cutter block for the planer. Where else were you going to get a cutterblock?

Frankly I'd look seriously at Hammer or HolzProfi before I got too far down the road of spending $6500 for this thing. That, or H & F or Leda. Or Jet.

It just looks too limited to be worth the money. A real combi is 2-4 times the money, but 10 X the utility. I think if you went to Gabbett's and saw one of these against a Cu 300 you'd see what I mean.

No disrespect intended...
Greg

Greg,

Thanks for that, its obvious that you know your stuff on the subject, and i appreciate the effort you have made in responding to my query - that s what i wanted! I understood some of your points, but some were over my head. I am planning to do alot more research on the subject before i purchase, so hopefully i will become more informed as a result, and make the right choice. After all, it is a big spend.

Tom

Thanks Tom, it's the result of months and months of research and discussion. The learning curve is steep, and I remember thinking that I didn't even know enough to ask the right questions.

Basically you have to think of your ideal saw...have a look at industrial equipment, then have a look at the C26 and see where it's less of a machine and why. Ask yourself if you would be happy with the compromises.

I wanted a combination machine for a variety of reasons, so I looked at them all. Getting the Felder was a big lump to swallow, but I'm glad that I did buy it. There were compromises made to justify it, which often makes a thing seem more valuable, but I'm still happy that I chose it.

The C26 might not be your ultimate machine..see if the dealer will allow full credit for a trade-in within a few months. (This might be wishful thinking on my part)

Since you are on that side of town, an afternoon spent at Gabbett's and the Robland dealer will start to open your eyes. See HolzProfi too-Hans will set you straight on what makes a good machine. carba Tec has a Robland on the floor, and Scheppach gear too. i think they even had a Kity combi machine there too. Woodworking warehouse in Braeside had a Sicar combi there on my last visit.

My feelings on all of this, after all the time I spent kicking tyres, was that the price/value curve is pretty straight...you get what you pay for, all the way up to 30K + Where on that line you'll be most happy is a question worthy of sober contemplation and reflection. (Sometimes not sober at all, followed by a good sleep )

Cheers Greg, I actually popped in to Carbatec today (gotta love those site visits ) and had a bit of a play with the Kity machine. It looks nice (and shiny) and one of the guys said they have one set up out the back for testing, which would be handy. It does seem a little small (in capacity, not footprint) for what i want, but good to see in the flesh.

May I PM you over the next few months if i have any queries on the subject of Combinations that need a "straight" answer? It would be much appreciated.

Tom

Absolutely yes. Any time. I'll probably be off the radar for the next four days or so, but when I'm home I'm all yours.

Greg

Thanks in advance . GO FORUM!!!

Hi Tommy C,

You should look into it a bit more. In all due respect not everything which has been said about the minimax is correct. They have a huge range including the classic, smart, elite and the c26 genius is the smallest comb they sell. The minimax also have a comb machine which ways well over a tonne. You should go to the show room in Scoresby if your serious,they also have references. I can say that you won't be disappointed in the machines and there are thousands of minimax machines out there.

Originally Posted by Mr. Wood

Hi Tommy C,

In all due respect not everything which has been said about the minimax is correct. .

More Info needed, what is incorrect .

After several months, I received my much awaited Mini Max C26 Combo Saw. The unit was well packed and everything seemed to be rec'd in order. After having run the saw for a few days, I noticed a soft rattling noise that became increasing more alarming. I immediately shut down the saw and contacted my sales contact, who promised to contact their field service rep. After two days with no reply, I contacted them again. This time he put me in touch with another customer who "listened' to the saw over the phone. The noise was attributed to a loose cooling fan on the end of the table saw motor. This was confirmed by me two hours later after having tipped the cabinet over on its side to remove the motor. As can be imagined, this was no easy task. In order to access all four mounting bolts a had to pop the rivets on an adjacent ID plate near the top of the saw to blindly reach in and remove these bolts.

Sure enough the fan had managed to work itself loose and machine itself against the sheet metal containment shroud. Other than a press fit collar, no other physical means of attachment i.e. pin are used. After two hours the saw was up and running. At first I was inclined to leave the fan off, but changed my mind and once again, with the help of a friend, tipped the 300 lb cabinet on it’s side and reattached the fan.

Much to my dismay, the soft rattling noise reappeared again two days later. Again it got louder the next day, but this time the motor quit before we could react. Once again we attempted to contact service, but our calls, like last time, went unreturned. Finally, after having obtained his cell phone was I able to contact their only field rep. You would think a huge company like SCM would be able to afford more than one field rep for the entire US! The rep immediately took a defensive position and proceeding to blame me...the customer for the apparent motor failure. It seemed too quick to blame me, as if he was all too familiar with the failure mode. He promised to call back the next day regarding their sending a replacement motor. Bottom line: No return phone call nor a new motor was ever rec'd. Mini Max refused to honor their service warranty and chose to ignore the problem.

Finally, out of much frustration, I hired an electrician to investigate. What he found was very surprising. Aside from the lack of an adequate means of securing the cooling fan in place, none of the three motors where thermally protected. Unlike my Delta table saw or Laguna band saw, if the motor overheats it can easily be reset.

A wire from the capacitor had shorted itself to the external motor housing. He simply cut out the effected piece and reattached it. He also inserted a layer of insulating tape in the bottom of the junction box. He also threaded and inserted a bolt with a small sheet metal cap into the end of the shaft to secure the impeller in place. The saw has been running fine since the fix, but I dread the next problem, as I now know I made a huge mistake in judging the level of customer support Mini Max actually provides.

Save your money, don’t buy a Mini Max combo, or any other combo for that matter. If one features breaks, you lose the use of the other two because the 300lb cabinet is sitting on it’s side waiting for service that never arrives.

cvtobacco,
welcome aboard, sorry to hear of all your problems. In Australia SCM/Minimax is carried by a couple of specialist dealers who cater to the trade. I doubt very much that anyone here would have any problems getting back up service. Don't you have any consumer protection legislation over there which you could use to force them to honour the warranty?

Mick

Hi All,

I'd second the comments on customer service - SCM Italy are a trifle slow in responding to technical queries, but no problems with local service.

As to the machine being quieter than another, they're all pretty much the same as far as noise goes, unless you look to helical cutter blocks for the jointer/thicknesser or change the blade in the saw daily.

Cheers,

eddie