Am starting to cruise the want ads for a cabinet saw. Have seen 2 “older Unisaw”s with seemingly small motors – 1HP. Is this possible? What’s the scoop?
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Edited 12/1/2007 10:07 pm by forestgirl
Replies
I think the horses might of been bigger back in the day:) If the saw is priced well you could always change the motor out if it turns out that it does not have enough power. Take a look at the OWWM website I think there is a lot of info on old unisaws.
Good luck
The smaller hp motors do seem to generate a lot more cutting power than the equivalent in low end contractor saws. Thin kerf blades make that virtually no issue unless you have a lot of 8/4 or better maple to rip. The only problem with the TK blades is that they limit your choice of splitter. I upgraded to three hp. in order to use the Biesemeyer splitter, but there are other splitters that will accommodate TK blades I believe. Interestingly, when I went to install the splitter on my 1945 vintage saw, the mounting holes were still in exactly the same places so that no modifications at all were needed to install the splitter designed that also fit more modern saws.
The basic saws are built better--heavier, cast iron base ring, etc. than the most recent versions, even though the wear parts--bearings and arbors can still be had. (I think there were only 2 arbor variants over the years, making keeping both SKUs available feasible. Bearings can be had from any bearing shop, they are standard sizes.)
Interesting to know about the consistency of design over the years. I think it's a long-shot that I might pick up one of the older saws, as I'm really not into replacing bearings and such, but learning something about them might lead me to the "right" saw, who knows.
Re: splitters....that's an issue for me, as I have a quick-release Merlin splitter on my Jet and am very spoiled by it. Whatever replaces it must be able to receive a similar splitter (Bies would be best) or have a riving knife. The Merlin is a TK splitter, I use it with all my blades, TK or not.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Up until about the mid 1970's the standard Unisaw motor was 1 HP. It's not that these motors were "stronger" than today's 1 hp motors but the old type steel saw blades required less power than the thicker kerf carbide tipped blades. A 1 hp motor was more than adequate to spin those blades without bogging down.
Howie, thanks, that was excellent information!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
The other comments in this thread are right on. I'll just add that some modern motors, especially on consumer machines, have been optimistically rated in a variety of ways ranging from minor to outrageous.
OWWM has lots of good information and pictures of people's "old" Unisaws.
Pete
Edited 12/2/2007 12:50 pm ET by PeteBradley
I restored a 1950's vintage Unisaw with a 1hp "bullet" motor. These motors are repulsion/induction (with brushes) & were built when copper was cheap before they changed to current type induction motors. OWWM site (archives)
said to use a factor of 2.85 to relate to today's motors. Mine is as strong (or stronger) than a 2hp Baldor on my "made in USA" Delta Contractor's saw. Even with the grief of changing bearings & eventually finding brushes it was well worth it. Saw looks & works like a new one for less than a third the cost.
This type of brush motor seems to have more grunt than modern induction motors, for sure.
Someone mentioned that the saw bearings are standard bearings: in fact they are not-they are extended housing bearings . The only manufacturer that I know of this type is called NEW DEPARTURE. You can install ordinary bearings but then you have to make spacers-otherwise you will have a Floating Shaft/variable kerf saw (;)Philip Marcou
Dont know about the older saws but Biese Sells a splitter for the new Deltas (I have one on order even as i type this)
Doug
I bought a Biesemeyer splitter, exactly the same as for current Unisaws, and mounted it on my 1945 vintage Unisaw with no modifications or "tweaks" needed. Works well, removes with no tools, just take out the zc plate and release a catch. To install don't have to remove anything, just click it in place.
Arbor bearings for my old Unisaw were purchased from a local bearing supply outlet cross referenced to the #'s on the old bearings. They had to be ordered in (I'm in Canada) but only took a few days. Same for the bearings for the old repulsion/induction motor. Biggest problem was the brushes. A local motor repair shop located a source with correct dimensions & wire connection but had to shorten the length & grind a radius on the end. Definitely worth the time & expense compared to the cost of a new motor with the proper mounting brackets. Also on the OWWM site somewhere I remember seeing a downloadable template for brackets to fabricate & weld to the frame of a modern induction motor. Robert Vaughn had a lot of info there too.
The mounting tabs or brackets from old and new will interchange just fine. You might have to change the motor pully set if the older motor is a 1725 rpm version. You might also find that the opening in the cabinet in which the motor tilts out when the blade is beveled will be to small when longer modern motors replace the short fat older ones.
I have a 70's Rockwell cabinet saw. It has a 1 1/2HP motor. I thought about upgrading it, but it has a bizarre mounting bracket which is part of the motor (I think).
An upgraded motor lists between $600 and $700. I have opted to keep my blade clean and the saw aligned.
Don
I've got two 1970s-era Rockwell Unisaws. I got one for $600 and the other for $700. They're fine saws and I've never had any problems with them (bearings or anything else). Both have 1 1/2 HP motors. I've never felt the need to upgrade the motors and don't think you would either unless you're ripping 2" oak day in and day out.
Chip
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