upgrade contractor saw

[ron ogle]

I am considering a new cabinet saw and was thinking that my main reason is more power so why cant I put a 3hp motor on my 20 year old Delta contractor saw which is ok otherwise?

[Norman Pyles]

Your saw was not designed to have a motor that powerful and heavy. If you look at the insides of a cabinet saw, they are much heaver built than a contractors saw.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Current motor is a NEMA 56 frame, and 3.0 HP will be a NEMA 185 frame. Because you belt is gravity tensioned, you will have problems. Innards of the saw weren't made to take 3 HP either, even though the arbor bearings are the same on both saws. I have a true 2.0 HP motor on my contractor's saw, but my Uni only has a 1.5 HP motor on it.

[david brum]

There are some major benefits of a cabinet saw besides power. The table mounted trunnion is important. With the motor mounted inside the saw cabinet, the blade doesn't want to twist out of square when cutting bevels. Smoothness is another feature. All that extra weight and multiple drive belts really dampen vibration. Most cabinet saws also come with a Bies-style fence. They are big and heavy and don't move when clamped down. Dust collection is worlds better. New table saws come with riving knives.

I agree that adding a big motor to a contractor saw might be asking for trouble. A 3hp motor is pretty heavy and is bound to cause havoc to the trunnion when beveled over. Heck, it could even break or bend the trunnion when tilting or in the case of something jamming during a cut. At the very least, it could ruin your saw.

Depending on where you live, you might even be able to find a used cabinet saw for close to the price of a new 3hp motor. I've seen used Grizzly cabinet saws for $400 on our local craigslist. A new 3 hp motor will likely run you $300.

[Neil Bosdet]

Ron, the advice you're getting here is spot on (IMHO). Further to the comment from David, 9 times out of 10, it's cheaper and far less time consuming to buy a better used tool and sell your old one. This also gives you a much better tool than you'd have if you upgrade your motor.

[ron ogle]

many thanks to all,points well taken Ron

[scott spencer]

I wouldn't do it....too much of a difference in weight and torque of the motor, and you'd still be left with the known the drawbacks of the old contractor saw design. You could probably add a 2hp motor without issue, but I wouldn't go larger than that. The cabinet trunnions are much easier to reach, and all the associated parts are much beefier.

Here's a look at the guts of a Delta contractor saw:


Compared to the guts of an industrial style cabinet saw: