On 19 Nov 2005 09:03:04 -0800, wrote:

Andy, what relevance is starting torque on a table saw (or any
woodcutting saw for that matter)?

It's not the "starting" torque on a saw, although it's hard to give a
simple phrase for it. A universal motor compared to an induction motor
has a torque curve that gives maximum torque at minimum speed, hence the
high starting torque for applications that need it.

In a sawbench, then the time you need torque is to avoid the blade
slowing in a heavy rip. Although you're not down to zero speed, you're
certainly into the range where a universal motor may well have more
torque than an induction motor that's nominally quite a bit more
powerful.