Old Mini Max SC3 slider questions

[Rick Potter]

I mentioned a while back, I picked up a Mini Max SC3 sliding table saw, and I have some questions about it. It is an early model, but I don't know what year it was made. The Aggazani band saw I got at the same sale is a 2000, but the saw says nothing about year on the tag. Any one know how to date it?

I had heard of the early ones having a cast iron slider table, but this one is formed steel. It has no slots on the surface, and has a rudimentary sliding mechanism, with two roller bearings on each end to control the height of the table, and, I think, to adjust the height of the four corners. These bearings seem to have eccentric mountings. Under the center of the table is a metal pipe, with two pair of bearings which control lateral movement. That's it. About as simple as you can get. The slider table is 90" long and only has a usable working stroke of 50".

I have the manual, which is some help, mostly drawings and part numbers, and about 28 pages long. Am I right about how the adjustment is made? It appears to me that any adjustment to make the slider parallel to the blade is done by moving the saw table, like on my Unisaw. Is this correct? Nothing in the manual on adjusting the slider carriage.

Any ideas on how to put a Fritz or Franz setup on a smooth table? I was wondering about perhaps drilling an tapping the table to put my Incra miter gage head on it.

Still trying to decide whether I should sell it and get a Griz, or play with it a while.

EDIT: Grand daughter might help me post pics soon.

Rick P.

[Chris Parks]

It has no cross cut fence or outrigger? Can you see the saw here https://www.google.com.au/search?q=M...0ED8XgMrFoR5M:

[Rick Potter]

Hi Chris,

It is the green one on the first row, for sale (sold) by the 'Equipment Hub'. But mine is probably nicer when cleaned up, and the tilt handle shaft is not bent like the 'Hub' one.

I didn't mention everything it has on it, because my posts tend to be long anyway, but since you asked......... Mine has the crosscut outrigger, with fence, for the slider, including two spring loaded stops, and the extension. It has a scoring blade, and the optional offset Beisemeyer rip fence, as well as the cam style material clamp. It has a riving knife, but is missing the blade cover. It also came with a nice custom HTC heavy duty mobile base, And three Forrest blades (one brand new).

Mine seems to be low mileage, from a home shop, I think it came from Eagle tools, along with the band saw. It needs a good cleaning up, and adjusting. Surface rust on the table, and someone used it as a table to mix drywall mud, and some paint too. Judging from what little the owners (a church) know of it, the owner was sick for years before passing away and donating the house and all to the church, so it just sat in the garage for years. When I first saw it, the table would not hardly move. The second time, I realized it has a simple friction lock on the fence and it worked a lot better when released.

[Chris Parks]

Maybe use the side channel in lieu of the centre track most saw have? Either that or get the table slotted by a machine shop after careful assessment of how it might affect the rigidity of it. It could be slotted then bridge pieces screwed across the slot underneath of the table with countersunk fasteners flush with the top surface, that would work but may not even be necessary. Doing that has a big advantage actually as you could machine the slot to a standard size that takes cabinet saw accessories so you would get the best of both worlds.

[jack duren]

Does it have the 5/8 arbor?

[Rick Potter]

Yup. 5/8 arbor, takes normal blades, but not dado's. No room, as the table has no blade insert at all, just a slight machined area on the side of the table for the blade.

[jack duren]

I believe this was the U.S. version of the saw. We had it at a cabinet shop in the 90's. Good for plywood but not for solids. It was offered to me for $600 but when I called they wanted $1000 so I refused. This was 1999...

[Larry Edgerton]

I have an older SCMI with what sounds like the same track mechanism. My solution as it was all out of whack when I bought it new was, after trying other methods, was to use some very straight 2x steel square tubing to clamp the slider/table exactly where I wanted it and then adjusting the cammed bearings to fit. It simplified the problem of one adjustment screwing up another. I got all of them where they were a bit loose and then slowly snugged up the bearings without pushing something out of whack somewhere else. Know what I mean?

[Rick Potter]

Good advice from everyone. I found an aluminum 90 degree angle square, which was welded up to fit exactly in the sliding table channel, like Chris was suggesting. I had seen it in the pile of misc. I got with the saw, but it didn't quite register. It looks like the previous owner had the same idea.

Larry's idea for squaring the table sound way too logical for me to have ever come up with. I haven't even checked to see how far out it is yet, though, but I do know the four corners of the table are not equalized.

I have to try out the saw and see if I like it soon, the Grizzly 623 is on the back burner right now, as a fellow creeker looked at one, and was not very impressed. The coupon is good till the end of this month, so I have to get out there and try this saw out. I really want that dado capability though.

[Rick Potter]

Today, I got the saw wired with the correct plug to fit my 20A, 240V receptacles. Fired it up and it ran smoooothly. Whew! Didn't know if it ran till today.

The saw looks like he never got all the cosmoline off the gear mechanisms. They are covered with a solid mess that looks like the mechanism was dipped in varnish, and I could hardly get the blade to rise up. That's the next job. I started trying to clean the table and slider. Ended up using a belt sander on the slider, with a fine belt. Actually the small area I did looks pretty good, just have to be carefull. Gonna use a wire brush and lots of elbow grease on the cast iron table, the sander is too aggressive.

Can't get anyone to move this thread to where it should be, guess I will just soldier along here.

[Chris Parks]

I use an ROS to clean the tables on my saws with a nylon scrub mat cut to fit the platen and Autosol, it stays rust free for about six months after that.

[Rick Potter]

Temporarily in shop, started cleanup. If you look closely, one end of the slider is sanded. Someone used the table for mixing paint and drywall mud, and the blade up and down mechanism is gunked up so bad you can hardly lift the blade. Looks like it is full of cosmoline? On top of the saw table you can see the home made miter gage I found.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/D0ZmJwIZjQXGYM2Q2



This is taken right after removing it from the truck. All the parts are finger tight for the pic. I didn't attach everything for the pic, but I have all parts except the blade cover.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/YMyEHUK1MMuwpCgf1


I have 15 coupon days left to decide if I keep it or order the Grizzly.

[Chris Padilla]

We always like to encourage folks to upload pictures directly to SMC owing to the recent Photobucket issues....

[Rick Potter]

Hi Chris,

If I could do it directly, I would. My tech support (grandaughter) helped me with those above.

Still a computer dummy, no change in sight.

[Jim Becker]

Can't get anyone to move this thread to where it should be, guess I will just soldier along here.

This is the right place already.

It sounds like you have a really nice machine there. Yes, you might need to be a little creative to adapt to a wagon that doesn't have a tee slot, but otherwise, it seems to have most of what is needed. Given the color, that one dates back quite a ways...early MM machines were gold-ish yellow or green like you have. Sam Blasco might be able to date it more exactly for you.