Hi Ray,
Most of my brace stock is now in 3" stock varying from 5-8 inches wide. This is due to working with boring machine and 1-1/2" bits are easier to turn making the mortice work simpler. I do still work them with hand tools when only working on a few braces. But if I have to punch out a bunch I use my 8-1/4 Makita with a 8-1/2" blade on it. I lay them all out in a long string on ponies with bunk timber on top. I perform one step at a time walking down the line, change the saw setting and rolling the batch then making the next cut, drops off the end, shoulder and cheek cuts. Slick clean up, instead of chisel.
This is the bulk of power tool work in my shop, btw.
I wonder if cutting with a big chop saw would be more or less efficient, having to handle each piece and turning it then still having to make the cheek cuts. I have heard of people running them through a table saw but find dropping the skill saw for the tenon/cheek cut simple enough. Take the tool to the wood.
I tired cutting the cheeks on my saw mill/band saw once or twice and found it on the crude side. Very little clean up with the skill saw, needed. Rough sawn stock, I still need to hand plane the inside/ back face of the tenon.
I also do not like curved braces, I will bend if the client is pressing. I use a large curved Jig, I bolt in place centered under my band mill, adjust the blade to the proper height and push them through, really nice when you need to do 50 braces, no patterns or any thing. It requires a fence as well. What I dislike most is the extra length in mortice work for no larger brace, silly.
I could change systems any day, depending on how this thread goes.....