Anyone Upgraded Sawstop PCS 1.75 to 3HP?

[Jason Lester]

After ripping some 8/4 Ash, I am wishing I had gotten the 3HP Sawstop PCS. At the time, the price was just more than I could do and I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to keep doing woodworking long-term. I seem to remember reading somewhere that it is possible to upgrade the PCS 1.75 to the 3HP motor. Has anyone done this? If so, what all gets replaced and what was the cost?

[John TenEyck]

Have you considered a different blade? A sharp 24 tooth rip blade goes through 8/4 white oak pretty well for me on my 1.5 HP Unisaw. When I need to saw something thicker than that I switch to a thin kerf ripping blade. For really thick stuff I use my bandsaw. How much 8/4 stock are you realistically going to cut?

John

[Steve Wilde]

When I was looking to buy my sawstop there was a 5Hp ICS that I was looking at buying. It was three phase so I inquired with sawstop about phase converters. They suggested not using one, but offered I could buy a 5 hp motor and the control box from them for I believe $300. Not too bad really. Now I'm wishing I had spent the extra for a 5 Hp ICS over the pcs. Oh well...

[John Schweikert]

I use a Carbide Processors 24 tooth rip blade on my PCS 1.75hp and that blade cuts effortlessly through 10/4 mahogany. Ripped a hundred feet for boat gunwales and spray rails. I've yet to experience a cut my saw can't do well. High quality sharp blades make a difference.

[Mike Cutler]

Jason

I have to agree with everyone else about the blade.
I have a mid 90's Jet contractor saw, and a General 50-220 hybrid saw. Neither of them near the quality of yours, and both of them could handle 8/4 ash with ease all day long. I think you need a new blade, or one with a different tooth configuration. A lot cheaper than a new motor. ;)

[Jason Lester]

I've been using a Freud LM72M010 dedicated rip blade. It is fresh out of the package. Sawstop says not to use the thin-kerf blades, but may be worth getting one just for special cases like this? Maybe the Freud just isn't a good blade?

[John Schweikert]

I have that same Freud rip too but the CP rip is just a better blade. The CP blade uses a flat tooth followed by a triple chip grind tooth in alternating pattern. Not sure if that is where the improvement comes from or the tooth material, the grinding or better flatness, but all added up the CP blade is one top cutter.

[John TenEyck]

I use the red coated version of that blade, very similar, and it cuts just fine for me. Is the blade actually struggling or is it just not cutting fast enough to suite you? It's hard to imagine a new blade not being sharp, but I am sure that mine cut faster than new after I had it resharpened.

John

[Jason Lester]

I sawed up another slab tonight. I slowed my feed rate down and raised the blade all the way up (instead of just a little over the top like I normally do.) That definitely helped. I still stalled it out a couple of times, but I think it was my fault for speeding up the feed rate. This is really hard and thick wood though. It is the hardest wood I've ever worked. I still might look into the 3HP upgrade at some point.

[Nick Stokes]

If ripping 8/4 ash is something you will do once, I wouldn't worry about it. It got the job done, even if it was an inconvenience to stop and reset it... Wouldn't be worth $500 to fix that would it?

If it would be, then there's your answer.

[scott spencer]

As long as the riving knife is thinner than the blade, why wouldn't a 3/32" thin kerf blade work? A decent 24T FTG TK blade should hog through just about anything with minimal complaint. (Freud LU87, Infinity010-124, CMT 202.024.10, etc ....even the Diablo and Marples should work fine.

[glenn bradley]

I've been using a Freud LM72M010 dedicated rip blade. It is fresh out of the package. Sawstop says not to use the thin-kerf blades, but may be worth getting one just for special cases like this? Maybe the Freud just isn't a good blade?

From the Saw Stop Site:

QUESTION: Can I use thin and thick kerf 10" blades with a SawStop saw?

ANSWER: The SawStop safety system is designed for use with standard 10” blades with kerfs from 3/32” to 3/16”. Blades with kerfs much thinner than 3/32” should not be used


As long as the riving knife is thinner than the blade, why wouldn't a 3/32" thin kerf blade work? A decent 24T FTG TK blade should hog through just about anything with minimal complaint. (Freud LU87, Infinity010-124, CMT 202.024.10, etc ....even the Diablo and Marples should work fine.

I agree. On my 3HP PCS I use 3/32" blades left over from my 1.75HP hybrid with great success on thick or rip cutting jobs. A 24 tooth Carbide Processors (http://www.carbideprocessors.com/worlds-best-37231-thin-kerf-saw-blades/) blade from our member Tom Walz could make your saw sing for a fraction of the cost and effort of a new motor. Just sayin'

[Wade Lippman]

A few years back I cut 10/4 ash on my craftsman 1.5 hp saw. No problem.
There is something wrong with your saw, blade, or technique.

[Phil Thien]

Freud blades I've used have required more feed pressure on the stock than other blades like the WWII and especially the yellow DeWalt blades (which are no longer made in the same factory Euro factory and I have no idea how the Chinese ones work). Those yellow DeWalt blades are amazing.

[Keith Hankins]

I have a Forrest WWII 20T ripping blade that I use on 12/4". That should help. I do have the 5hp ICS and love it. See what it would take. I wanted 5hp when I got mine and asked if I could get the 3hp and upgrade the motor, and it would not work due to diff controllers etc. However going to 3hp for the PCS might be doable. Call them they are the experts and will tell you what you need to know.

If you can't upgrade that 20T blade will cut like butter, but you will not be able to horse it through the blade.

Resale value is excellent, you could sell it and upgrade!

Good luck.

[Robb White]

What Sawstop means with regards to the thin kerf blades is that the braking system won't work as engineered and is there for liability reasons. If I was you, which I'm not but if I was I'd disable the braking system slap a thin kerf blade on rip to my little hearts content and make sure to keep all body parts away from the blade. Would seem to be an easier and cheaper solution and if you want to be really anal about it call up Sawstop and talk to the folks and see what's what.

-Rob

[John Schweikert]

Make sure your blade, fence and miter slots are all dead square. Make sure the splitter is perfectly behind the blade. Adjust anything needed so you are confident the machine is set correctly for ripping and any other cutting. Get the gullets of the rip blade up so they show. I know some people want half a tooth as all that pokes out but for ripping, get the blade up and get saw dust cleared out during the cut.

Make sure you are working with properly squared wood. A bow lengthwise will cause binding, slow things down and degrade the cut quality.

I think the setup or blade are the issue. The 1.75hp isn't the problem. A thin kerf blade isn't needed on this saw.

[Jason Lester]

Ripped some shorter pieces this afternoon. Much easier time. I think the long (10'), wide (19"), and heavy boards were probably moving around a little on me and releasing some tension as I was ripping that was binding the blade.

[Jay Bailey]

Have you considered a different blade? A sharp 24 tooth rip blade goes through 8/4 white oak pretty well for me on my 1.5 HP Unisaw. When I need to saw something thicker than that I switch to a thin kerf ripping blade. For really thick stuff I use my bandsaw. How much 8/4 stock are you realistically going to cut?

John

I agree with the 24 tooth rip blade - this makes a big difference over a combination blade. However, personally I will not use a thin kerf blade, with a SawStop or otherwise. Conventional wisdom is that the thin kerf is less likely to kick back because it is removing less material. However, that also means the kerf is thinner, and MORE likely to pinch the blade because it is thinner. I would stick with regular kerf blades, but use a specialized rip blade if you have a lower power saw.

Jay