Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Unisaw Upgrade
JW Ohio
>Just wondering what it would involve for me to upgrade my 3hp unisaw to 5hp.
I know I would have to up my electrical supply to 20A or even 30A if I can, as well as change the magnetic switch, but for the motor itself, can I just swap it out with a 5hp and use the same belts and all? Is the mounting frame built the same for both 3 and 5hp?
Just wondering if anyone has any experience with upgrading a unisaw?
Thanks for your input.
For what it's worth.....
Mark Goodall - ATL - tooljunkie
>I think if you look at the parts diamgrams for the Unisaws, that the parts are the same except for the motor and switch. The manuals are online if you want to check. Infact I think the 3HP/5HP share the same manual with the few differences noted on the diagram.
Happy Woodworking!
Just curious....
Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level
>...why do you want to move up to 5hp? Just curious.
Tom
3hp should be plenty...
awh
>I have a 5hp Unisaw in my home workshop, but I routinely have access to and use a 3hp and I can�t tell the difference.
If you were buying a new table saw, then I would definitely get 5hp - the difference in price between 3hp & 5hp is negligible. But, at this point, I don�t think upgrading the motor will result in any noticeable difference in the feed rate or quality of cut. If you�re having trouble with a 3hp motor it�s either the blade or technique, NOT the motor. I have never seen a 3hp table saw come anywhere close to stalling. The only place a 5hp will benefit you is if you�re running a power feeder continuous for 8-hours a day.
Re: 3hp should be plenty...
Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level
>I work with a lot of 2"+ thick hardwoods and I've never felt a need for more than the 3hp motor I have on my Uni. That's why I asked. I think a well tuned saw with a quality sharp blade can do most anything I can throw at it.
Tom
Re: 3hp should be plenty...
Bill Collier
>I wrestled with the 5hp vs 3hp question when I bought my table saw and ultimately decided on the 3hp saw. You are right about the difference in cost being relatively small but for me the deciding factor was wiring for 20amps vs 30amps. It seemed unlikely that I would ever need the extra ummph of the 5hp saw and would never draw anywhere near 30amps. Why pay all the extra money for the saw and the 30amp circuits and never use the extra capability?
Re: Just curious....
JW Ohio
>Yes, 3hp Unisaw works very well for me. It was indeed a vast improvement from my old ryobi which had a universal motor.
I have no complaints about the 3hp. It works beautifully for me. I get clean cuts almost everytime. Get a few burns once in a blue moon when I don't feed my stock carefully (not parallel to the fence), but that is just bad technique on my part.
Not that I am going to be running a lot of 3x stock through, but just wondering about the upgrade if I could and how.
Thanks for all your input.