110v vs 220v (how to wire my new Unisaw)?

I could be wrong but I don’t think you can run a 3hp motor on 110v, I believe it will require a 20amp 220v service. If you don’t have much room left in your panel you might want to think about running a 40amp or 60amp service to a subpanel then you would have room for any future tools like a dust collector and such. Just a thought.

-- Mike

If you can do the wiring yourself then I would go ahead and use 220. You could wire an extra plug to the same breaker for your welder and other things since I doubt that you will be welding and using the table saw at the same time.

I’m not even sure that my Unisaw has the option to run it at 110.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

the 3 hp delta motor can’t be wired for 110 youll have to run a 220 for it but it will run very smooth and have more power then you can use.

-- I buy tools so i can make more money,so ican buy more tools so I can work more, to make more money, so I can buy more tool, so I can work more

I agree. The 3HP Unisaw will likely need 220v. The motor is rated for 230v at 12.4 amps. I don’t think the Unisaw circuitry and wiring is beefy enough for a +25 amp draw at 110v.

-- jay, www.allaboutastro.com

Ive been thinking about wiring my Ridgid to 220 also, so after reading your post I decided to get off my rump and go for it. My saw seems to run much much better on the 220 now, comes up to speed alot faster and seems to run smoother. So I say go for it… now wishing I had done mine sooner.

-- I can fix ANYTHING!.... Wheres the duct tape?

Humm… According to the manual at http://www.owwm.com/mfgIndex/pubdetail.aspx?id=539 a 3hp Unisaw can run either. Not my exact model, but close

My only real problem with 220v is it’s going to take me a couple days to acquire the materials & spare time to actually run the wire. Ah well, don’t have anything I need cut on the saw in the near future anyway. ;-)

Off to Lowes I go.

When I got my Unisaw (it was and is wired for 220V) I was curious as to how many amps it really drew. So I checked it with a clamp-on ammeter and idling away it was around 3A (Baldor motor, not sure what they’re using these days). Cutting some red oak it jumped up to maybe 4A. Tried some other woods and it never got close to the 12 or 13A rating, don’t think it got past 6A. So at 110V you’d be pulling 6 to 8A, maybe a bit more, but fine for a 20A circuit. So if it is wired for 110V you could probably use it just fine until you get the 220 installed. But if you want to keep it at 110v and put it on a 25 or 30A breaker you have to change the outlet and it’s plug. I just looked into that myself because I was considering putting in a 30A 110V circuit for my air compressor and after I looked at the outlet and plug I’d have to use decided not to go that route.

Running at 220V it will come up to speed faster, that’s about all you’ll notice. They’ll be less losses in the wiring due to the wire’s resistance but that’s pretty much negligible,

-- -Curt, Milwaukee, WI

fallon maybe i should have been clearer if you have a delta motor its 220 only if its the baldor motor you can wire it up for 110 or 220 the best way to find out is look at the plate on the side of the motor it will tell you if it is rated for both or not.

-- I buy tools so i can make more money,so ican buy more tools so I can work more, to make more money, so I can buy more tool, so I can work more

Plate says 220, so guess that’s the way it’s going to be. Will need the 220 most likely anyway if I end up building my own wheel frame to move the saw around with my friends welder.

The problem with that user manual is that it covers all the Unisaws, not necessarily the 3hp version. So, it shows you what to do depending on which motor you got.

The volt and amp rating are usually straight forward on most machines. Some will say 110/220 while others might even say 220/440. In those cases, the hardware is capable of running at those amperages. But when the placard on the Unisaw says 230v at 12.4a, I see very little room for interpretation. Wiring it for 110 will push a lots of current, which means a lot of heat. If the Unisaw works on 110v, then I bet it wouldn’t work for long, especially if you cut a while bunch of hardwood at one time. Single cuts on even 8/4 maple wouldn’t cause too much problems or pull much amperage, but doing it all day would really warm things up.

Not telling you what to do, but just what I would do.

-- jay, www.allaboutastro.com