SawStop -- 5 HP or 3 HP

[John Lemke]

I'm planning on ordering a SawStop in the next week or so. I'm a hobbyist planning on spending a lot of time in retirement making furniture -- and retirement's close enough that this is going to be the tablesaw they bury with me (or maybe in).

My thinking is that 3 HP is plenty. I don't see myself spending hour upon hour ripping hard maple or 8/4 oak. But I hope to be woodworking for maybe 20 more years, so I have to wonder if there are circumstances I might run into in that period that might leave me wishing for the extra two horses.

FWIW, I'll add that until today I'd dismissed the notion of getting the mobile base -- I know where the saw will go and would have no regular need to move it. I figured I'm big enough that on the rare occasions when I might need to move it I can sweat and cuss enough to get it done. But then this image rolled through my brain -- me at age 78, drool spots on my shirt and cracker crumbs in my beard, trying to shift the perfliggene thing a foot for some reason. So suddenly the $300 for the mobile base with the hydraulic lift seems like insurance of sorts. So then I have to wonder if $300 more for 2 extra HP wouldn't also be insurance.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

[michael flay]

I'm planning on ordering a SawStop in the next week or so. I'm a hobbyist planning on spending a lot of time in retirement making furniture -- and retirement's close enough that this is going to be the tablesaw they bury with me (or maybe in).

My thinking is that 3 HP is plenty. I don't see myself spending hour upon hour ripping hard maple or 8/4 oak. But I hope to be woodworking for maybe 20 more years, so I have to wonder if there are circumstances I might run into in that period that might leave me wishing for the extra two horses.

FWIW, I'll add that until today I'd dismissed the notion of getting the mobile base -- I know where the saw will go and would have no regular need to move it. I figured I'm big enough that on the rare occasions when I might need to move it I can sweat and cuss enough to get it done. But then this image rolled through my brain -- me at age 78, drool spots on my shirt and cracker crumbs in my beard, trying to shift the perfliggene thing a foot for some reason. So suddenly the $300 for the mobile base with the hydraulic lift seems like insurance of sorts. So then I have to wonder if $300 more for 2 extra HP wouldn't also be insurance.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

If your going to spend that much for a saw whats $600 more for your own piece of mind down the road!!

[Peter Quinn]

The extra HP is IMO a waste of your money given your stated needs and use. I can easily raise the blade on my 3HP PM 66 up fully and rip 10/4 hardwood with a decent rip blade. The mobile base however is in my case a good investment as moving it otherwise might injure it or me or both.

[Mike Heidrick]

I look at it like this, You cannot add 2hp latter for $300.

Buy both.

[Charles Shenk]

5 hp seems a bit extreme for a 10" blade IMHO.

[Lance Norris]

I have a 3hp cabinet saw and for the last several years have shoved lots of 10 and 12/4 dense, oily, exotic hardwoods (purpleheart, bloodwood, padauk) through it. It never even thinks about breaking a sweat. I am using a sharp Forrest WWII though, and that has to help. If you will be working with mostly domestic hardwoods and the occasional exotic, save your money and get a 3hp.

[Bart Leetch]

Get a 3hp.

[Roy Wall]

Since you have a permanent location in your mind -- I would not overthink this as you have the space. I got a mobile base for my saw because it sits in the garage between our two cars -- I haven't moved it in 3 years!

I'd bag the mobile base in this situation - but I would set it on some a sheet of CCA plywood.


I also wished I had the 5 HP option - but I agree with Charles that the depth of cut on a 10" blade probably does NOT justify 5 hp...the blade can only go so high!

[Anthony Anderson]

5hp SawStop, SS mobile base, and 52" fence. Absolutely No Regrets. I was hesitant to buy the base but it is well worth the money, the best out there IMO. Same as Mike, you can't add the 2hp later. And I didn't think I would use the 52" fence, mostly for a work table, but just used it again tonight, and have found myself using it more often, now that I have it. Good Luck with your choice.

[Anchul Axelrod]

I own the 5 horse and LOVE it!! I would go the extra mile. You wont regret it.

[Tom Veatch]

John, as others have said, and as my experiences with a 3HP Jet also indicate, 3HP on a 10" saw is plenty.

Another thing to think about, if you're really going to use the extra 2HP on a 5HP machine (and why pay for it if you're not going to use it) you really should feed it with a 30 amp circuit. Since that circuit would require 30 amp receptacles, it would pretty much have to be dedicated to the saw since there probably aren't many other items in the shop that are equipped with 30 amp plugs. So, you may need to add the cost of feeding those horses to the increased upfront cost of the saw.

A 3HP (or a 5HP thats not being loaded to full capacity) can live quite comfortably on a 20 amp circuit. But asking for the full 5HP output puts you awfully close to the edge with a 20 amp supply.

[Mike Heidrick]

I have two 30 amp recepticals now (several tools share them - Two 5hp DCs, a 5hp DD sander, 4.8 hp bandsaw, the 5hp SS, and a 5hp planer). Only other 220V tool in the shop is a 3hp jointer and it has a 30amp plug on it as well.

When first got the 5hp SS though I had a 20amp circuit and I never once tripped the breaker with the saw. It worked perfectly.

[Doug Mason]

On a somewhat related issue, how much more severe would kickback w/a 5hp as opposed to 3HP be if, say, you were crosscutting?

[Joe Jensen]

I debated and debated with myself on the same question when I bought my SawStop. In 20 years of owning a Unisaw and PM66, only one time did I wish I had 5hp. In the end, I bought the 5hp version because it was only $200 more and I didn't want to wish I had. Enjoy the saw either way. Also, remember that the 5hp will not really use more power unless loaded beyond what the 3hp could deliver...joe

[Mike Heidrick]

On a somewhat related issue, how much more severe would kickback w/a 5hp as opposed to 3HP be if, say, you were crosscutting?

No kickback - Riving Knife! or the guard which is nice too. My RK rarely comes off - dados are the only reason I have removed it or the guard.

I got hit with a 12"X12" piece of 3/4" ply on my hybrid Delta 36-752. Hit me like a missle - no joke. It literaly cut me through my shirt, skin was cut, shirt was not :eek::eek::eek: I learned a lot that day - do not stand behind the blade, and keep the guards on. I felt it for quite awhile and had a perfect imprint of the edge of a piece of plywood on my skin down to the laminations. Had I been thin it would have broke ribs - only day in my life that I was happy to have the padding.

[Joe Jensen]

On a somewhat related issue, how much more severe would kickback w/a 5hp as opposed to 3HP be if, say, you were crosscutting?

I've experienced kickback with 3HP. I am pretty sure that unless the piece was SUPER heavy, the blade would not slow down at all with a 3HP. 5HP would have the same blade speed, and hence the same force. Just my guess....joe

[Vic Damone]

Leave the gun...take the canolli.

Vic

[Steven Hardy]

I'm planning on ordering a SawStop in the next week or so. I'm a hobbyist planning on spending a lot of time in retirement making furniture -- and retirement's close enough that this is going to be the tablesaw they bury with me (or maybe in).

My thinking is that 3 HP is plenty. I don't see myself spending hour upon hour ripping hard maple or 8/4 oak. But I hope to be woodworking for maybe 20 more years, so I have to wonder if there are circumstances I might run into in that period that might leave me wishing for the extra two horses.

FWIW, I'll add that until today I'd dismissed the notion of getting the mobile base -- I know where the saw will go and would have no regular need to move it. I figured I'm big enough that on the rare occasions when I might need to move it I can sweat and cuss enough to get it done. But then this image rolled through my brain -- me at age 78, drool spots on my shirt and cracker crumbs in my beard, trying to shift the perfliggene thing a foot for some reason. So suddenly the $300 for the mobile base with the hydraulic lift seems like insurance of sorts. So then I have to wonder if $300 more for 2 extra HP wouldn't also be insurance.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

3 hp is more than adequate. If you need more ,the sensible thing would be to skip the saw-stop.....get a Delta 36-790 with 7 and a half hp.,install three phase electricity and use 12/14/16 inch blades. Also get an automatic feeder. Then you will truly have the biggest ,baddest ,safest table saw.Total....maybe 8 grand with the best auto feeder. And youll never look back and wonder maybe I should have gotten bigger......

Pretty flawed logic huh?????Call it Runaway requirements syndrome.
3 horsepower fills the need....5 horsepower is mostly "want"
Ps...if your content with 20 amp performance on a 5hp motor....you didnt need 5hp to begin with...the line losses are pretty significant at the smaller guage wire.
Just be honest with yourself...get what you want or get what you need,
your too old to be confusing yourself!!!!:):):)

[Brian Penning]

A good proportion of the wood I cut is 8/4 hardwood. No trouble at all with the 3 HP, A good blade is an important factor.
As far as the mobile base is concerned you can always get it later. Initially I didn't purchase the mobile base thinking I didn't need it. Later I did buy it.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

While building my recreational deck making the dados in 6x6 posts for the 2x6 rails I hit the limit of my old contractor's saw motor. The poor little thing just wasn't up to the task of shoving an inch wide dado through a 2" deep cut of lumber without overheating an forcing me to take breaks.

Same problem cutting 2" maple.

Get the bigger motor. It'll end up being useful.

[ben bigley]

I you have the great fortune to be able purchase a SawStop and can even ponder the difference between the 3HP and the 5HP pay the extra $300 and get the 5HP. I remind myself over and over again to get the very tools you can afford and not feel guilty about it.

[Don Bullock]

I'm planning on ordering a SawStop in the next week or so. I'm a hobbyist planning on spending a lot of time in retirement making furniture -- and retirement's close enough that this is going to be the tablesaw they bury with me (or maybe in).

My thinking is that 3 HP is plenty. I don't see myself spending hour upon hour ripping hard maple or 8/4 oak. But I hope to be woodworking for maybe 20 more years, so I have to wonder if there are circumstances I might run into in that period that might leave me wishing for the extra two horses...


I look at it like this, You cannot add 2hp latter for $300...

I was in the exact same situation last year. At the time it was $200 for the extra 2 hp, so I bought the 5 Hp. My thinking was along the lines of Mike's.

One thing that you need to consider is the circuit you'll be putting it on. A 3 hp needs 20 amps and a 5 hp should be put on a 30 amp breaker. That may add some extra costs that you weren't figuring on.

The stand, from what I've read, is excellent. You can always add it later.

[jason lambert]

I just got my 3hp sawstop this past weekend. I posted the same question and had similar responces. People who bought the 5hp because they could and it was not that much more $$$, however anyone that had the 3hp NEVER said they wished of the 5hp which lead me to buy the 3hp. My dealer which I trust also like the 3hp better he said it did not dim the lighs on start up. He moves about 4 or 5 sawstops a week so I assume he knows what he is talking about.

You can alwas get the mobial base later, I got it but I move the saw and I have to say it is the best base I ever saw.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Congrats on your new saw!

Jason - can you email or PM me?

[Brian Penning]

I just got my 3hp sawstop this past weekend. I posted the same question and had similar responces. People who bought the 5hp because they could and it was not that much more $$$, however anyone that had the 3hp NEVER said they wished of the 5hp which lead me to buy the 3hp. My dealer which I trust also like the 3hp better he said it did not dim the lighs on start up. He moves about 4 or 5 sawstops a week so I assume he knows what he is talking about.

You can alwas get the mobial base later, I got it but I move the saw and I have to say it is the best base I ever saw.

Congrats on your saw also.
Jeez, 4-5 SawStops a week!! My dealer told me he's sold several hundred since becoming a dealer for them. And when you consider that dealers are limited pretty well to their own territory... Something is catching on....

[Andy Pratt]

I use the 3 HP sawstop with full-kerf blades and have never had an issue with the blade bogging down. I regularly cut 2" western maple and on the occasions that I've cut harder stuff (hickory, oak) I have not noticed any significant difference.

I would go with the mobile base, small expenditure up front for a lot of saved annoyance/backbreaking if you ask me. I can't think of many people who haven't rearranged their shops at least a little bit over the years.

[Mark Singer]

I have the 3 HP SawStop and I am happy. I use very hard woods and exotics. If te wood has stress and binds the blade it will require a slower feed rate on 8/4 , but it is rare. I like the 3 hp ...its a great saw

[Paul Johnstone]

I'm planning on ordering a SawStop in the next week or so. I'm a hobbyist planning on spending a lot of time in retirement making furniture -- and retirement's close enough that this is going to be the tablesaw they bury with me (or maybe in).

My thinking is that 3 HP is plenty. I don't see myself spending hour upon hour ripping hard maple or 8/4 oak. But I hope to be woodworking for maybe 20 more years, so I have to wonder if there are circumstances I might run into in that period that might leave me wishing for the extra two horses.

FWIW, I'll add that until today I'd dismissed the notion of getting the mobile base -- I know where the saw will go and would have no regular need to move it. I figured I'm big enough that on the rare occasions when I might need to move it I can sweat and cuss enough to get it done. But then this image rolled through my brain -- me at age 78, drool spots on my shirt and cracker crumbs in my beard, trying to shift the perfliggene thing a foot for some reason. So suddenly the $300 for the mobile base with the hydraulic lift seems like insurance of sorts. So then I have to wonder if $300 more for 2 extra HP wouldn't also be insurance.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

I've gotten along fine for over 15 years with a 1.5 HP contractor saw.
Ripped 3" oak, cherry, maple, walnut, etc. Of course, I use a good ripping blade. 3HP is more than enough.

As far as the mobile base, think it over. I think it's best to permanently station the table saw and move everything else around. If you permanently station the table saw, you can have a permanent outfeed table/workbench behind it. The big question is whether you have enough room to permanently station it.. if yes, then I wouldn't get the base.

My first shop was about 18' x 18'.. never had the need to move the tablesaw around, even with a 52" rip fence. It stayed put until I moved.

[Lance Norris]

While building my recreational deck making the dados in 6x6 posts for the 2x6 rails I hit the limit of my old contractor's saw motor. The poor little thing just wasn't up to the task of shoving an inch wide dado through a 2" deep cut of lumber without overheating an forcing me to take breaks.

Same problem cutting 2" maple.

Get the bigger motor. It'll end up being useful.

Does this even need comment? I was trying to pull stumps with my Dodge Dakota. It started to overheat. I got a bulldozer and it did a better job. ;)

[Jeff Duncan]

If it's a $300 difference it just seems to me like you could get something awful nice with that money instead of wasting it on the extra HP. The reason I say wasting is b/c I've been using a 2 hp Leeson motor on my Uni for the last 7 or 8 years. It was an upgrade when the original 1-1/2 hp motor kicked. In 7 years of Professional use (and abuse) I can't say there have been many times I've needed extra hp. Sure there are guys who are going to go with the 5hp 'just in case', kinda like throwing a Chevy 350 motor into a mini van you use to commute to work every day. It doesn't hurt anything, you'll just never get use out of the extra power.
As already said if you were ripping hardwoods with a powerfeed all day that's one thing. But for the use your describing, you'll never use the full 3hp, never mind the 5. Now if your talking about motors for a shaper or a planer, well that's a different story!
As for the mobile base, I guess it could be worth the extra money. I move stuff around my shop fairly often, but I can see not wanting to use the back as much in 30 years.
good luck,
JeffD

[Jamie Munn]

Lots of opinions!!! By suggestion is that you won't need the extra 2 HP for your hobby. If it was production work 60+ hrs a week then go the BIG.

I would put the extra $300 in blades!

But the mobile is a must. You may think you know where you want it - but then the next tool aquisition comes in and you need to shift it...or it's not quite under the lights in winter, etc....you see where I'm going. Definately get the mobile base!:cool:

[Mike Heidrick]

In recommending a 5hp sawstop I made the assumption that blades and other saw accessories and or other tools are not an issue. This is typically not the first tool someone buys and when you do buy one it is not strapping you from your other hobby purchases. One does not typically make this or any config of a SS saw choice when it sacrifices other purchases. I could definately be wrong here though.

[Kent Cartwright]

Bought the SS this winter, 3 hp, and love it. I spent the extra money on the SS mobile base. Love that thing too :-)

It met my needs, both now and in the forseeable future. Prior to the SS I had a 1.2 hp contractor's saw, and I was always able to make things happen. On thicker or denser woods I would have to become "one with the wood" in order to not burn or bog down, but I was always able to accomplish what was needed. I figure going to the 3 hp SS doubled my margin of error whenever I run into similiar situtions. The 5 hp would have been nice, but I still needed to watch the pennies, even on a purchase on this scale.

Either way, you will love the SS. I know mine makes me smile every time I see it.

Kent

[Homer Faucett]

I had the same dilemma about 1 year ago--5hp or 3hp? My mind was made up when I called around and found a local dealer that had a 3hp model in stock. He had just sold the 5 hp. I've cut plenty of native hardwood that required the blade to be fully extended. It was not a problem.

I bought the Jet adjustable mobile base, which seems to work fine . . . although I don't move this thing much now that I installed an Exactor sliding table on it. I have no regrets in getting the 3hp.

[J. Z. Guest]

Go with the 3 hp, since you don't need the extra power. Also, you may have to upgrade your wiring and electrial service if you go with 5 hp.

[Roger Bull]

I bought the 5hp, SS fence, 52" rails and table, and SS mobile base last year and love it. No regrets and would do it the same way again.

I like to push wood through at a good rate and am glad I got the 5hp. I considered the 3hp and now know that I made the right choice. A 3hp w/ sharp blades will do a great job but, while I do try, my blades (and sometimes me) are not always the sharpest.

It is a small percentage price difference for the 5hp. If you are even considering it, I suggest you take the plunge.

Have fun it is a great saw.

-Roger

[Charles Neil]

my take...i got the 5 hp, but i do it for a living, i like the extra hp,i cut alot of bed and 16/4 material...typically 3 hp is fine, one of the nice things i find with the 5hp, is that while i may not always use it, its nice to have...kinda like a 4x4 pickup if ya live in a snowy area, and additionally if ya ever want to sell it ,well like the 4x4 it holds a better value and is easier to sell...as to the mobile base ,its nice real nice ...

[Bob Feeser]

Is a 3 hp saw better then a 5 hp saw?
Is there ever a situation that you will need the extra 2 hp?
I know the ultimate solution in making cuts is to be able to control the feed rate, as slow or as fast as I want it, so as to create a smooth as possible cut with the slow rate, while staying one step ahead of burning the wood. With my 1hp saw, I had to use 24 tooth blades to get through even 1 inch stock, and that caused a lot of saw marks in the wood. So you go with more teeth, for a smooth cut, and the motor bogs, or the breaker blows, etc. etc. etc. The limitations of the power of the motor is completely eliminated with a 5. You can use a full width blade no matter how thick the stock, and no matter how deep the angle.

Cutting a 45 in 3 inch hardwood, with a full 1/8th inch thick blade like a Forrest WWII and hear the motor sing through it, without even slowing down is a joy to behold.
I must admit, for 90+ percent of the cuts a 3 is all you will ever need. Norm Abrams uses a 3, but then again he uses a Delta mortising machine, and therefore uses a router to make mortises when he makes an entrance door. I've done it that way, and comparing that, in terms of accuracy and ease of using a Powermatic mortiser on a stand, with a 9 plus inch range of motion is no comparison. Norm, whom I love, errs on the side of frugality, which is honorable, but not always the best option. No offense Norm, I have been following you, and recording your lessons for years, and have a vast library. Thank you.
It sounds to me like the extra 300 or whatever is not so much of a problem for you. I still have my 1hp Sears contractor saw that was my Dad's and the one I learned on, but after all of the problems I was having, cutting 1 1/2" oak, for some doors, filling the shop with smoke, and having to joint the cut, I went for the 5 when I bought my PM66 2004. The Baldor motor won't knock a penny over starting, running, and stopping, but I can blow it over standing up, with a little puff of wind. There is nothing like turning on that saw, hear it sing at full speed instantly, then passing any kind of wood through it, and it doesn't even slow down. It just sings.
Treat yourself to the 5. You're worth it. (Sounds like a hair product commercial):)
Now onto the mobile base. I have the room for the table saw to sit still, and also have a good sized outfeed table behind it, and alongside of it. A table that is sufficiently large enough to keep an 8 foot sheet of ply from hitting the ground is not something that you want to be attached to a mobile base. So I don't. I have everything leveled, with adjustable feet, except for the saw. That is the constant. Everything else is on a level plane with the saw top. I never have a reason to move my saw. It is the center of my shop. The large outfeed table doubles as an assembly table, and with a plastic cover, a glue up station as well. My side extension table, oh shucks, here is a picture of the setup
Check out the motor, it doesn't have the cover on it yet. The motor alone weighs over 100 pounds.
http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/4251/2918871520100733997S600x600Q85.jpg

You must be really excited getting a new saw. I will never forget the day I got mine. I was in a gas station filling my tank, and the cell phone rang, and my wife told me the truck was there, and didn't want to wait, So here I am heading down the highway. :rolleyes::D
http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/7201/2627520510100733997S600x600Q85.jpg
I hope you find that shot as funny as I do. No that is not me. Just kidding. Hey I am entitled to one, once in a while.

[Don Frambach]

I have the 3hp SawStop and never had trouble cutting anything that I wanted to cut in my hobby shop. I chose 3hp instead of 5 because I didn't want to rewire my garage. If that isn't an issue for you and the price difference doesn't matter to you either then go for 5hp.

BTW I am extremely pleased with my SawStop. I have no doubts that you will be pleased with yours too!