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Thread: Table saws.. hp vs rip capacity

  1. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Joshua Bass View Post
    I bought a 52" Sawstop. I have never needed more than 30" capacity. Anything larger becomes difficult to deal with. Ripping a 4x8 sheet of plywood is difficult even with a friend helping. I ended up buying a tracksaw to break down sheet goods. Now I want to cut my sawstop down to a smaller size to save space
    Came here to say exactly the same thing!

  2. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Brandon Hanley View Post
    Sorry the wording of that was misleading. What I meant was I was wondering if any of the table saws with a 30 inch Rip capacity can easily be upgraded to the larger 50-plus inch capacity with just bolt ons stuff without breaking the bank if needed
    Most can be upgraded by replacing the front guide rail of the fence with a longer one. You would then fabricate the table portion.
    Frankie

    I have a great Border Collie, she just can't hold her licker!

  3. #18
    I have a 3HP saw with a 30+ (more than 30 but not 40) fence capacity. I do have a track saw for breaking down sheet goods, but before I got the track saw, I'd make the first sheet goods cut oversize and then make a second cut to size.

    I've been very satisfied with that setup. Never needed a wider fence setup.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Camas, Wa
    Posts
    3,853
    I have had everything from a 26" capacity to a 52" capacity. The 52" fence tended to accumulate stuff on the table. I now have about 36" I have the G1023RL and shifted the fence over o the left so I could put on a Jessem slider. I am happy with this but I also have a track saw. My saw is on wheels and I have to move it every time I want to use it. Definitely get the 3hp if you have 240V to run it. If you are not sure what you want then get the longer fence and then cut it down if it is too long. It is cheaper/easier to go that route than the other
    Last edited by Cary Falk; 08-09-2017 at 5:08 PM.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Leesville, SC
    Posts
    2,378
    I would go with the 3 HP.
    The ideal saw for me would be a 3HP saw with a 36" rip capacity.
    Army Veteran 1968 - 1970
    I Support the Second Amendment of the US Constitution

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Central PA
    Posts
    112
    I'm starting to wish I would have bought the router setup I have been saving for before starting to research table saws. This escalated quickly two weeks ago I was trying to decide between a $600 Delta and a $750 grizzly to go along with the $800 router setup now it just kind of looks like I'm going to end up with a $1,700 table saw setup lol

  7. #22
    I've owned and worked in multiple cabinet shops over the past 20 years or so. I've built everything from mall fit outs to custom furniture. Never once have I thought a 50"rip capacity would be useful.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Rochester, Minn
    Posts
    228
    Don't ignore used. A good quality cabinet saw will be as useful at 20 years of age as it was when new. There will be several on a local craigslist: many junk but often 1 -3 gems.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Dickinson, Texas
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    I have a series 2000, 1 1/2 hp Delta running on 220V. It has plenty of power and has never given me any problems. It is a 10" saw.
    I switched the wiring on the motor to run on 220 and it made a big difference in power.

  10. #25
    I put a bigger motor on my first saw - I don't remember if I put a 1.5HP or a 2HP motor on it. Ran it on 240V. I did a lot of work with that saw. But when I got my 3HP cabinet saw I was surprised at the difference. It was just much easier to rip, especially thick lumber.'

    You can get by with less than 3HP - people have done it for years - but 3HP (or more) really makes a difference.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Rochester, NY
    Posts
    4,717
    Get both. It's really easy to slide the front rail of a left tilt saw farther to the right to gain more rip capacity. Most will allow you to move the rails by at least one bolt hole, gaining around 10" without drilling. Will 40" rip do the trick? You'll need to relocate or replace the measuring tape, and fill the gap between the rails with an extension or router table. Pretty easy to do.

    I will say that I enjoy my 3hp motor for every single cut on my TS. I rarely use more than the 30" rip capacity, but do have some extra when needed.
    Last edited by scott spencer; 08-10-2017 at 5:03 PM.
    Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    NE Ohio
    Posts
    6,977
    This escalated quickly two weeks ago I was trying to decide between a $600 Delta and a $750 grizzly to go along with the $800 router setup now it just kind of looks like I'm going to end up with a $1,700 table saw setup lol
    LOL! That's the way it always seems to go!
    Anyhow - - I have around $1300 - give or take - invested in my "saw system". I bit the bullet and bought a Festool TS55EQ track saw. I also bought a Home Depot Ridgid TS 3650 cast iron top table saw.
    I used one of the Home Depot cash back reward credit cards for a year, paying off the balance each month, and we bought all the materials on it to rehab a rental house.
    I ended up with a few hundred dollars of rewards, plus I waited until Home Depot had one of their $100 off sales. IIRC, my final cost was a little over $200.

    There's always some creative way to buy the stuff we want .
    I paid full boogie for the Festool though.

    Either way though, I would suggest not trying to pinch pennies on either the track saw or the table saw.

    Used is a decent option - -provided you know what you're getting into.

    I know so little about what to look for in used tools, I have 'Sucker" written all over my forehead.
    My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
    Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Central PA
    Posts
    112
    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Engelhardt View Post
    1.
    LOL! That's the way it always seems to go!

    2. I know so little about what to look for in used tools, I have 'Sucker" written all over my forehead.
    1. Yea that's for sure. Up unroll 2 weeks ago I was saving to get the incra combo #3 router table with ls positioner. After listening to a buddy bitch about my crappy table saw while we were trying to cut sheets of under laminate flooring and plywood for two weeks suddenly a table saw crept into the equation. That meant budgeting the $800 router table and a $600 saw but I needed to wait for another paycheck and by the time that can we're here.

    2. I know exactly what you mean there that is exactly how I feel and between that and my crazy work schedule buying used stuff just isn't very feasible for me most of the time because I end up having to schedule a time that I can take a friend with me and fit the trip into a 70 Hour Work Week

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Central PA
    Posts
    112
    Thanks to the new Facebook marketplace of all things the search is over. An ad showed up in my newsfeed for a grizzly not 2 miles from my house. 20 mins later I negotiated to get to a price that I thought was fair but not a steal. The convenience of how close it was added to the value for me. I ended up putting a deposit on a like new grizzly g0691 with Mobil base and new delta dato stack. The final price ended up being $1300. As long as my buddy shows up to help tomorrow I should have it home by 4pm.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    1,830
    If you or your buddy own a pickup truck, cabinet saws move easily. Put a thick blanket or moving pad in the truck with the back edge of it covering the lowered tailgate. Remove the fence and side extension table and blade insert. Crank the blade to it's fully down position and remove the blade if it does not go fully below the table top, and then roll the saw to the back of the pickup with the back of the saw against the pickup tailgate. get the back edge of the saw table on the tailgate and then you and your buddy can tilt the saw and lift it, rotating the saw cabinet using the back edge of the saw table as a hinge point. Rotate the saw into the pickup so that it is sitting upside down on the blanket/moving pad. Then slide the saw on the blanket until it is between the wheel wells. Now tie it in and then place the fence dolly, and everything else in the pickup around the saw. When you arrive home, just reverse the process to unload the saw. By doing this, you and your buddy will never have to handle the full weight of the saw and it will be much easier than trying to pick the saw up high enough to get it into the pickup and then back out when home. It will be much easier on both of you. Cabinet saws are top heavy so they travel much better upside down. I have moved 5 cabinet saws, including a 7.5 hp saw this way and I never had to exert more than about 70 lbs of lifting myself, nor did my helper.

    Charley

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