re: Starting Woodworking, what should I get?

My table saw is the most used tool in my shop by far.

I made my own router table for my large router. It is a 3 HP Porter Cable that I use for things like raised panel doors, heavy profiling, etc. That router is a beast and not one to be used by hand for the most part.

I also use my jointer/planer a lot to get nicely finished edges at 90 degrees for edge gluing boards to make door panels, carcass sides, table tops, etc.

I'd get a table saw for sure and they can be found relatively cheap on places like Craig's list or similar sites.