I ripped for two boats on a RAS. I used a 7 1/4 black & Decker combo blade that I got at the Depot for $7. It cut great. For ripping my motor was over the board being ripped so a 7 1/4 blade would allow me to fit 3/4 thick stock under it. In other words, if you're ripping 5/4 stock you would need an 8/14 blade. It depends on how big and round your motor is. You want a smaller blade because it will be thinner than you can get with a 10" one. Set up your saw for your strip thickness and drop the blade guard down so it's almost touching the stock on the feed side. Do a few scrap tests. I used a long feather board that I moved in and re-clamped with each pass. And I use one loose feather board past the blade. Use push sticks or pull the wood through at the end of the run. The RAS works fine but just a bit more cumbersome than a table saw.