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Table saw HP

Started by hackberry jake, October 30, 2014, 06:19:36 PM

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hackberry jake

My first table saw was a craftsman with a 1HP motor. I burnt up the motor and scrapped the saw. I then bought a General International saw from a co-worker and it is the saw I still have. It has a 2HP motor but it seems like I am over working it most of the time and I try to feed stock slower to "let it eat". I don't want to burn up the motor on this one too. I briefly looked into bigger table saws, but they are definately not in the budget right now. I have a single phase 5HP motor laying around, but I'm not sure if the saw is designed for that kind of power. What HP is your table saw? Do you find it adequate?
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EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

terrifictimbersllc

I bought a new Unisaw with a 5HP single phase motor about 15 yrs ago.  It doesn't seem to slow down or bind at all like my 1.5 HP Delta contractor's saw used to.  I can't remember ever having anything kick back on it. Not saying it is safe with respect to that, I have had kickback incidents on other saws and am very careful.   I took off the guard that came with it and put on a Biesemeyer one. I think the splitter is Biesemeyer too, I can't remember.   
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

36 coupe

I have sawed lumber for years with a 1/2 hp motor.Hard and softwood.A dull saw will eat motors.....

Den-Den

I think that 3 - 5 hp is about right for a 10" saw.  There may be some issues with replacing the motor you have now with the spare 5 hp motor:
Frame size - if not the same, you will need a different pulley and perhaps an adapter plate for mounting.
Physical size - will it fit in the space and allow blade height / tilt adjustments
RPM -
Power transfer - Your pulley on arbor may not be able to handle 5 hp without the belt slipping.  Don't let this stop you but consider a new belt (top quality).

If you can make it work; you will be very happy with the upgrade.
If it will not work; consider a smaller pulley on the existing motor (lower blade rpm).  Cut quality will suffer a little but the motor will be less likely to bog down.
You may think that you can or may think you can't; either way, you are right.

Swatson

My table saw is an old Rigid contractors saw from back when they made them from metal.  It is only 1.5 horsepower but it does pretty well with everything except it does struggle with 8/4 walnut, but the biggest thing is the blade.  Those 20 and 30 dollar blades just don't cut as good as a 60-80 dollar blade does (I use Freund or Irwin Marples because they are available here).  There is a place in Rogers, AR called American Sharpening that has a nice computer controlled sharpening machine and after I get those blades re-sharpened my saw feels unstoppable.
I cant figure out which one I like better: working with wood or making the tools to work with wood.

hackberry jake

I try to keep sharp blades in the table saw. I have the most trouble with ripping. I have always used the "combination" blades in it, but I rarely make cross cuts with it so maybe I should just look into getting a nice ripping blade for it and try that out. I do have one ripping blade but its el cheapo.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

Al_Smith

I have a Craftsman 12" direct drive circa 1968 .If I recall it's 4 HP .

I seldom use the 12" blades but with a 12" ripper it will rip  a 4 by 4 about as fast as you can feed it through .Dims the lights a tad when you fire it up .

gfadvm

I thought my 2 HP Grizzly was some underpowered until I discovered the 24 tooth Freud Diablo blades at HD.  I use them for crosscuts, plywood, as well as rip cuts. A zero clearance insert and I get very clean (no tearout) cuts even in thin ply.  And I get em resharpened several times.

Swatson

Quote from: gfadvm on October 30, 2014, 09:04:57 PM
I thought my 2 HP Grizzly was some underpowered until I discovered the 24 tooth Freud Diablo blades at HD.  I use them for crosscuts, plywood, as well as rip cuts. A zero clearance insert and I get very clean (no tearout) cuts even in thin ply.  And I get em resharpened several times.

I love the 60 tooth Diablo.  I use it even for ripping when I am making small projects like clocks and jewelry boxes.  It leaves an extremely smooth surface.  There is absolutely no tearout even cross cutting a cheap fir 2x.  It costs about 20 bucks to have that many teeth sharpened but it sure saves time on sanding because all you have to do is hit it a couple times with your final grit sandpaper.  You actually have to rough up the surface to match the final grit it is so smooth.
I cant figure out which one I like better: working with wood or making the tools to work with wood.

Larry

I use Freud 24 tooth thin kerf rip blades and a modified splitter for ripping.  For general work I have TK Forest combo blades.  You can go cheaper here with Freud or some of the other quality blades.  I think somebody bought the Diablo name from Freud a while back??  Heard somebody else was making them now.

I can trip the breaker on 1 1/2 HP style contractor saws real easy.  The saw I'm using now is a 3 HP Unisaw and I've never tripped the breaker or stalled it.  5 HP would be overkill for me unless heavy ripping with a feeder.

Swatson, I also use American Sharpening up in Rogers.  I took in a couple Forest blades, a Freud, along with a couple of Craftsman combo blades last year.  They all came back and cut the same...excellent.  I'll take them some more blades this winter.

Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

beenthere

I've heard often that too many teeth slows down ripping. Just the nature of the beast.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

sawguy21

If you have a dual voltage motor 220VAC is the way to go if available. Instant start up and lots more power. I rented a 10" Ridgid wired for 110VAC, all I have available outside. It was underpowered and frustrating to use.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Hilltop366

A good ripping blade and clean the blade once in a while will make a difference and like sawguy21 says run 220 if not doing so already.

I use a Dimar Woodpecker for ripping.

69bronco

I have a 10" Powermatic with a one horse 220v motor. Only time it lacks is when not using the right blade, as said above the proper blade makes the difference.

Left Coast Chris

I have a 1.5 sears direct drive and it can trip the breaker.   I use the thin kerf Freud blades and that helped a lot.   I also have a 3 hp Griz cabnet saw with a Forrest blade and it is unstoppable.
Home built cantilever head, 24 HP honda mill, Case 580D, MF 135 and one Squirel Dog Jack Russel Mix -- Crickett

hackberry jake

The motor is a dual voltage motor and it is wired for 110. I didnt know it made more power on 220. Ill try a thin kerf ripping blade and re-wire it for 220. Thanks fellas!
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

Larry

It won't make more HP.  Amps are amps.  No difference pulling 15 amps at 115 volts compared to 7.5 amps at 230 volts.  Well you might see a small difference in start up speed and it might run just a little smoother.  I know, some will tell me different.

Now if your running that saw on 115 volts with a 50 foot 16 gauge extension cord and switch to 230 volts with a proper cord you will see a big difference.  Hard to cheat on old ohms law.

Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

PC-Urban-Sawyer

Larry's got it right...

Power = voltage * current

Using 220/230/240 VAC instead of 110/115/120 VAC, the only difference you should see in performance is lower start up current, resulting in less dimming of lights during startup.


Al_Smith

There's a little more to it than that .A motor wired for 240 volt will pull exactly half the amerage as one wired for 120 volt .Increased amperage on a given sized wire will cause a voltage drop resulting in a lose of power on the motor if the wire is not sized accordingly .Link>http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html?material=copper&wiresize=13.17&voltage=120&phase=ac&noofconductor=1&distance=40&distanceunit=feet&amperes=30&x=77&y=5

woodworker9

I think 2 hp is slightly underpowered, unless you're cutting 4/4 all the time.  I have a Powermatic 66, and it has a 5 hp, 3 phase motor.  More than enough power.  I used to have a PM 66 with a 3 hp, single phase 220V motor, and it also was a very good saw/motor combination, provided I kept the blade clean and sharp.  My present 5 hp. setup eats through anything the 3 1/2" blade height above the table top can cut through, in any species.  I run Forrest Woodworker II blades, exclusively.

03' LT40HD25 Kohler hydraulic w/ accuset
MS 441, MS 290, New Holland L185

Larry

One of the things about more HP on a saw is the table size.  More HP normally means a bigger table.  A big table is great for a guy building kitchen cabinets as generally wider crosscuts can be made.  Also easier ripping.  That same big table can be a real pain in the back to a guy making small boxes all day long.  The blade is further away and you have to bend over a lot more.  One can extend the capacity of a small table with a shop built device.

Years ago some makers added sliding tables to the saws to overcome those problems.  Both Whitney and Oliver had great saws with that feature.  I would like to have one...so would a lot of other folks so there hard to find.  The European makers have really perfected sliding table saws but there stuff is out of the price range of most of us doing it for a hobby.  Grizzly is started to get them cloned in China and I read Sawstop is coming out with an add on sliding table.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

WDH

I have the 1.75 HP contractor version of the SawStop.  I can bog it down and trip the breaker.  I need to re-wire to 220. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Al_Smith

Anything that says Oliver can be taken to be the Rolls-Royce of wood working machinery .They were built to be very robust and obviously were in fact .Crescent also made a very good line of machinery .I have a Crescent bandsaw circa late 30's .

Now weather that Crescent and the Crescent that made the infamous adjustable open end wrench are one in the same I can't answer .

sawguy21

You don't like the adjustable 9/16? No self respecting farmer would be without them. ;D
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

LeeB

I always figured I was a lot like a cresent wrench. Fit anywhere and slip off when you need me the most.  :D :D
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

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