I am in the process of planning a smedium covered porch for the front of my ranch house. Add some curb appeal for the future sale and cover packages when they are delivered. I am interested in trying my hand at timber framing, and this seems like a great opportunity. This is my general design of what i want to do. Im thinking about having a timberframe design service draw it up and send me plans, but it most likely wont be constructed using huge timbers. These are currently drawn as 6x6s, i think. I would rather add more timbers to add more visual complexity rather than use four 8x8s or 10x10s. With 6x6s in mind, i started to think would it be beneficial to pickup a large RAS that could cut a 6x6 in one pass? It would also have the capability of running a dado head for tenons. Specifically, there is a Dewalt GE in my area. This is a 16-20" saw.
In my searches, some timber framers suggest a RAS is not that useful. This question was posed at general timber framing, and most pros suggested anything other than the largest RAS's wouldnt be beneficial. Too difficult to move the 12"+ beams to the saw, rather than the saw to the timber. Also, these large beams are often not perfectly true and square, which means referencing them properly for cuts on an RAS isnt ideal. Finally, no RAS can cut 10x10 or even 8x8 to my knowledge. In my case, the 16"+ saw could cut a 6x6 perfectly. I also see some benefit to cutting tenons with a stop block and a RAS.
Seem worthwhile to pick up a single phase Model GE, or do it the old fashion way with a circular saw/ryoba and chisels?