The radial arm saw does make a pretty good horizontal boring machine. I just checked mine (bought in 1975), and it is a 1/2-20 thread. I refurbished my RAS a few years ago -- mostly a tuneup, alignment, and a new larger top with melamine surface. It is my most used saw, more so that my table saw, bandsaw, or compound miter saw. It is strictly for 90 degree crosscuts, where it excels. But I used it for many years for rips, miters, compound cuts, etc. I bought the molding head cutter, but never really used it, since I bought a router a few years later. I also have a picture frame type of miter attachment, and some hold down clamps I never use, if you are looking for these types of accessories.
I think the RAS is great for cutting pen blanks to length, since the fence has a very narrow slot in it. I trust it much more than the miter saw.
I have a basement shop, and I am thinking of getting another RAS for the garage, just for cutting down large boards before heading to the shop, and also for outdoor projects. I grew up when the RAS was popular, and since it was my only saw, I learned to do a lot with it. They have fallen out of favor, but a really good one is a very useful tool. The later Craftsman model were junk, but the old ones with cast iron columns are very good tools, and can be aligned very precisely.
