I am new to the group, at the suggestion of a couple of friends. A little about me -- I am in southeast Michigan and have been a hobbyist for about 15 years, but not continuously. I am in a position now to get back into it and set up shop for good, so the expertise here would be appreciated.
Particularly relevant is that I am moving from individual machines to a 5-in-1 to save space and modernize. I am looking to buy second-hand and have narrowed down to a couple of options: a 1999 Felder BF6-31 or a 2015 Minimax CU 300 Classic. ?The Felder is a local machine being sold by our own Brian M., who has been very helpful through the process. The Minimax is a distant machine that I'd fly to check out and then arrange shipping. I have yet to put my hands on the Minimax (or any Minimax combo) for comparison, so that's where I'd love some observations from people here that have (as objective as possible!). Specifically, I am interested in build quality and fit/finish. Functionally, here's where I'm at:
Felder advantages: Heavy construction, solid machining, very well cared for, donor machine available with lots of accessories (extension tables, blades, spindles, hold-downs, etc.), includes power feeder on flip bracket
Minimax advantages:?Substantial outrigger & swing arm for wide crosscuts, Tersa J/P head (my preference over helical or the Felder's straight knives), scoring blade
The Minimax is slightly more expensive, but not enough to affect the decision. The modern advantages the Minimax offers would probably push me that way but not if the build quality isn't there. I can always add a Tersa head to the Felder or work around the absence of a scoring blade. The narrow Felder sliding table is an aggravation, especially after using my friend's slider with an enormous outrigger... but I can get over that also.
So my overriding question is this: does the Minimax build quality compare to the Felder or is it inferior? I'm thinking of things like rigidity of the chassis, sturdiness of the fence and rail, the fit of the components, etc.
I appreciate the guidance you could offer!
Zayd
