Table saw HP

[Al_Smith]

There's nothing wrong with a knuckle buster .They have earned  their place along side Channel -locks and Visegrips .Duct tape however it seems has replaced baling wire as the later is hard to find now of days .None of which relates to table saws except for the fact a dab of duct tape makes a handy reference mark for cutting multiple lengths of lumber ,short boards so to speak .

[Peter Drouin]

I have 10" 5 horse 220 and It cuts well. With a mill that can cut 20+feet I set the saw so I can go in one door and out the other. :D


 

[barbender]

Hackberry, get one of those 24 tooth Fred rip blades at HD, it will make a big difference for you I think. They are less than $30 if I remember right.

[JByrd]

I have an old Craftsman that is probably only 1 hp.  It is adequate for my small woodworking projects.  If I have to do any heavy duty ripping, I use an 18" Jet bandsaw with a 1 1/4 inch wide ripping blade.  It rips much faster than the table saw.  It leaves rough edges, of course, but I always finish edges with the jointer or planer.  We once made 1200 lf of 4/4 oak baseboard for a church - ripped it slightly over width, then ran 4 at a time through the planer up on edge.  I was surprised how well this worked, every edge comes out straight and smooth without a burn mark in sight and every board is exactly the same width. Goes 4 times as fast as running them through a jointer one at a time, and power feeds.
The bandsaw is great for jobs like making stickers.  It will rip as fast as you can push the boards through.

[Al_Smith]

I have an old Crescent bandsaw .Heavy cast iron contraption made in the late 30's ,weighs a ton .It does just fine with a 1 HP motor .I think it's a 20" .Lawdy does that thing sing going through a piece of lumber .

When I bought that 12" table saw it came with probabley twice the value as I payed for the saw in Freud blades,dado sets  (three ) and a 7" molding  head with every set of cutters every sold by Sears and Roebuck plus duplicates .I had already had a 5" set for my radial arm saw .

Between a table saw and a radial arm you can do just about anything .Of course making trim etc they aren't as good as perhaps a real shaper .Considering though for guys like me who only make trim on occasion they do fine .They just aren't as fast but they don't cost a couple thousand bucks either .Just another way to skin the cat .

[sawguy21]

I didn't know anybody used radial arm saws any more, you must be a dinosaur.  :D Seriously, not as versatile as a miter saw but still a great tool. My dad nearly wore out his Craftsman, it did a lot of work.
With any saw, keeping the blade clean is important and will extend the time between sharpenings. I worked in a sharpening shop at one time, a lot of blades that came in merely needed cleaning.

[DR Buck]

I have a Powermatic 3hp 220v table saw and it does not bog  down.          I also have a 12" Milwaukee sliding miter and a 1hp Craftsman radial arm saw that I just completely restored.   I use it mostly for cutting dados.     

DO mostly ripping on the table saw and do cross cutting on the sliding miter.

[hackberry jake]

I kind of like my OLD Dewalt radial arm saw. It's only 3/4 HP but when you need to cut the end off of a 16" wide board that is 12' long... It comes in pretty handy. Or dados, or planer blade sharpening or...


 
They are probably almost as versatile as a table saw.

[DR Buck]

............ or planer blade sharpening or...


 
They are probably almost as versatile as a table saw.

Now that's something I've never seen, imagined, or want to try.     

[Al_Smith]

I've seen radial arm saws used for a whole lot of stuff you'd never imagine they could do .
Mine is an old Craftsman 9" .Must be at least 35 years old but still works fine .I have no idea what the HP rating is but it must be enough .

I also have a 10" power miter which is also handy for certain things .Then there's the old Millers Falls miter that has to be about 100 years old .It needs some attention on the saw,getting a little on the dull side .That one is arm strong powered . ;D

[Al_Smith]

I worked in a sharpening shop at one time, a lot of blades that came in merely needed cleaning.

Tip of the day,Easy Off oven cleaner .Takes pine residue off in about 2 minutes.

[sawguy21]

Use gloves with that stuff.

[Al_Smith]

Rubber gloves to be specific.  ;) It's got some kind of acid in it but it works .Probabley not a bad idea to rinse the blade with water after the treatment either but I never have .Oak etc. you don't get that pitch  build up,pine you do .

[LeeB]

Alkali actually. Caustic soda. Sodium Hydroxide, or more commonly known as lye.


Water,Diluent

Butane,Propellant

Sodium Hydroxide, pH Adjuster

Diethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether,Solvent

Ethanolamine,pH Adjuster

Aluminum Magnesium Silicate,Thickener

Paraffin Wax,Wax

Fragrance / Parfum,Fragrance

Stearic Acid,Thickener

Carnauba Wax,Wax

Triethanolamine,pH Adjuster

[ozarkgem]

I think Craftsmen must have used cheap motors. I have burnt up every Craftsman motor I have had. Changed to a different brand motor on the same tool and no more problems. I wouldn't hesitate to put a 5 hp on your saw.

[CHARLIE]

I bought a 10 inch Jet Cabinet saw in 2002 as a retirement gift to myself.  It has a 3 HP motor that seems to do a real good job for me.  I've yet to have it slow down even in thick oak. 

I also think a sharp, thin kerf blade makes a big difference too.

[sawguy21]

I think Craftsmen must have used cheap motors. I have burnt up every Craftsman motor I have had. Changed to a different brand motor on the same tool and no more problems. I wouldn't hesitate to put a 5 hp on your saw.

The low end direct drive saws have light windings and cheap bushings. Look for a belt drive with a good dual voltage motor from Dayton, Baldor, Emerson.

[ozarkgem]

I think Craftsmen must have used cheap motors. I have burnt up every Craftsman motor I have had. Changed to a different brand motor on the same tool and no more problems. I wouldn't hesitate to put a 5 hp on your saw.

The low end direct drive saws have light windings and cheap bushings. Look for a belt drive with a good dual voltage motor from Dayton, Baldor, Emerson.

Mine is belt drive. Just a cheap motor.