I have a Sears 10" table saw that is about 15 years old and it has a basic 1.5 hp Sears motor that I would like to upgrade. I like my saw because of the cast iron top, Beisemeyer fence, Forrest blade,and the upgraded belt and pulley setup. I am looking at either a 1.5 to 2.0 hp motor from Baldor and I wanted to find out if anyone has made the change and which motor did they go to. I have 220 available in my garage so I can go that route also. What frame is standard, I thought it was a 56 but there are various 56 frames so I am not sure, and also does the Baldor really improve the overall power of the saw, any help will be greatly appreciated. Mike Francis
The 56 frame is probably compatible with any other 56 frame for mounting pattern and shaft size. Baldor probably has specs and dimensions available. McMaster Carr gives a lot of motor information on their web page. Grainger has a 1.5 hp motor listed as a table saw motor sold under their Dayton name.
Is you present motor still working? I'm not so sure a new motor is going to be a big improvement.
My current motor is working but I am debating on getting a larger motor for more power. I had looked at upgrading to a Grizzly 10" and it has a
3hp motor but I was not sure if I wanted to spend all that money or do some upgrades to mine. My friend has a Grizzly 10" and it has more power to it when I used his recently. Are you saying that to go from the Sears 1.5 to a Baldor 2.0 hp will not be any significant gains in over all power and ease of cutting wood, or should I look at a higher hp like a 3 before I will gain additional power? Thanks, Mike Francis
I will look but I do not think it will. If I find another motor that is capable of 220 and the hp rating is 2hp or greater will the benefits of running it 220 and having more hp make a considerable difference? I build furniture on the side and it is not uncommon to cut 2" or thicker Oak and other woods and my saw seems to struggle at times. I changed the pulleys, belt and added the stabilizers and using a Forrest blade it cuts better but I still feel that another motor that runs easier and stronger would provide that additional boost. Thanks, Mike Francis
It is a Sears 1.5 hp, and I am sure it is speaking of peak rating like most of the other motors. What is the best way to understand what motor will develop a true 1.5 or 2.0 hp rating, I am sure their is a way to tell what is peak hp rating versus normal running operation hp? Also will a real 1.5 hp 220 volt run stronger than a 110 version? Mike
No that is not what I'm saying. In your original post you said you were going to replace it with a 1.5 or 2 hp motor.
As you stated: " I am looking at either a 1.5 to 2.0 hp motor from Baldor and I wanted to find out if anyone has made the change and which motor did they go to."
I will say that gong from a 1.5 to a 1.5 will gain you nothing. to go from
1.5 to 2 hp will gain power, but at 120V you may not have a capable breaker and wire. If you go to 220, that is a better deal.
You're going to be limited on how much power you can transmit to the blade on your Sears saw. The single belt is tensioned by part of the weight of the motor as it pivots on its mounting bracket. The motor has to pivot as the saw arbor is raised and lowered to keep the belt tight. Once you reach the limits of that belt, it'll just slip regardless of how powerful the motor is.
In order to use more horsepower, you have to feed boards faster into the blade, which increases the forces on the arbor. This will tend to deflect the parts that make up the arbor and trunnion assembly, reducing the quality of cut. I assume the 3 hp Grizzly saw you mention is a cabinet saw. Take a look inside to see how beefy the components are compared to those on your saw. Sears had their saw designed for
1.5 hp, and didn't put any money into a structure to tolerate higher horsepower.
The 2 hp motor will get you 33% more power than the 1.5 hp. If you're not already using one, a thin kerf blade will make your power go farther. Wiring for 240V vs. 120V may help if the wiring in your supply circuit is dropping the supply voltage too much. (My genius brother-in-law runs a Sears table saw with the Sears 1.5 hp motor on the end of a 50 foot 16 gauge extension cord. The saw's motor draws something like 16 full load amps on 120 volts. That would give a 16 volt drop in the supply voltage to the motor.)
I know someone that put a 2 hp TEFC motor on a Sears saw after the open Sears motor clogged with dust and burned out. It seems to work fine, but he's not cutting 8/4 oak.
It sounds like what you want is a cabinet saw. The Sears saw isn't going to become one, no matter how much you spend. What if you sold it, added in the $300 you're prepared to spend for the Baldor motor, then buy a used Unisaw or equivalent? If you've got the old Sears fence, transfer your Biesemeyer to the new saw. Then you'll have something that will cut 8/4 oak all day without breaking a sweat. And will be a pleasure to use each time between now and your estate sale.
It appears that is the way I may have to go after doing some research, I will look around here in the Dallas area and see if I can buy a cabinet saw for a reasonable price.Thanks! Mike Francis
There's been a fellow on eBay in the Dallas area who obviously is dealing in used equipment. Been several "wish I were closer" auuctions...much Delta, Powematic, etc.
Keep your eye on the local papers, you just never know. I'd been looking for a decent table saw for months and other than later model Craftsmans found them to be very scarce.
A week ago, SWMBO, asked if I was still looking for a saw and pointed out one she spied in the local fishwrap before I'd had a chance to get it. I figured with an asking price of $375 it was either a potential gloat or somebody had lost their mind and was looking to make a profit on a used Sears or Ryobi.
Turns out the guy had an old Jet (blue cabinet) JCS-10 with a 2hp
220volt motor, magnetic switch. Checked it out and found that the original fence was replaced with an Excalibur TT45. Missing the blade guard and splitter (which I'll have to replace) but otherwise in decent shape with not much apparent use. Top cleaned up nicely and found the belts a bit nasty (probably more from lack of use by the looks of it) so they were replaced.
Former owner was moving and downsizing and so MAY have the missing blade guard and splitter somewhere. He said that if he didn't, he'd buy me a new one. Doubt he realized they sell for about $120 so if push comes to shove, I'll offer to split it with him. Hopefully, when all's said and one I'll have a nice cabinet saw for about $450.00.
Does this qualify as a gloat? Even a minor one?
Now I have to decide - in the midst of all that's being bantered back and forth about RAS what to do with my 34 year old (closest guess) Craftsman RAS which has been the centerpiece of my garage and, later, workshop. Between the real estate demands of the cabinet saw and the RAS, things are going to get tight. I've got a nice CSMS which will function quite nicely for 90% of my cross-cutting needs but, jeez guys, that RAS is like an old friend. How can I banish it?
Done more than one could expect and did it rather well. Yeah, it's a pain to align but I've found over the years unless I have a jam while ripping (yep, do it all the time and never had a "shooter" and I still have all my digits)it stays put. All I ever needed to do was set it up properly and RTFM and adjust it for angles, etc. the same way each time.
Now, only having used my father's old guard-less, splitter-less, 8" ancient (circa 1950) Craftsman table saw ages ago, I face using the new cabinet saw with the same trepidation that others assign to using the RAS. Maybe that's good. Familiarity and comfort contribute to accidents in the shop almost as much as stupidity. I was never familiar enough with the RAS to cut without the guards properly adjusted and probably never will be so that's 99% of the battle won.
I have owned that exact same saw (JCS-10) for the last 15 years...ordered it direct from Jet in 1988 with a real Biesmeyer 52 in fence...and the optional Motor Cover..? why it was optional I have no clue...!
New I paid $900.00 including delivery..
Honestly Jet called it a Cabinet Saw...but it really is not a true cabinet saw... that said after all these years I could care less...the saw works.. !
After many many hours of use it still works just fine... and has given me absolutely zero problems...
To be honest I threw the guard/splitter in the trash as soon as I unpacked the saw... and ...went with an excalibur overhead guard...so I really do not think you are missing anything...
Gloat..??? .Price was about right I guess...all I can say is that I would not sell mine for that amount...I am not nuts !...
Check used machinery suppliers in your Yellow Pages. Sometimes you can get decent buys, for instance, if a place that deals with metalworking machinery has a table saw they don't want to bother with.
Estate and bankrupcy auctions can eventually turn up deals. In my case, I'm familiar with the Sears saw because my wife's deceased father had one. I overhauled it thinking I would use it. Then an estate auction came up with furniture, linens, kitchenwares and an "industrial table saw". It turned out to be a barely used Unisaw with
52" Unifence, HTC mobile base and HTC folding outfeed roller table that I picked up for $450. I believe I still smile every time I use it.
A local hardwood lumber dealer might also know who could have a good saw at a decent price.
A bare Unisaw weights 450 pounds, so be prepared. Also make sure you get a single phase machine unless you want to change the motor (hard to find used, maybe $400 new) or deal with a phase converter or variable frequency drive. I'm sure a Google search will turn up suggestions for what to look for in a used machine.
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