I love my 1950-something DeWalt Power Shop, but I would not give up my table
saw if I had to make a choice. Ripping is scary on a RAS. Crosscuts are
limited to about 14" on mine [10" model]. But it's so convenient for
cutting narrow boards to length and cutting dadoes. I build wood toys, so I
am using a lot of small pieces of wood. Cutting 100 pieces of 3/4x2 lumber
to exactly 3 1/4" in length is much faster with a RAS. But ripping it to 2"
in width is a job I would not tackle on the RAS; that's a job for the table
saw. harrym

"takashi" wrote in message
...
Hi, I just started out woodworking. I am looking for a power tool which
is the most versitile of all. Some people recommended that I should buy
a table saw first, but others say that I can do more things, using a
radial arm saw. For example, a radial arm saw can be used to do both
cross-cutting and ripping. With some attachment, it can also be used as
a router. Since I can only buy one power tool at time, I am hoping that
somebody could give me a suggestion. Are the things that I said about a
radial arm saw correct?
Thank you in advance.