Tablesaw Horse power 3 or 5

[Mandell Mann]

Hello Fellow woodworkers,

I was wondering 3 or 5hp for a tablesaw and why? I thought 3hp was good enough, but i see many of you have 5hp. What are the true benefits of 5hp?:D

[Jim Becker]

Most of the time, the extra horsepower is marginal in benefit unless one is running stock through the saw all day long or constantly ripping very thick material. But the cost difference is not all that much these days in many cases, so opting for the higher available horsepower is getting more common.

[Mandell Mann]

Thanks for the advice Jim. So basically I would use 5hp if I planned to run it continuously all day. The 3hp is sufficient for hard woods (hobbyist).

[Steve Schoene]

The only time I have ever thought about wanting 5 hp. was when ripping English Sycamore (think curly maple) for a pencil post bed. Otherwise, not really needed. Also consider the ease of putting in a 30 amp circuit. The three HP just needs a 20 amp. You can often find a separate 12 awg circuit already in place--just change the breakers and the receptacle. But you would likely have to run a new 10 gauge wire circuit to use the 5 hp.

[Paul Canaris]

Hello Fellow woodworkers,

I was wondering 3 or 5hp for a tablesaw and why? I thought 3hp was good enough, but i see many of you have 5hp. What are the true benefits of 5hp?:D

One trick I used in the days when I had smaller HP saws was to rough rip a bit oversize with a bandsaw. Taking the remaining 1/16" or so off on the TS or jointer, even in thicker pieces this was then a piece of cake.

[Anthony Anderson]

The 5hp was a $210 upgrade on my SawStop. I consider it reasonable to upgrade when considering the whole picture. It is there if I ever need it, and over the life of the saw the upgrade cost is not really significant. Now I just need to get it up and running, so I can use the extra 2hp:). Parts should be here next week. Good Luck on your decision, but I say go for the upgrade. Regards, Bill

[Bruce Page]

My 3hp Unisaw has handled everything that I have thrown at it. But, if you’ve got the amps and the cash, go for it. Otherwise, I don’t think it is really needed

[Von Bickley]

I would go with the 3 HP.....:)

[Gary Keedwell]

I would go with the 3 HP.....:)

One more here for the 3 HP.

Gary K.

[Dan Drager]

I have a Grizzly G0444Z with only 2 HP. I use a WWII blade and just today, I ripped 2 1/4" Birdseye maple and it never even shuddered. Unless you're a pro, 3 HP is plenty.

[Allen Bookout]

Steve was talking about the wireing and I believe that I remember when I was considering the same issue (3hp vs 5hp) that the 5hp needed to be hardwired. If this is true and you need to move your saw it would require rewireing instead of just replugging.

I have a 3hp Uni and it has been more than powerful enough for me but I do not run it eight hours a day. I do however change to the proper blade when necessary so that may be a factor also.

[Jim Becker]

Allen, a 5hp saw does not need to be hard-wired. "Most" 5hp machines just require a 30 amp circuit and that's easily accommodated with 10 gage wire, a 30 amp breaker and a matched set of a 30 amp receptacle and plug. (mine are twist-locks)

[Allen Bookout]

Thanks Jim! I stand corrected.