It says to say "hi"

Welcome ,Gus, Can't help you with an above the table router, but below the table seems safer to me. Freehand routing might be scary for a beginner, but table routing can be set up so it is quite safe.

At any rate glad to have you here. We are looking forward to any questions you can come up with.
Herb

us...
Welcome to the forums...
Got some recomended reading for ya....

Hey, Gus; welcome!
Freehand routing is as safe as anything else you can do with sharp things spinning at high speed. Just a guess but I'd be willing to bet that far more people are injured using circular saws than routers...mind you (to be fair here) far more people use circ. saws. Some of them shouldn't be allowed near a Q-Tip let alone power tools.
OK; do Stick's reading assignment, Tom (Desert Rat Tom) will have some for you as well.
Bill Hylton's books are excellent; check out used book stores, library etc.
I've had routers for 30+ year and although I don't use them nearly as often as a lot of other members, I've never even had a close call...I have a lot of respect for the tool and the potential damage it could cause and I act accordingly
Lifting my Bosch 1619 down off a high shelf, one handed, tearing my rotator cuff doesn't count...it wasn't plugged in.

Welcome to the forum, Gus! When you get a minute complete your profile with location and first name. That will clear the N/a in the left panel and your location helps us to help you.

A table saw might be a better choice than a radial arm saw though having a RAS in the shop can't hurt. I keep my router mounted in the table and only take it out when I have to, fwiw.

David

Gus; sorry, forgot the other questions.
If you're looking for potentially dangerous tools, the radial arm saw is top of the list. If you've had a qualified user teach you the things to do and especially the things NOT to do, you might be OK. But for accuaracy you can't really beaat a properly adjusted tablesaw, and brand name, good quality sliding compound miter saw Bosch, Hitachi, Dewalt, (plus maybe a couple of others).
My advice is to stay away from used power tools unless you're really mechanically inclined and love to rebuild stuff...
Some of the members are and have scored good deals, but they knew going in what to look for in the way of problems.
Radial arm saws are a glut on the market as the resale market is pretty thin, or at least it is here; my neighbour couldn't give her late husbands Craftsman RA saw away. Zip, zero takers.
Drill press; floor model if you've got the room...

Thanks .. I'll most likely be asking a lot of questions ..

Thanks ... I'm saving that link .. I'll be reading everything I can ..

That MIGHT count !!! hahahaha .. I think it's ROUTER RELATED .. hahahahaaaaa

I have Sticks stuff downloaded, and, I'll be reading it tomorrow morning. Thanks for the welcome, I'll try not to put a dove tail in my thumb.

Hmmm. I went to my profile and it has my first name there .. I'll go again and make it a change and save it again .. thanks.

Yep .. looking for a drill press now, just, not finding anything but the china presses out there. Wen - but - horrible reviews. My area is full of artsy people, so, I imagine the good stuff gets picked over.

I'm only thinking of a Radial Arm Saw so I can take the saw off and make that overarm router I say a picture of on here .. that looked pretty cool, and, like you said .. 50 bucks will buy a pretty good looking Craftsman to butcher up.

Thanks for the advise on the drillpress .. now I know I'm on that correct track .. now .. what brand .. and I would guess? 12 to 16 inch ???? just in case ?

Gus; there are a LOT of tools coming out of Taiwan that are fairly decent quality.

Welcome to the forum Gus.

Welcome to the group Gus.....and do read the referred material because it can save a good deal of pain and suffering. Rush is not a word to use here. Take your time, plan it out, and double check before cutting. Make sure you use your safety gear for eyes, lungs, and ears. Keep all tool safety devices on and in good working condition. Your digits will appreciate it. respect the tools and their ability to cut far more than wood.....and ask plenty of questions, there are no dumb questions.