Thread: Table saw which one, laguna, sawstop and hammar

Don't forget to factor in the cost of installing a 15A circuit for a 4hp motor if you don't have one already.

The sliding table on the Hammer automatically makes it a class above the others, so don't be surprised if it's significantly more expensive, but it's a waaaay better option for crosscuts than a slotted cast table.

Also have a look at Leda, they're out of Taiwan but the Taiwanese stuff is surprisingly good. We gave our TruPro a good flogging as the primary breakdown saw at work for about 7 years before the motor called it quits

Be Afraid, The Hammer K3 Basic, with dado, 1250mm slider, you would be looking at around $7400 from a quote i got not long ago.

Big difference to the prices for the saw stop and fusion.

The saw stop with the mobility kit would do what you are asking.

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Don't forget to factor in the cost of installing a 15A circuit for a 4hp motor if you don't have one already.

The K3 needs a 20 amp plug, from my paperwork,

I had 20 amps plugs installed for my Hammer Dusty, N4400 and A3-31 as the paperwork claims they need 20amp due to a 19amp motor rating.

Same goes for the K3 paperwork.

Originally Posted by bryn23

The K3 needs a 20 amp plug, from my paperwork,

I had 20 amps plugs installed for my Hammer Dusty, N4400 and A3-31 as the paperwork claims they need 20amp due to a 19amp motor rating.

Same goes for the K3 paperwork.

Wow, 20A? I just went off the basic P=IV calculation and got 3000w = 240v x 12.5A, but I guess that doesn't account for startup surge

yeah, it must be the initial start up.

20 amp plugs aren't cheap

Hi Woodyo
Your short list is a quite a wide span of machines ..... from a base Laguna to the school prefect

The type of work you are proposing is quite the common applications for a table saw but the lower power range suggests that full depth cuts (70mm say) would be infrequent

If you are proposing regular full depth cuts in a single pass then a 3hp triple belt drive would be a sensible choice for a <$3,500 machine .. Laguna Premium country ... or Harvey (the equivalent cabinet saw)

Regards

Rob

I was just looking at the hammer k3 and there is no contest here. I'd take the hammer over any sawstop even the industrial without a second thought. At the Laguna price-point I would recommend the Harvey 110lge-30 / Laguna platinum (same saw) - much more robust, better fence, 3hp, full cabinet saw not hybrid.

If a motor is rated to produce 4hp it will draw 3000x1.2 (motor efficiency) = 3600w = 15amps. Plus a lot of 4hp are rated closer to 5hp and with supply voltage normally lower than 240v you are looking at between 15-20amps. My Clearvue 4hp draws 20amps continuous. But the tablesaw would only do so when loaded up.

cross cutting
Any of these saw will do this easily, however the Hammer is a slider and will be easier to carry out this task, how often will you be using this saw? You may have to upgrade later if you find yourself using the saw very often, so dont worry about what you get now, paying for the upgrade is just part of the journey and lesson learning. my first table saw was a Carbatec MJ2325, I used it for 2 years, not long after using it I wish I had a slider, then I moved to Robland NX410 Combo, now I am looking at separating the combo and upgrading again.

ripping hard wood
You may be better using a band saw to do the ripping, what is the depth of your cut? no table saw can rip more than 100mm in depth unless you want to spend big money say $10,000+, if you are doing less than 100mm in ripping depth than a good ripping blade should do the trick. there is no need for a very powerful motor if you use the right blade.

Not sheet goods
I dont do sheets too but I cant live without my full slider because before you know it, you will have panels glue ups thats just like a sheet, and you wish you had a slider, even a short or a small slider.

important aspects are: flat cast iron top
Most of the table saw has flat cast iron top. even a basic Carbatec has this.

accurate fence
Fence on the slider is something you will need to watch out for, especially the calibration. they should be accurate when they are new, however you may need to re calibrate it after frequent use, adjustability and how long will they stay true. unfortunately you will need to look at these saws in person and not very often they have all the details on their online pamphlet.

As for the rip fence, go for the cast iron if you can.

powerful enough to cut hardwoods
Again, most of saw would be happy to cut hardwood provided using proper saw blade.

And mobile would be a plus.
a saw thats constantly being moved may need more frequent calibration than a saw thats stationary, if you are only cutting small stuff then you probably wont notice it.

Originally Posted by bryn23

The K3 needs a 20 amp plug, from my paperwork,

I had 20 amps plugs installed for my Hammer Dusty, N4400 and A3-31 as the paperwork claims they need 20amp due to a 19amp motor rating.

Same goes for the K3 paperwork.

That is not my experience, 15 amps is what I was told and did. Even if the K3 is 5K more it is worth every penny of it. Way more versatile, way more safer than any cabinet saw including the SS which costs heaps if you activate the blade brake.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

That is not my experience, 15 amps is what I was told and did. Even if the K3 is 5K more it is worth every penny of it. Way more versatile, way more safer than any cabinet saw including the SS which costs heaps if you activate the blade brake.

Im only going of the paperwork i have for the K3, the following is also on my paperwork for the N4400, AF16 and A3-31

The motor rating is 19amps. Please connect machine to a 20amp circuitThe Machines are rated for 230V +/-10%. If operated outside thesetolerances the warranty for the elctrical components is void.
Longer cables, plug points, wall sockets and their installation are theresponsiblity of the client!!!
Please use a voltage stabilizer if in doubt about your power supply!!!





Has yours ever tripped out on the 15 amp?

i would only assume it would trip if the start up load was to great.

I've never done a full depth cut on the tablesaw, ever (mine takes a 12" blade)

These are taken to the bandsaw, which I think is a much better and safer option, plus it will cut up to a monster 350mm.

Sheets are a PITA in my small shop. I use a jig on the bench (which is super accurate) with a circular saw.

This is because sheets are a back busting vertebrae killer. A Gorilla Lifter to get it there, flop it on and cut where I want, without the massive swinging arms of a maga-expensive saw.

But, then again, I'm a tiny shop.

Originally Posted by bryn23

Im only going of the paperwork i have for the K3, the following is also on my paperwork for the N4400, AF16 and A3-31

The motor rating is 19amps. Please connect machine to a 20amp circuitThe Machines are rated for 230V +/-10%. If operated outside thesetolerances the warranty for the elctrical components is void.
Longer cables, plug points, wall sockets and their installation are theresponsiblity of the client!!!
Please use a voltage stabilizer if in doubt about your power supply!!!





Has yours ever tripped out on the 15 amp?

i would only assume it would trip if the start up load was to great.

I have never had a problem on a 15A circuit and no Clearvue that has the same motor rated HP has either to my knowledge. YMMV of course and I am not an electrical engineer, all I know is how to plug it in. There are some errors in the user manual, one being how to operate the safety microswitch on the blade guard, the manual is written for a combination machine not the stand alone slider. I think the 20amps may be for the combination machine which has a shaper/jointer/thicknesser which would require more power during operation and the manual does not reflect this.

If the Hammer is in your price range, then its a no brainer. Go the Hammer.
Those three saws are not really comparable, as they technically belong in three separate categories, Laguna being an all rounder, saw stop being probably safest and Hammer being the "Rolls Royce"

So its pretty hard to give you a reasonable comment without further info, as your "purpose" can realistically be met by nearly every table saw on the market including the smaller portable jobbies found at Bunnings.

I have a Delta 3HP cabinet saw. The electricity was a PITA but I did it myself. (We can do that here)

At school I was part of the team that installed 8 (IIRC) 5 HP industrial model (cabinet) SawStop saws. The quality was very impressive as was the fit and finish.

If I were to buy another table saw it would be difficult to not buy a SawStop.

I know of somebody that has a contractor model SawStop. He has experienced two blade drops. (About $200 each depending upon blade quality.) By his own admission, the blade drops did not involve flesh but rather stupidity. Therein lies the unspoken problem with SawStop.

It seems that SawStop owners tend to get a bit careless and when they go to another saw they are more accident prone. In a conversation with an instructor at school who has a similar home shop, we both agreed that we wouldn't allow a SawStop owner to use our table saws.

To the point, a neighbor who had taken a couple of woodworking classes at the local adult high school was using my saw. I had to shut the saw off a couple of times to correct her technique for safety. Finally I got to the point where I felt that her technique was safe. The next day she comes over to make a few cuts. She nicked her finger, nothing serious but her comment terrified me. "Oh, I cut myself. Why didn't the blade drop?" She is not welcome to use my saw anymore.

There is an additional saw with flesh sensing technology, Bosch. It is only available in a job site model but if you're not intending to rip 12/4 timber or cut sheet goods it is a good saw. Here in the US SawStop (Stephen Gass) and Bosch are involved in a Federal Court Urination contest. The sale of the Bosch has been stopped here at least until the court case is resolved. I've read both of the Gass patents. IMNSHO Gass will win the case.

I know of somebody that built a cabinet around a Bosch job site saw that gives good dust collection and the wide table top functionality of a cabinet saw. It works well for him.