I recently bought a 10" table saw. A friend says the first thing I should do is put a good 7" blade on it because the 10 incher that comes with it bogs down the motor, and will burn it up faster. Is there anything to this, and what do you guys do?
Steve
Haven't heard that one. Just about any motor will burn out if you push the stock through too quickly. Adding a smaller blade just adds to the problem because for any given motor speed it would require a slower feed rate. (The smaller the diameter of the blade, the slower the speed at which the teeth spin) Possibly the problem is the blade that comes with the saw isn't that great. If you invest in a good 10" blade, keep it sharp, slow down the feed rate you should be fine.
Good luck!
Go to a 4" blade and the motor will last much longer ... guaranteed.
Your friend is clueless. You would be reducing you cutting capacity to about 1-5/8" to 2" vs. 3-1/8 to 3-1/2" when making 90 degree cuts and when making 45 degree cuts down to about 1-1/4".
Buy a good quality 10" blade and you will be saving more than motor life.
Not as long as it will with no blade... Mac
unless the saw you bought is *ridiculously* underpowered your friend is full of hot air. I have never seen a saw come from factory this underpowered.
what is the make and model of the saw? there are quite a few light duty saws out there with *marginally* underpowered motors. to compensate for this, there are also a lot of thin kerf blades on the market. if you are having horsepower issues, compensate with a thinner blade, not a smaller diameter one.
Nope, not at all. Your friend should stick to offering advice in areas where he is knowledgeable -- if there are any.
I use a 10" blade on a 10" saw, and a 7" blade on a 7" saw.
This is silly advice and greatly reduces the utility of your saw. However, I would pass along one piece of advice I received from a tool demonstrator at the Springfield Grizzly store. This only applies to cabinet or other fine work involving 4/4 or similar stock.
If you shop around you will notice that 8" blades are often significantly cheaper than their 10" counterparts. They also have thinner kerfs. Mounting a GOOD 8" cabinet blade on your table saw, especially with blade stabilizers, will allow you to make a very clean, thin cut. And it's a litttle cheaper to buy and sharpen those blades.
Do I do this all of the time? No. I usually reserve the practice when I am working on smaller projects such as a jewelry box.
RonB
Wrap the whole saw in Plastic Wrap and it will last 100 years.
By all means, keep 10" blade, burn up cheap motor, then spend $300 to buy a 2HP, TEFC, 3,400RPM replacement unit.
Lew
And don't consult your friend on matters of tools.
Steve the saw came with the proper size blade. I think the factory knows best I hope you enjoy your saw and the things you will create using it.
Al
You've gotten lots of good feedback already. But out of curiosity, what table saw does your friend own? And does he use a 7" blade on his?
Darrell
Does the 10" blade really "bog down" the motor? If it does when cutting 4/4 or 5/4 hardwood or 2X soft wood, then something is wrong with it or it is truly underpowered. I have a contractor saw with
1.5HP induction motor and leave a 10" blade on it more than 90% of the time. The rest of the time it's either using an 8" dadao stack or occasionally a molding head. I have very rarely used a smaller blade for some special purpose but there is no need to use a 7 1/4" as your standard blade.
My old Rockwell had a 3/4HP motor on it. It was designed for a 9" blade, and running smaller blades was that much easier on the motor.
Chris
There are truly underpowered saws out there. My old Rockwell was 3/4HP from the factory. It could take a 9" blade, but going smaller was even easier on the motor.
Chris
rockwell almost certainly offered that saw with a variety of motors, or without a motor. the choice to set it up underpowered was made by the purchaser, if my understanding of the early rockwell marketing is correct. even so, it's kind of hard to justify selling a 9" saw with a
3/4HP motor on it if it was meant for sheet goods, or for any kind of heavy ripping. how big is the table, and is it tilting arbor or tilting table?
I believe he has a Rockwell. He has a garage full of equipment, although his health is getting to be poor, and he doesn't do a lot any more. He has been doing woodworking for about fifty years now.
He has all sorts of saws and equipment, all quality tools.
I appreciate all the input, even from those who can't answer a simple question without flying off into the ozone.
I like to ask questions to learn. Sometimes one might ask what seems a dumb question, but I think there are no dumb questions except for those that someone has asked before and ignored the answer.
It always amazes me that those of us who don't know everything bother those who DO know everything so much. I think when one quits learning and changing, they die. Or at least in the literal sense. I hope I continue to learn something every day, and maybe even by asking dumb questions.
Steve
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