Thank you all for the comments! (And please keep them coming!) It's always gratifying to ask a question and get so many thoughtful responses so quickly. And nothing is off-script as far as I'm concerned; all very good advice. And very helpful!
I should have thought about the difference between a universal motor and an induction motor. The Craftsman contractor saw we have now has a universal motor, so the "2.7 max developed hp" doesn't really relate to the hp rating on the induction motors. I checked and Sawstop categorizes their saws as "jobsite portables" (universal motors), contractor saws, professional cabinet saws, and industrial cabinet saws. The latter three all use induction motors. The contractor saws use 1.75 hp 120 vac motors, and the professional cabinet saws can be ordered with that or a 3 hp 240 vac motor. (I'm looking at their contractor saw or the professional cabinet saw. Haven't yet decide which, or which motor option if we go with the cabinet saw.)
I think we will definitely be buying a Sawstop for their safety features.
Our current Craftsman contractor saw (really a friend's, lent to us long-term) has an aluminum table, which I shimmed up. I also put a new blade on and fixed a very dangerous and poorly made fence by making a new face out of HDF. The original face is concave, guaranteeing a dangerous kickback.
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/econ_shocked.gif)
I also took advice I'd seen somewhere and aligned the fence so the back is 1/32 nd-of an inch further from the blade than the front. Kickback hasn't been a problem since (knock wood!)
The blade guard is unusable, and unfortunately the cheapy riving knife is attached to it. I've seen pretty nice home-made and third party blade guards, so will have to see how well we like Sawstop's. But we really want the upgrade for safety.
We're looking forward to building a cross-cut sled as a future project, once we have a saw good enough to use it. (After shimming the aluminum table on the Craftsman, it
might have worked without binding...)
Then, when our friend comes up to use his saw, we can show him what a really nice one can do!
Tom