About Table Saws

[Paul K. Johnson]

Jim - It would be great if I knew someone with a 1.75 hp saw who would let me cut some of my wood. Then I'd know for certain if it's adequate or not.

But if I buy a saw and there's nothing wrong with it I think I'm kind of stuck with it. I doubt they'd let me return it after I assembled it and cut up a bunch of wood and decided I need a different saw.

I probably don't need 3 hp but here's the other thing. My lifetime goal is to be able to make anything I ever want to make. I'm not talking about wood-working. I'm talking about anything. If I want to make a miniature engine that runs then I want the tools and the skills.

I do plan to build a proper workbench one day and the one thing I know for certain is I want a really thick top and very stout legs.

I suppose if the wood is too thick for my saw I could go all Paul Sellers and use a handsaw to rip all my boards.

[Nick Stokes]

1.75 is enough for me. I have the sawstop pcs. With the stock blade, after it got dull, I struggled once when I tried to resaw a 2x4 with a full blade height cut. It bogged down. New sharp blade and it makes this cut fine. Full kerf. Thin kerf I haven't tried yet, but would be no problem at all.

Almost dull combo blade on it now, I just finished ripping 8/4 QSWO with no problems.

In 3 years, I've bogged it down a handful of times. All of which could be attributed to dull blades, or out of square lumber binding against the fence.

Most guys on here though will say it's Inferior... Same guys that drive around in 4x4 pickups that never leave the pavement?

[Steve Cowart]

1.75 is enough for me. I have the sawstop pcs. With the stock blade, after it got dull, I struggled once when I tried to resaw a 2x4 with a full blade height cut. It bogged down. New sharp blade and it makes this cut fine. Full kerf. Thin kerf I haven't tried yet, but would be no problem at all.

Almost dull combo blade on it now, I just finished ripping 8/4 QSWO with no problems.

In 3 years, I've bogged it down a handful of times. All of which could be attributed to dull blades, or out of square lumber binding against the fence.

Most guys on here though will say it's Inferior... Same guys that drive around in 4x4 pickups that never leave the pavement?

Plus 1,

I agree whole-heatedly! My 1.75 H.P. will NEVER stop me from building or cutting anything. If I can't cut it with 1.75 h.p. then I probably shouldn't be cutting it at all.

I don't mean to say 3 h.p. doesn't have its place, I just mean you will never find yourself limited to WHAT you can build.

[scott spencer]

Jim - It would be great if I knew someone with a 1.75 hp saw who would let me cut some of my wood. Then I'd know for certain if it's adequate or not.

But if I buy a saw and there's nothing wrong with it I think I'm kind of stuck with it. I doubt they'd let me return it after I assembled it and cut up a bunch of wood and decided I need a different saw.

I probably don't need 3 hp but here's the other thing. My lifetime goal is to be able to make anything I ever want to make. I'm not talking about wood-working. I'm talking about anything. If I want to make a miniature engine that runs then I want the tools and the skills.

I do plan to build a proper workbench one day and the one thing I know for certain is I want a really thick top and very stout legs.

I suppose if the wood is too thick for my saw I could go all Paul Sellers and use a handsaw to rip all my boards.

You don't "need" 3hp. You can cut most everything you need with a 1.75hp motor (or less), but you'll have to be more aware of the pace it can handle, alignment, blade choice, wood thickness/density, etc....it's not that difficult to bog down a 1.75hp by pushing a bit too hard. With 3hp, that'll almost never be an issue...you can pretty much dictate the pace. At some point, a lot of these saws are overkill and are more than is needed to cut wood....heck a $150 used Craftsman contractor will do the same job....anything beyond that is really a luxury. There's nothing wrong with wanting to own a really nice dream saw if it's something you'd enjoy and can swing the budget. 3hp is not a necessity for most of us, but there's an aspect of pleasure and enjoyment when you buy a top of the line saw, not to mention longevity. The 3hp motor makes me smile every time I hit the start button, and I've never regretted having it. It's kinda like getting that sports car of your dreams, but choosing the smaller more fuel efficient motor....would you regret getting a 67 Mustang with a 4-cylinder motor? ....nice car, but....

Lack of 220v would be the only reason I'd skip 3hp on a top shelf saw.

[Adam Merritt]

When I decided to buy a new saw months ago, I vowed to buy enough that I shouldn't need to upgrade again. My DWE7480 was a year old and I realized I don't like replacing new tools, so I let it be a lesson. When looking at the Grizzly saws, I had settled on the G1023RLWX. I knew it was a little bigger than I needed, and that I didn't care for the router mount. Considering I could get an extra cast iron extension and 5 HP motor for only $100 more than the G1023RL (or $50 over the RLW for just the extra 2 HP), that decision made itself. I think I would have always regretted not spending the $100 otherwise.
My biggest advice would be to try and buy a little more than you need now, so you don't have to upgrade/replace later. A good friend calls it "buy once, cry once".

[Jim Andrew]

The argument back in '04 when I ordered my Unisaw was, 5hp or 3hp. I ordered 3hp and have been happy with the uni. Also have a Hammer, it is 4hp. Both have plenty of power. Had the lower hp saws in the past, would not go that way.

[andy bessette]

I have both 1.5 and 3 hp Unisaws and am plenty happy with both.

[Chris Hachet]

When I decided to buy a new saw months ago, I vowed to buy enough that I shouldn't need to upgrade again. My DWE7480 was a year old and I realized I don't like replacing new tools, so I let it be a lesson. When looking at the Grizzly saws, I had settled on the G1023RLWX. I knew it was a little bigger than I needed, and that I didn't care for the router mount. Considering I could get an extra cast iron extension and 5 HP motor for only $100 more than the G1023RL (or $50 over the RLW for just the extra 2 HP), that decision made itself. I think I would have always regretted not spending the $100 otherwise.
My biggest advice would be to try and buy a little more than you need now, so you don't have to upgrade/replace later. A good friend calls it "buy once, cry once".

I would second this in the strongest terms possible, actually.

[Paul K. Johnson]

I'm very strongly leaning toward a 3 hp saw. I never plan to make actual furniture but I still use some thick wood sometimes and it's often hard maple. I also have some 2" hickory that I bought just for giggles. I have 20 bf of it and so far the only thing I've used it for is to make a new handle for a tack hammer that came in a stanley tool cabinet I inherited from my granddad.

[Adam Merritt]

When making this type decision, I like to ask myself if I would ever regret buying option X or Y. "Will I ever regret that I bought a 3 HP saw, even if it turns out that I never really *needed* that much power", and the other would be "will I ever regret buying a 1.75 HP saw, if one day I do something unplanned and would have used that power". That helps me make the decision. I went back and forth on Grizzly vs SawStop for a long while, and would make my mind up one way, then change it, and flip again. It came down to the question of "If I never have an accident and never trip the safety stop, would I be upset I spent the money on it" and "If I ever accidentally touch the blade and don't have a SawStop, would I be upset I didn't spend for it".

I ended up running a bunch of new electrical in my garage about two months ago in prep for my new tools. I ran 2 separate L6-30R (dust collector and one other tool at the same time), 1 duplex 6-20R (just in case) shared with a 1 L6-20R (air compressor), and 2x duplex 5-20R on separate circuits (each duplex outlet on a separate circuit) for any small hand tools and other things in the future. I figured if I was going to run the 2 L6-30 outlets, I might as well run a few extra. All wire is 10-3 plus ground, so any of those 20 amp circuits could be upgraded to 30 amp with a breaker and receptacle change, and all support a full 4-wire conversion if needed in the future, all without having to pull any cables or cut in the wall again. I don't recall if you were going to need to run a 220v circuit for this purchase if you do the 3 HP, but if you do, think about future needs, as it would be cheaper to do it all at once.

[Paul K. Johnson]

I rent so I'm limited to what I can do. My current box is completely full. I would have to buy an additional service to put in 220 and the landlady isn't going to let me do that. If I could use the current box she would be fine with more circuits as long as I pay for them.

So I will be going to 220 and will end up using a high amperage extension cord that shares the dryer plug. It's the only way I can get 220 until I move. And I have no plans to move any time soon.

[glenn bradley]

I rent so I'm limited to what I can do. My current box is completely full. I would have to buy an additional service to put in 220 and the landlady isn't going to let me do that. If I could use the current box she would be fine with more circuits as long as I pay for them.

So I will be going to 220 and will end up using a high amperage extension cord that shares the dryer plug. It's the only way I can get 220 until I move. And I have no plans to move any time soon.

Just to add credence to your plan, I ran a shop made 12ga extension for my planer until I got the shop re-org'd and added a permanent plug location. My point is that your solution should work. Take the money you save adding the box/circuit and buy high quality cord and connectors for the extension cord and you should be fine.

[Chris Hachet]

Just to add credence to your plan, I ran a shop made 12ga extension for my planer until I got the shop re-org'd and added a permanent plug location. My point is that your solution should work. Take the money you save adding the box/circuit and buy high quality cord and connectors for the extension cord and you should be fine.

Agreed....I will be using a similar cord to run my Powermatic band saw from my Unisaw outlet until I can find time to add a second panel in the basement. Nothing wrong with this approach at all.