two things I learned recently, the bearings on the top and underneath the table portion need to be adjusted to no more than a 16th of an inch from the blade. basically as close as you can get them without them spinning when the saw is turned on. And the other thing was the positioning of the blade on the pulley wheels. Apparently the gullet portion of the blade is what needs to be perfectly center on the wheel. lots of folks think it's the center of the band on the blade that's supposed to be centered in the pulley but this causes lots of wobble. The issues you were dealing with are the same that I was dealing with and it corrected them perfectly! Thanks for your channel!

@victorywoodworks

4 ай бұрын

I totally agree with your fixes. I did the same/similar. I also found that the lower wheel was slightly out of alignment and needed to adjust that. Thanks for watching and commenting.

Clever title and thumbnail+informative and detailed video=you got yourself another sub

@victorywoodworks

8 ай бұрын

Thanks.

Great video. I recently bought the Craftex CX118. It's a Canadian company but looks to be the identical saw. I assume they're all made in the same factory with different paint lol. I really did not expect it to be so underpowered though. I'm coming from a slightly larger saw (14" King Canada), but was much older and missing parts. I actually came across your video as I was looking for tips and tricks to get mine working a bit better. didn't expect to see the identical saw! I think at this point, I need something like your minimax as I want to do some re-sawing. But this was a good video to confirm my thoughts - and I was able to get it for about half the price Wondering how it performed with a different blade? Was hoping to see that in the vid. Either way, thanks for posting! Great review.

@victorywoodworks

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting. The MiniMax 16" is an excellent band saw and very good at resawing with a 1" blade. saw. I bought the Wen because I needed something smaller so I didn't need to swap out blades all the time (typical cut takes 30 sec and blade swap takes several minutes). The blades that came with the Wen were not very good, so I tried the Ayao version. These blades were better quality, inexpensive (2-pk $16USD) but dulled quickly. I think if I/you were to use a better blade (like USA Band Saw Blades -> gmbandsaw.com or Olson) the saw would perform even better.

@danyo41

2 ай бұрын

@@victorywoodworks Great points! Thanks for the reply. Will have to give them a try!

Hello there, this is a good saw, not as flashy as the Rikon version but very capable. Your pros and cons are pretty good I have been using this model saw for a few years and I love it. My intention was to buy two band saws this one and a large one but honestly this saw is so useful I still haven’t bought a bigger one. So maybe 10” is enough. I generally work with wood that isn’t wider than 6” so it will fit my jointer and this little saw can resaw 6” hardwood all day. I use 3/8 3PC and a 1/2 3PC blade from Timber Wolf to resaw and it cuts with ease. My main general use blades a 1/8 & 3/8 blades and they cut clean. You are sort of right about dust collection and I never calibrate the fence ruler but the fence is great sets up easily and stays true. One small gripe is to open the bottom door you have to loosen the fence clamp as it blocks the door that’s a problem if you have a tricky set up for multiple cuts. I made a handle that is out or the way of the door. I don’t like the non magnetic aluminum table and the non standard miter slot but I made a sled with runners for the slots and it works great. I found that positioning the work light out and away from the cutting area works best. This saw punches above its weight and I love it.

@victorywoodworks

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for your feedback. I hadn't thought about building a sled for the saw, but now I think i might. As for the work light, I bought a hose clamp with a rubber padding on the inside and screwed the light (arm) to the under/inside of the upper shroud of the saw so it faces the operator. Now I can aim it at the front of the cut more easily. Thanks for watching and hopefully subscribing.

@trep53

3 ай бұрын

@@victorywoodworks always glad to hear from another WEN user. BTW during my most recent blade change I noticed a slight wobble in the top wheel. I removed it from the shaft and discovered the shaft was a few threads unscrewed. The threads were ok so I tightened it up with a 12mm open end wrench. Put it together and all was well. Enjoy your woodworking.

@victorywoodworks

3 ай бұрын

I will check mine to make sure it doesn't loose up. Thanks for the heads up.

Great Video!

@victorywoodworks

8 ай бұрын

Thanks!

Is 10 inches enough well that depends on the thickness…of the wood

@victorywoodworks

5 ай бұрын

It sure does.

Thanks for the video.the motor on this bandsaw is 3.5 amp, if we talk hp what would this add up to ? thanks. Oh and the wife will be ok with a few bird houses .

@victorywoodworks

5 ай бұрын

I believe the HP to be aproximately 1/2HP. This is based on perfect conditions (true 120v and a 1.0 powerfactor). Hope that helps. Thanks for watching and commenting. If you haven't already help us out and subscribe.

Unloosen the screws ? lol.

@victorywoodworks

5 ай бұрын

Needed to do that because the lower wheel was out of alignment. Thanks for watching, commenting and hopefully subscribing.

@victorywoodworks

5 ай бұрын

I needed to do that because the lower wheel was out of alignment.

@PileofBrass

5 ай бұрын

@@victorywoodworks Un-loosen means to tighten. Loosen, means to make loose.

@victorywoodworks

5 ай бұрын

I got you. I needed to loosen, realign and then tighten.

If the wife says something just ask her about the cost of her perfume and makeup 😉.

@victorywoodworks

8 ай бұрын

Good point. Thanks for watching.

Lower your blade guide and your cut will be cleaner. Adjust your guides.

@victorywoodworks

5 ай бұрын

Did that and it helped.

You will have to ask me wife.....

@victorywoodworks

8 ай бұрын

Like your humor, gonna pass though.