Hp for general use table saw?

[motorcitykid]

I recently picked up an antique table saw, little bitty 8” Craftsman. I figured it would be ideal for small stuff, where my 10” would be more applicable to bigger stuff. It came with a 1/2 Hp motor, it doesn’t work but luckily I already had a 3/4hp that matches the machine ready to go.
I’m not a table saw aficionado, more on the opposite end of the spectrum, but is a 3/4hp sufficient for a small table saw or should I be looking for something bigger?

 

[cgrutt]

Nice saw! I would think 3/4 HP for an 8" saw should be fine esp it it came with a 1/2 HP motor on it. Make sure RPMs on new motor match the original.

 

[exmaxima1]

My first table saw was a CM 8-inch Tilting Arbor Saw (not tilting table like yours) and it had a 3/4hp motor. The only time I ever wished for more power was when I was ripping thick wood with the wrong blade. If you use a dedicated rip blade for ripping you will have no issues. The original 1/2hp motor on your saw would probably be fine if using the old-style non-carbide blades as their kerf is much thinner.

 

[subroc]

Seems good to me.

 

[motorcitykid]

I believe the issues I’m having with it currently may be belt and pulley related, it won’t currently cut dog eared pine fence posts as it is. It spins up but under load the belt slips and while the motor continues to turn the saw pulley stops.
Originally I thought it was due to the belt tension being applied via the weight of the motor so I added a bolt to torque it down to get the belt taught enough that it would flex 1/4” with the blade fully extended.
(One thing to note, if the adjustment isn’t made with the blade fully raised when you do raise it you introduce slack. I learned after doing.)
My guess is the sheave on the driven pulley is narrower than my other table saws, they look identical but I’m going to measure to be safe.
Maybe upgrade the pulley’s and add an acculink belt, I’d really like to keep it original but am not opposed to picking up a bigger motor.

 

[motorcitykid]

At the same time I know having belts too tight can be counterproductive. Something isn’t right, I’m going to try a couple different pulleys.

 

[motorcitykid]

The table it’s on is original to it, with its cool Dunlap sticker on the side. But, when the blade is raised the belt rubs the frame. Even if I mounted a piece of angle iron to it I could not get the arbor low enough to clear the frame when the blade is raised. I’m guessing the extension needs to come off and the motor needs to hang down the side to give a good line of clearance.
I checked the pulley width and the belt width and the seem to match up pretty well.

 

[redmondjp]

I once owned a similar saw, and had the same issues - the centerline of the motor on mine was lower than the base of the board as shown in your picture (so you would have to shorten that board so the motor could rotate back and down farther). 3/4HP should be plenty adequate. Use 12 gauge wire and a short as possible cord or extension for best motor starting and performance. My newer table saws all are wired for 240V (2hp & 3hp).

 

[motorcitykid]

Well, I jumped the gun a bit and just followed my gut. But it was the only way to see it making sense.

 

[motorcitykid]

Either the pulley moves in on the shaft 1/4” or I need to mount a piece of angle iron on to extend the left bracket a bit it’s just slightly off but the only angle that allows the full motion of the blade…

 

[The Cobbler]

those saws were always very underpowered by today's standards In my opinion. there's a lot of loss with the belt drive too. a 10" delta saw with a 1-1/2 HP motor is underpowered as far as I'm concerned . I would want nothing less than a 1hp on a saw like that, and probably a 1-1/2 even.

 

[rlitman]

those saws were always very underpowered by today's standards In my opinion. there's a lot of loss with the belt drive too. a 10" delta saw with a 1-1/2 HP motor is underpowered as far as I'm concerned . I would want nothing less than a 1hp on a saw like that, and probably a 1-1/2 even.

Well, I'm used to a 3HP saw with a 10" blade, but the smaller the blade, the lower the power draw. At 1-1/2HP with an 8" blade, that would be a real animal, but I think it would hold it's own against any plastic tabletop saw with a thin kerf blade and a 3/4HP motor.

 

[motorcitykid]

Something interesting to me is that if this 3/4 were rated today it would probably be up where you are saying you’d want it to be. From what I understand the new motors Hp is based of a kilowatt Hp equivalent, where these were based off torque and speed. (Again from what I’ve read) But if you look at the amperage on a 1.5-2hp Baldor it’s 9-9.6 where this is 9.3amp. I was looking at building up a belt grinder with a pedestal grinder and trick tools or multitool stated to not go off of the horsepower but to stay above 5 amps if I remember correctly.
At the end of the day this won’t see heavy ripping of hardwoods etc. the biggest use will be plywood and pine, with sporadic things that I’d rather do on the little saw. I do have a line on a Baldor 2hp 3ph TEFC though if this doesn’t work out.

 

[motorcitykid]

The Guys I got it from said their Dad passed at 56 but Mom lived to be 93 and passed last year this was just sitting in their basement. Dad turned it on a couple times but all it would do is smoke. The way the motor was mounted when you raised the blade the belt rubbed on the top of the frame which shows on the old belt.
Man, I pray this thing works out well. It’s so close. And having the matching blue craftsman motor and some other accessories that don’t match my other machines it really would be a blessing to fill the gap.

 

[motorcitykid]

I see this thing being an awesome little addition to my garage. Maybe it’s a complete waste of time, but there’s only one way to be certain. The pulley alignment has to be situated, I don’t think the previous owner ever went much beyond buying it and bolting it to the table.

Getting the motor to hang as intended is proving to be an issue. But I’ll see it through. Any input on the “Rocker”motor base I would appreciate it.

 

[Steve_P]

35+ years ago, my dad had a larger Cman table saw with a similar setup- motor weight providing belt tension. Not sure when it was built, but the saw was decades old at that time. I'm sure it worked fine when new on lighter stuff, but it didn't work well at the time on even plywood. I don't remember the details other than slipping belt issues. I'd personally never fool with one today after my experiences. I guess I gave it away after he died as I had no interest in it, even for free. But I hope you can get it working satisfactorily.

 

[motorcitykid]

I took the saw off the table and moved it over a bit, remounted it. I’m going to wait until my son can record the motor and belt action while I’m cutting to allow me to figure out what needs to change.
I can’t see, or do I expect this to replace my 10” saw but I’m in hopes that this could make a nice little extra for quick simple stuff. The more I mess with this the more I think I’ll just use my circular saw

 

[seber]

My father ran a construction company for fifty years with an 8" cabinet saw. It had a 1 1/2 hp motor. That is enough to cut two inch lumber. Rare that anything bigger is needed. The limitation comes with other uses such as dado heads. My son now has the saw in his hobby shop.

 

[Firebrick43]

If you rip lumber 3/4 of a hp is to small. I was very frustrated with my first saw because of that.

To be honest now that I have a 3hp saw even using a 1 or 1-1/2hp saw ***** but they don’t stall unless you seriously mess up.

 

[mikegt4]

My son picked up a bunch of vintage Craftsman table saws this summer ranging from $50 down to free (get it out of my garage/basement). He swapped parts around to get the best pieces on one saw and sold off the rest for $25 each. They can be useful saws for small cuts but not necessarily for larger work. I have a 1950 Delta 8" 34-500 table saw that I use for quick cuts as opposed to dragging my 10" Delta contractor saw (bought it about 45 years ago, no plastic) out from the back of the garage and running an extension cord 50' to a 240V outlet just for a quick 10 second cut.

OP, you can find a lot of info on your saw on the Vintage Machinery web site, click on "type" to get them in alphabetical order then look for your model # in the description column.

Sears | Craftsman - Photo Index | VintageMachinery.org

 

[motorcitykid]

I picked up a couple 2hp motors, I’m going to put one on the 10” and one on the 8”. The 8” slips like crazy even with a new shorter belt under load, I’ve tried applying a counterforce but at this point I believe the better bet is fabricating a bracket that allows for tension to be applied evenly. Also some nice new pulleys.

 

[sgbotsford]

I recently picked up an antique table saw, little bitty 8” Craftsman. I figured it would be ideal for small stuff, where my 10” would be more applicable to bigger stuff. It came with a 1/2 Hp motor, it doesn’t work but luckily I already had a 3/4hp that matches the machine ready to go.
I’m not a table saw aficionado, more on the opposite end of the spectrum, but is a 3/4hp sufficient for a small table saw or should I be looking for something bigger?

Sure. Do it. But if you have a 1 hp motor, you will bless yourself for using it.

Also: Watch for the sales on the Diablo 24 tooth 7.25" demolition blades. Here in Canada Rona (Lowes) has them on sale now and then for $7. (Think $4+ US) Buy a handful, and chuck them when they have eaten enough nails. I use my cheap saw for making tree stakes out of old pallets.

 

[bpwoodworking]

3hp but even that will slow if you are really pushing it. Prefer more.

 

[driftpin]

I have a 1950 Delta 8" 34-500 table saw

I have a made in Milwaukee Delta-Rockwell 8 inch cabinet saw (often called a Unisaw Junior) I bought about 40 years ago. I don't have the blade guard or the riving blade. Otherwise, it appears to be just like this. From what I've found, this (mine) is a 1949 model. In addition I have two cast-iron wings.



Pics (3) from OWWM, it appears to be the same.

Photo Index - Delta Specialty/Delta Mfg. Co./Delta-Rockwell/Rockwell Intl. - Unisaw Jr. | VintageMachinery.org

Here's another Unisaw Junior another OWWM source: http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=18429

This one (link, above) has some great pics in the post.

I have it disassembled to paint the cabinet, which I sanded the outside and sandblasted the inside. I also welded the panel seams, which added greatly to the cabinet's rigidity. I've had it in storage for years/decades. When I'm done, it's going for sale. It has the same miter gauge with the 'cut-corners', and the same fence. I replaced the tubing for the fence with much-thicker ones, 0.20 inch.



The motor is 3/4 HP and dual-voltage, 120V/240V, 10.4/5.2 amps, 1725 rpm. All ball-bearings. Currently wired for 120V 1 Ph.

Badging:



The cabinet, before being sanded and sandblasted, and welded.


Some sandblasting and welding.


After sanding/sandblasting.





I'm watching the Dolphins/Ravens today, so maybe I'll get back to this after the game.

I have a Powermatic table saw, a Model 64 Artisan's saw, and a Powermatic Model 66 cabinet saw with a new Baldor motor I bought for it, so this is surplus stock. Someone will appreciate the work I'm putting into this. Everything operates smoothly.