Table saw, a tough push

[b.pshyk@shaw.ca]

Hello

New here so go easy on the virgin...

I have a pretty old but still useful 10" table saw (portable kind from Sears) I find that I have to put some extra force behind the push for something like a 1x6x5 rip cut. It just seems like the piece is binding against the fence, but everything comes out square and nice. Is this normal or am I delusional?? I was told by an electrician that upgrading the power in my garage will help as I may not be reaching the full potential of the motor?

Thanks in advance

Brian

[jlloydparks]

Welcome to the The Wood Whisperer Community!

I think you posted this in the wrong forum. You probably want the Normites one more forum down. Best of luck.

Now if you are after handsaws we can certainly set you up.

[wilburpan]

As has been mentioned, this is most probably the wrong forum for this question. But the first thing I would do is check the sharpness of your table saw blade, and replace it if necessary. From your description, if the blade is as old as the saw seems to be, it may not be in best cutting shape.

"Upgrading the power" seems like a sketchy suggestion. First of all, if you truly needed to upgrade the power, and I assume that your electrician meant something like going from 15 amp to 20 amp circuits, you would be tripping the circuit breaker as you used the saw. Second, the main reason that you would need to deliver more power to your table saw blade is that you blade isn't sharp enough, in which case you're back to replacing it.

[MikeMc]

I bought a nice expensive 140 tooth? (maybe 90) from Home Depot recently and installed it on my cheap Ryobi 10" table saw.

It goes through poplar and maple like butter until I hit the blade guard in the rear. Then I have to exert some force. I think the guard is bent or my fence is deflecting.

I recommend getting a good blade like other people suggested. You should be able to use gentle pressure on any table saw when it is adjusted correctly with the right blade.

[PaulMarcel]

It goes through poplar and maple like butter until I hit the blade guard in the rear. Then I have to exert some force. I think the guard is bent or my fence is deflecting.

Might also be that the splitter is slightly thicker than the kerf? Push some ply through to cut a couple inches then stop the saw; drop the blade and see if you can push that kerf easily through the guard. That doesn't sound very safe.

[MikeMc]

Might also be that the splitter is slightly thicker than the kerf? Push some ply through to cut a couple inches then stop the saw; drop the blade and see if you can push that kerf easily through the guard. That doesn't sound very safe.

It doesnt feel very safe, hence my other thread about buying a new table saw ;]

[iSawitFirst]

You asked if blade height has anything to do with force. Yes it does. As the angle of "attack" increases the blade is trying to chop through rather than cut. I position the blade so that the teeth are about 3/8" above the top of the wood I'm cutting.

[Lawrence Brown]

1. If it suddenly slows down when the board gets to the blade guard, then yeah, definitely check that. One way is to run one of those tall boards through until it starts binding, go about another inch or so to be sure you've got the problem, and then VERY CAREFULLY shut off the saw and unplug it. Then you can take a close look at the splitter and see if there are any problems. TAKE THE BOARD OUT BEFORE PLUGGING IT BACK IN AGAIN! (Did I mention being very careful when doing this. Hold the board very still and don't let it move until the blade is stopped. This is the time when it's most likely to kick back.)

2. All other things being good, like having a sharp blade, the fence is aligned, etc, then yes, the thicker the cut, the harder the push because you're blade is cutting more surface area, so it takes more power, but if everything else was good, I'd expect you to be seeing more of a problem with the motor slowing down and stalling rather than it being physically harder to push, but they are connected.

3.If you are using a 90-140 tooth blade, then I'm seriously guessing it's not a ripping blade. That would be a cross-cut blade. You might not notice the difference when cutting something thin, but when the cut gets thicker, it'll definitely make a huge difference. But again, it wouldn't just suddenly start at the blade guard. I usually don't bother switching to a ripping blade if it's a thin cut because I'm lazy that way

All in all, I'd recommend thoroughly checking out number 1 first like you said and then go from there.

[sj2494]

i have an old table saw my grandfather gave me did you check the motor. on some old moldels there are 2 rubber plugs that go to the shaft on the motor and they need to be oiled one and a while or the motor will perform like you say and avantulay sease bon chance

[PeteJr]

My experience is that blade sharpness or dullness contributes significantly more than any other factor.