Regarding the safety of the radial arm saw - I agree that I certainly prefer not to use it for ripping. And even while crosscutting, I've had work pieces jump when not being careful enough. But with larger work pieces (like timber braces) and a larger saw, it feels more comfortable. As everything has more mass, things tend to move more slowly and deliberately.
As with any tool, if it doesn't seem safe before you start - don't start! Stop and figure out a safer way. One thing that can happen with the RAS is when you pull the saw through the timber toward you, the saw can catch, and 'jump' toward you, and wedge in the workpiece. If that's a concern, start with the saw carraige out, and push it (away from you) back through the workpiece. Again, with a larger, more massive saw, I find that this is not a concern.
My opinion is that for timber braces, the RAS is safer, more accurate, and more efficient than cutting braces with a hand-held saw.
Regarding sliders (the sliding compound miter saw, not the hamburger), there are lots of 12" models on the market. I have the Makita, but I've used the DeWalt, and it looks like it might be a better machine. I find that when cutting a tennon shoulder, the depth setting on the sliders is sloppier than on the RAS. Also, the slider cannot cut the cheek, but the RAS can, as you can set the blade parallel to the table. Finally, I've never seen a 5HP slider with a 16" blade
.
Regarding the depth of cut of the 2 hand-ehld saws, I get 6-1/8" from the Makita, and 3-15/16" from the Bigfoot.
