tablesaw horsepower

[Paul Geer]

I have to say a 3HP Table saw is enough power for me, I work with a 5HP TS at work and beleive me there is a difference between the two, both have use a 10" blade, that 5HP does not slow down at all like a 3HP can with the same work load, kinda scary at times, but we got the dang thang and will keep it. I have a 3HP TS at the home shop and it works great for all operations including dado blade work. Just take it easy with the feed and you got it!

[Jerry Hazen]

So you're saying that a saw with a larger motor has the capability of kicking back a larger piece. I can't disagree with that. However most anecdotal kickback stories I've heard about that caused injury didn't involve large pieces, but small ones that pierce into the chest or abdomen rather than, say, knocking the person over. So I guess we just disagree on the premise. I'm assuming that the dangerous kickback will be just as sufficiently propelled by the 3hp saw as by the 5hp saw. But I agree that a 5hp saw could kickback a piece that a 3hp saw couldn't, or kickback some certain pieces faster than a 3hp saw.

It's just that it appeared you were making a blanket statement that kickbacks from a 5hp saw will always carry more momentum than kickbacks from a 3hp saw. This will actually only be the case in a certain set of circumstances. We apparently disagree on the frequency and resulting danger associated with those circumstances.

Jerry

[Russ Filtz]

I guess I wasn't making a blanket statement. Some people feel the 5 hp is actually safer since it can power through some bind-ups that might make a lower power machine kick.

I'd prefer to get full binds than to get clocked by a huge chunk of wood! The smaller penetrating kickbacks are everyones worry I guess.

P.S. I'm only running a dinky 1-1/2 hp contractor saw anyway! Still have to worry even with that!

[Keith Outten]

I thought that HP was relative to feed rate and blade diameter.

Larger motors usually can accomodate larger blades, this increases production since you can feed faster as there are more cuts per revolution of the blade.

Smaller motors tend to slow down when the feed rate is to high and thus the cuts per revolution are reduced especially when a smaller blade is used, also the motor will tend to overheat.

All motors share the same problems with kickback as kickback is most often the result of improper technique and not HP.

[Jamie Buxton]

I have a 30 year old Unisaw with a 1 1/2 horse motor. It has been making furniture and cabinets all those years, and has done it just fine. (I'm a full-time woodworker.) The only time it bogs down is when I'm doing something really stupid which I should stop immediately -- like using a dull blade, or ripping lumber that is trying to pinch the kerf closed on the back of the blade. I've never felt any need to get 3 horsepower, let alone 5!

[Cam.Hedrick]

kickback a piece of 3/4" x 2" red oak and send it through a 2x4 edgeway and then pierce an 8 x 16 block wall. I saw a piece of black walnut about the same size kicked back by a 7 1/2 hp commercial saw at a friends shop and did about the same damage. I'd say the difference is minimal. I have bogged down my 3 hp UNISAW ripping 12/4 cherry with a new Forrest ripping blade, slowed down the feed rate and it worked out fine. I made my living building cabinets and furniture for 12 years with that saw and have never had it kickback....mostly it's tuning of the saw. I tune a saw like it's for machining steel and keep them tuned.
By the way you can use a power feeder on a 3 hp saw with no problems...done it for years the run dados on repetitive work.
3hp is enough in my humble opinion.

[Steve Clardy]

going here. Gotta add to this one.

Say, if I can manage to get my ol 426 Hemi under my Grizzly cabinet saw, wonder what the stats on kickback would be? Same 10" blade, etc. Any takers?
Steve