avanabs

Yup, my 35 year old RAS is scary at times, but I've learned to be careful with it and there are things I can do with it that my table saw and chop saw can't (nor could most sliding compound mitre saws, even if I could afford them). For example, try making an accurate crosscut on an 8" long by 21" wide by 2" thick wide oak plank with any of the other tools mentioned.

My RAS also has more power than any sliding compound saw I could possibly afford. Clearly the tools that derived from the venerable table saw have filled in much of the role, but my saw remains a frequently used part of my shop. Regarding "never see a RAS in any shop" comments, that may be true for the rich folks, but up here in NH I see them in just about every shop, typically used for crosscutting and/or rough cuts.

For years I did everything on the RAS, including dado-ing, shaping, rip cutting, etc, and removated several homes and built lots of furniture and built in cabinetry...what a workhorse! I don't use it as much as I used to, now that I have a table saw, but wouldn't give it up.