Are you thinking of buying a new table saw for your workshop? Then only brand acknowledgment won’t get you the best one.
You must inquire how many amps does a table saw use. What power does it render? And will it run on your existing electric panel?
Professional table saw needs 15 ampere current for woodworking. In most cases, subpanels in workshops are 110-220 amp. Hence, you can enjoy the robust power of your saw.
But for household purposes like crosscutting, ripping, shaping joints, a bench table saw is the best. These small saws require only 13 amp current to operate.
But is your in-house circuit panel compatible with the table saw you bought? If not, then how to modify it to use the saw? Read along to find out.
In this post we'll cover:
- A Quick Sneak Peek at Watt, Amps, and Volt
- How Many Amps Does a Table Saw Use?
- Can You Run a Table Saw on a 15 Amp Breaker?
- Can Your Circuit Panel Draw Enough Power to Run All Tools?
- How to Design a Circuit Panel to Draw Enough Electricity for All of Your Power Tools?
- Is It Possible to Use a 15 Amp Table Saw on a 20 Amp Circuit?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
A Quick Sneak Peek at Watt, Amps, and Volt
Watt, amps, and volts are closely related to each other. You can use multiple heavy-duty tools in your workshop panel if you know how to make a balance among them.
Watt
In simple words, Watt is the power of the motor and engine. It signifies how much work can be done by your tool.
Amps
Ampere is an international unit for the measurement of electrical current. That means your 220V tool can generate 240-watt power when one ampere current flows through it.
Volt
This is the potential difference required to move a positive unit charge from one point to another on the circuit. It’s directly proportional to current flow through a power tool.
How Many Amps Does a Table Saw Use?
The electricity consumption of your table saw depends on the motor activity and the power required to cut through woods. Usually, a 10-inch contractor table saw needs 1.5-2 HP to make a 3.5-4 inches deep cut. They’ll only work on a 15 amp current.
On the other hand, a 12-inch table saw is used to cut a 4-inch thick wood and onwards. It requires more electricity compared to others. Logically a 12-inch saw requires a 20 amp current to generate 1800 watt power.
But you can always manipulate this electricity consumption by changing the cord length, voltage, and resistance of the current flow.
Can You Run a Table Saw on a 15 Amp Breaker?
A 15 amp carry wire is true to its measure. That means a 15 amp wire can carry a 15 amp current in a close circuit. Then why does the connection breaks off sometimes?
Whenever your table saw tries to pull more than 15 amp electricity, the fuse burns off and breaks the path of current flow. This switches off the power tool and saves it from any damage.
Professionals and electricians suggest using a 10-inch table saw on a 15 amp breaker. This helps reduce loads on the motor and prevents overheating.
Can Your Circuit Panel Draw Enough Power to Run All Tools?
The circuit panel in the house can generate 100-120 amp electricity. In a 100 amp circuit panel, there’re no fewer than 20 circuits. It offers a 19800-watt power load in total, which is sufficient to run refrigerators, televisions, cookers, and other electronics in the house.
But if you have your workshop in the garage or the basement, it’s best to do some additional wiring for the constant power supply. Using portable power tools with extended power cords consumes more energy – the more the length is, the more the resistance.
Like, an 18-inch corded power tool needs an additional 5 amp current to produce 600-watt power. To generate this extra 5 amp current, you have to install separate subpanels in your workshop.
How to Design a Circuit Panel to Draw Enough Electricity for All of Your Power Tools?
Before installing a panel in your workshop, you should make a list of all the electronics and the approximate electric current they require to run. The setup should be efficient to handle the simultaneous use of two or more tools at a time.
If you aren’t short on your budget, you can install 2 or 3 different circuit panels for separate tools. But you can use the high power tool in your existing panel by:
- Increasing voltage ( potential difference)
- Decreasing extension cord length
- Adding a circuit breaker
Double the Potential Difference
We know that power is the product of current flow and voltage, p = I x V. If the potential difference becomes twice its initial, the required current flow will reduce to half. But this won’t bring any change in the power load of the saw.
Initially, the table saw requires 4000 watts of power to kick off. To generate 4000-watt power, a 120 v motor requires 34 amps current. But the same power can be generated from a 220v motor only by using 18 amps current.
This reduces your monthly electricity bill and gives enough electric current to run lights, fans, bulbs in the shop at the same time.
Decrease the Cord Length
Portable products are now more preferable to carpenters. Keeping the customers demand in mind, the brands introduced a corded table saw. But this consumes more electric current.
A 12-gauge cord will experience more resistance than a 10-gauge cord. And according to ohm’s law, the current is inversely proportional to resistance. So, if resistance increases, electricity consumption will eventually increase.
Add a Circuit Breaker
Constant use of the lights, fans, and power tools in the workshop overheats the circuit panel. Sometimes, excess current passes through your device and damages the internal setup.
A thoughtful installation of a circuit breaker or a fuse can save your thousand-dollar tools. Whenever excess electricity passes through wiring, the fuse burns off and breaks the current flow.
Is It Possible to Use a 15 Amp Table Saw on a 20 Amp Circuit?
Indeed, you can run a 15 amp table saw on a 20 amp circuit. But there’s a drawback. If more than 20 amp electricity passes through your saw, all the internal wirings will burn off.
So, such a circuit with high electricity production is suggested to be installed along with a fuse. Otherwise, you can simply install a 15 amp circuit.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which one cuts deep between 15 amp and 20 amp table saw?
A 15 amp table saw with a 10-inch blade cuts 3.5 inches of wood smoothly. And a 20 amp table saw with a 12-inch long blade passes through 4-inches hardwood without any difficulty.
- Are high electricity-consuming table saw more effective?
The more the current flow, the high is the power. So, high current consuming saws cut more precisely in less time.
Conclusion
Trying to gather information for your startups? By now, we believe you’ve got your answer on how many amps does a table saw uses. Both 10-inch and 12-inch table saw need 6-16 amps current to make an optimum deep cut.
However, double-check before selecting an amperage for your table saw because there’s a circuit panel, electricity flow of the panel, circuit breaker, and other functionality that relies on it.
Happy Woodworking!
I'm Joost Nusselder, the founder of Tools Doctor, content marketer, and dad. I love trying out new equipment, and together with my team I've been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with tools & crafting tips.
