Sawstop power question?

[jason lambert]

I am about to pull the plug on a sawstop. My question is the dealer seems to think the 3hp 230V 13A is sufficient. I am a hobbyist so this is not a production shop. Has anyone had any bog down with it. I don't really have anything to gauge it agents My table saw now is a dewalt portable 15A 110V and I jam the blade up now and then and pop breakers ripping wood. Should I go for the 5hp 20.5A? If I do that means I need a 30A breaker, I already ran 1/3 for a 20A breaker. My dealer seems to think the 5hp is overkill is there any disadvantage to going more HP at this price I want to do it right one tome and hopefully never need another table saw.

[Todd Bin]

3 HP on a 220 line is plenty of power unless you are ripping 4 inch thick maple. If you are used to 2 HP on a 110 line you are going to be amazed. Mine is 3 HP and I have never had any issues. Get the 5HP if it is important for you to have the biggest, most powerful table saw on the block. It is only like $200 more.

The dealer is correct, but somethimes it is hard to trust the dealer since he probably has the 3HP in stock and can move it out where he would have to order the 5HP.

[Tom Hargrove]

One of the shops I work in occasionally has a 5 hp Unisaw. The difference is noticeable over a 3 hp saw, especially when running a dado head. Note that 5 hp is 66% more powerful than a 3 hp.

It will be quite sometime before I get a Sawstop (kids in college . . .), but I will definitely get the larger motor when I do.

TWH

[Rod Sheridan]

I have a 3HP General 650 at home.

It rips 12/4 oak with ease, using a rip blade.

Using a fine tooth blade it rips hardwood plywood faster than you can feed the material by hand.

I've made oak hardwood flooring, and ripped 20 sheets of maple plywood into 3 3/4 inch strips using a power feeder set at 32 feet per minute for a volunteer project at a museum.

Dados are no problem, it hogs them out easily.

I cannot imagine what you would ever need a 5 HP saw for at home.

Regards, Rod.

[jason lambert]

I am leaning towards the 3hp but it Im sure depends on the saw not all 3hp saws are the same also the tuning and blade play alot.

[Bart Leetch]

I feel the 5 HP is great if you need it for production or 1 upsmanship or just gotta have the biggest baddest saw on the block.

[Rod Sheridan]

I am leaning towards the 3hp but it Im sure depends on the saw not all 3hp saws are the same also the tuning and blade play alot.


Jason, the General, SawStop, Powermatic etc cabinet saws will all have 3 hp motors with identical performance.

The motor will be a true 3 HP motor, and the saws all have good drive methods, bearings, trunions etc.

You won't find that the 3HP Sawstop is far better, or far worse than the other true cabinet grade saws, they all will deliver similar cutting performance.

Regards, Rod.

[Tim Marks]

My table saw now is a dewalt portable 15A 110V and I jam the blade up now

There is no comparison between a 110V direct drive universal motor and an 3-5 Hp induction motor in a stationary tablesaw. You cannot extrapolate from one to the other; they simply do not compare. 220V 3 Hp motor is a beast that will do all that you will probably want to do. I would not shill out another $300 to get the larger motor just for bragging rights.

You can plug the 3 Hp motor into a 220V 15 or 20 amp circuit (which you could run with 12/2 gauge wire). The 5 Hp motor will need a 220V 30 amp circuit to be comfortable, which means running 10/2 gauge wire as a minimum (8/2 gauge if it is a long run).


If I do that means I need a 30A breaker, I already ran 1/3 for a 20A breaker.
You don't need to run three conductor cable for a 220V outlet (except for your dryer, which needs both 220V and 110V in the outlet). You should be using normal romex duplex wire with a ground wire. 3 connector cable is a PIA to run, it is harder to run 12/3 then 10/2 gauge duplex (even 8/2 is probably easier). I would just run a separate 110V duplex wire where needed.

[Chris Padilla]

3 HP is plenty...end of thread. :D

[Bob Swenson]

You said it Chris – We have cut thousands of feet of Mahogany with
The three horse Saw Stop.
End of story------Get- r- done :cool:

[Scott Seigmund]

Keep in mind the Saw Stop transmits power via two belts and three pulleys which will result in more frictional drag than the typical design. What the percentage is, I have no idea. If you will primarily be ripping thick hardwoods, I would recommend the 5hp. Having used both 3 and 5hp saws extensively, I have to agree with Tom, that the difference is noticeable especially in tougher woods. I have pushed enough feet of heavy hardwood through a 3hp saw to cause the thermal overload to trip. If you do this, you’ll learn that it takes the motor a long time to cool off. I also have a 5HP 3ph, and I don’t think it is possible to stop it with any volume or thickness of wood-base material.

Scott

[Anthony Anderson]

I decided on the 5hp. 3hp would have been plenty. Not about "1upsmanship"???, or whatever you choose to call it. I just figured that it was a cheap upgrade. Will I ever need it? Probably not. But it is there if I ever do. Some choose to upgrade several things in life, I just chose to upgrade my tablesaw, just for me, no insecurities to have the "Biggest, Baddest, tablesaw on the block. Now that you mention it...I think I have the only tablesaw on the block. Okay, I confess... Well actually I upgraded for good ole' Bart:D:D. Oh BTW, you will love the saw, regardless of which hp. Good Luck.

[Chris Padilla]

Keep in mind one thing:

The 3 HP motor will do fine on a 240V/20A circuit but the 5 HP *might* need a 240V/30A circuit.

The 20 A circuit needs #12 wire but the 30 A will need #10.

Just something else to think about.

[David DeCristoforo]

"I decided on the 5hp..."

YESSS!!! Thats the sprit! More Power...Arh Arh Arh...

"3hp would have been plenty..."

Absolutely would be for 95% of whatever you are likely to do. It's that other 5%...
I have a 5HP on my uni and every now and then......

YM

[Roger Bull]

I decided on the 5hp for mine. The last thing I wanted to worry about was wishing I had a little more power after spending that much on a saw.

It is not about having the biggest on the block (that would be the 7.5hp). I just like a little cushion.

It is nice to be able to rip 8/4+ bubinga at a good clip without much strain on the motor.

-Roger

[Chris Padilla]

For you guys having the 5 HP behemoth, did you put that on a 240V/30A circuit?

[David DeCristoforo]

"...did you put that on a 240V/30A circuit?"

Better yet.... mine's 3 phase....oooo...

YM

[Chris Padilla]

"...did you put that on a 240V/30A circuit?"

Better yet.... mine's 3 phase....oooo...

YM

:mad: No fair!!! ;)

Most hobbyists don't have access to 3-phase power, unfortunately.... :(

[Mike Heidrick]

For you guys having the 5 HP behemoth, did you put that on a 240V/30A circuit?

Yes, I use mine on a 10/2 line and 30amp breaker. But here is the reality, I used it just fine on a 12/2 20amp circuit until I put that new line in (actually I put in two new lines). Never tripped a breaker once. I know it was not right but that is what I did and it worked perfectly.

BTW, I went 5hp because there was not much difference in $4100 and $4300 when I bought my saw and all its goodies. Figured $200 would buy 5hp now (actually then - Oct 06) but latter on I could Not spend $2000 and get 5hp. Figured I had the option only once so I took it.

[Mike Heidrick]

:mad: No fair!!! ;)

Most hobbyists don't have access to 3-phase power, unfortunately.... :(


Everyone does who has single phase 220 - VFDs and RPCs are SWEET!!

[Chris Padilla]

Everyone does who has single phase 220 - VFDs and RPCs are SWEET!!

Well, true, but I was thinking coming from the pole or dungeon from your local utility.... :)

[Mike Heidrick]

Well, true, but I was thinking coming from the pole or dungeon from your local utility.... :)


Two years ago it would have been free to run 3 phase to my shop. I was quoted $9K last summer by the power company!!!! A VFD was $150.

[John Stan]

I have the 3HP SawStop and a few hours ago was sawing some 3 inch curly cherry. It handled the load just fine. No bogging down. For me, I did not see the need for the 5HP. That said, it is only a few hundred more for the 5HP. If an electrician is running the 220, they will probably charge you more for the 30A vs the 20A. Sweet machine, you will not be disapointed.

[Dan Lee]

For you guys having the 5 HP behemoth, did you put that on a 240V/30A circuit?

Yes 10awg and 30A twist lock outlet, but at the time I didn't have a 30A breaker just 20A ... it has never tripped in a year and I have run a fair amount of various 8/4


edit BTW In terms of cutting power I haven't seen much difference in the 5Hp over the 3hp PM66 I replaced

[Don Bullock]

I have a 5 hp SawStop on a 240V/30A circuit. Would 3 hp have been enough? Most likely it would have, but the $200 didn't add that much to the cost and I had already had my electrician install a 240V/30A circuit in my shop?garage.

[John Russell]

Before I acquired a 5hp Sawstop I had a 3HP Unisaw .... for my use in a hobby shop, I do not see a difference. If the choice was 3 or 5 hp in a home show, I would go for 3.
JR

[glenn bradley]

My table saw now is a dewalt portable 15A 110V and I jam the blade up now and then and pop breakers ripping wood.

Apples and oranges; whole different kind of motor and rating method. I rip 8/4 red oak with a 24 tooth thin kerf blade on my 1-3/4HP, no problem, doesn't mind a bit. If I had a 3HP, I would switch to full kerf blades but would not expect a performance problem.

[Joe Jensen]

For you guys having the 5 HP behemoth, did you put that on a 240V/30A circuit?


Yes, had to rewire my sub panel to do it...joe

[Roger Bull]

For you guys having the 5 HP behemoth, did you put that on a 240V/30A circuit?

Yep. 10ga, 30a with twistlock connectors to the (10ga cord on the SawStop as well).

-Roger