What are you trying to do, and what other tools do you have?
Rough wood breakdown toolkit is different than joinery… and small boxes would be different scale than dining tables.
For rough wood breakdown:
-If you aren't a strict hand tool devotee (due to space, aesthetics, etc) a used bandsaw would be my choice for ripping… unless I already knew that I enjoyed the pace/workout of doing it by hand.
- I've got a 26" 8tpi Disston crosscut saw that cuts well. But so does my cheap hard point saw:
http://www.amazon.com/BAHCO-2600-22-.../dp/B0001IX7OC
For joinery:
- veritas saws get a lot of good reviews, especially on price/performance.
- I've got Gramercy dovetail/sash saws that I like for the smooth start and cut… but there's tradeoffs to everything.
- I also have a Z dozuki from Woodcraft that I seem to use fairly often. (Sometimes you feel like a push, and sometimes you feel like a pull…)
Matt