Originally Posted by
paul cottingham
If I were starting again, I would have bought the biggest, best bandsaw I could afford. With a proper fence and a good jack plane (to clean the cut up a bit), a bandsaw can do anything a table saw can, and a ton of things a table saw can't. Learn to crosscut with a handsaw, and use the Jack plane and a shooting board to make the cuts perfect. I think you need a shooting board even with a table saw.
seriously, a good bandsaw is indispensable. And much less likely to maim you, to boot.
of course, bear in mind that I'm primarily a galoot.