The radial arm saw is my preferred tool for ripping strips. The longer table suports the boards better than my table saw, and I can use a 6 foot long 1x3 as a fence.

Some people have noted that this is a more dangerous tool as the direction the blade turns when it cuts can lift the wood off of the table. Fingerboards can overcome this tendency.

Also, I am very careful to adjust the kickback pawls. this is to prevent that board from becoming a missile should the blade bind. The working setup allows me to stand alongside the board, instead of directly behind it, while I feed it into the saw.

With a 7 or 7 1/2 inch sawblade on the radial arm saw there is not much clearance between the bottom of the saw motor and the table, but there is enough for feeding 5/4 or 1 x lumber.

Someday I'll get fancy rollers for infeed and outfeed, but at the moment I have a couple of two-wheel handtrucks which are almost as high as the table for my radial arm saw. I put a weighted box, or an old car battery on them, to keep them upright, and use them as infeed and outfeed tables. I clamp a small board to them to get the correct height.

Hope this helps. Goodluck with your project.

PGJ