FGG wrote in news:3cOdnXPqrOgJjdzcRVn-
:

Recently moved to a new home and finally have the time and space to try
doing some woodworking projects. Someone I spoke to about tools (he
happens to do a lot of woodworking) suggested that with limited space,
if I had to limit myself to one tool, he would get a radial arm saw. He
said that you can most everything you need with that tool.

HE could do almost everything HE needs with a radial arm saw. That's very
different than YOU doing what YOU need with a radial arm saw.

Most of the functionality of the RAS has been replaced, in today's shops,
by a compound miter saw, and, perhaps, a table saw. Safer, more
consistent, usually more versatile.

That still doesn't say what you need, or where you should start. Without a
whole lot more information, you get the standard set of recommendations.

Find an adult ed or community college program, and take at least one class
there. It's cheap. The people are absolutely the best in the world (well,
they are a lot like you, anyways.) You get to use their tools. They teach
you the parts you don't know, or forgot from shop class oh those many years
before. They point you to the places to buy things cheap. They post
notices about used tools. They swap 'learning experiences', so you don't
have to learn the hard way, at least not so often. They offer first aid
when you screw up. They sometimes bite their tongues when they see your
project completed. Not always, though. They commiserate when your home
projects turn into the long, hard, winding road. Sometimes, if you're
really lucky, they come over and help save your backside.

At least they do for me, and I, for one, am grateful to have these folks as
my friends. I hope you are so fortunate.

Patriarch