I am just beginning and someone is offering to sell a bandsaw to me, can someone tell me what minimum horsepower and size I should be sure it is?
Can someone tell me the minimum horsepower I should seek in a table saw. There is a Delta 1 3/4 hp hybrid I am thinking about buying. Is that enough hp?
Replies
Motor horsepower is just one several things that you need to look at when buying a new or used tool. Tiny bandsaws with 9" diameter wheels, used for scroll work, only need a 1/4 HP motor. A large machine with 24" wheels being used for heavy resawing might have 5 HP. If you could tell me the make, model, and wheel diameter of the saw you are considering I could give you a specific opinion.
The most common bandsaw has 14" wheels and is adequately powered with a 3/4 HP motor, but many are now supplied with 1 HP or even 1 1/2 HP motors. If you are buying a machine with a separate motor you can always install a larger motor at some future date.
Almost all of the hybrid saws have 1 3/4 HP motors, because that is the largest motor that can be used on a household circuit protected by a 15 amp circuit breaker.
Reviews we have done on these saws have proven them to be adequately powered for typical cabinet work, but they can be slow cutting when rip sawing very thick hardwoods. The ripping performance can, however, be substantially improved by using a rip blade instead of a combination blade. If you will also have a bandsaw, the ripping of thick hardwoods is best done on that machine anyway.
John White
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled