Well. I'm not that old but not that young and a bad back, arthritic problems have really taken their toll. Enough of that.
Many cbg's later with just hacksaw, regular handsaw, a drill ...( ah the charm of cbg making with little to no power tools)
Now it's different and the confusion of what major power tool to explore sets in. I can really only afford one. Hopefully a good one. I'm mainly interested in straight cuts...sizing wood. The basic outline of necks mainly. The smaller details seem to require small tools no matter how you slice it..( no pun intended). The recesses for headstock, the cavity for pickups seem almost impossibly time consuming and difficult with a bad back.

Sooo there's the jigsaw, the band saw, reciprocating saw , the table itself, a good miter box etc.
If there one power tool that helps you and it could help with the non-bending the back stuff I'd appreciate you sharing. Brand helps but the tool itself that you can't be without would help.
There's alot of power tools out there and they really range in type price and what they do. I've never been to technical which is part of the cbg appeal. My back doesn't agree.

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I added an awful sketch image but it shows the basic cuts I'm speaking of...
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Having a proper workbench at the right height for you is probably more important then getting power tools if you have back problems. If you feel you absolutely have to have power tools, for what you want to do, a bandsaw might be a good choice BUT what you buy depends on your budget....I mean, do you really want to spend $1000 on a decent machine? Do some thinking and some research before you make up your mind - I always recommend buying something a bit  bigger and more powerful than you might think you need (if you can afford it of course) - there's nothing worse than struggling with an underpowered piece of kit when trying to cut and machine hard timber.  I slowly accumulated my fixed workshop power tools...drill press, bench sander, surface planer, thickness planer, bandsaw, table saw  - in that order, so although I suggest a bandsaw, it was almost the last tool I bought! It took me a long time to get all this stuff - generally I didn't buy cheap, I waited until I could afford reasonable quality tools - my Record 12inch throat bandsaw was bought used, so I saved lot of money over buying new, but it was still several hundred dollars.

Totally makes sense. I was completely thinking about table height and other proper body mechanics. As far as power tools I agree. Some of the band saws I looked at a local major chain were comprised of shoddy looking plastic parts. I'd say no compromise and I'm probably not going to plop down cash I just don't have. I appreciate the honesty.
Alot of the more complex power tools look pretty darn intimating and scary to me. Then again so did playing the guitar about 35 years ago. That's 35 years at least of doing something that I'm pretty good at. Maybe for now I'll stick with the satisfaction that I've made a good number of cbgs without major power tools. although, I can't say I wish it was easier on my back and abit quicker from beginning to finally getting to play em.

The bench I use for assembly work is and old drawing board..its about 39" high, so it is  comfortable for me to stand at. but don't forget you can work at a bench sitting down too if it's the right height. I love my bandsaw, but I'd never used one before and found it very intimidating to start with, seeing as I'm really attached to my fingers and want to stay that way. As with any tools, hand or power, setting them up right is important to get them to work at their best, especially if buying used. I knew nothing about bandsaws a couple of years back, but now I know how to tension the blade, what blades to buy etc...there's plenty of info out there on the web, so don't be put off.  There are a lot of reasonably priced powertools out there, but in the UK I don't go to the major chain stores (the UK equivalent of Home Depot I suppose), but seek out more specialist companies that cater for the keen amateur hobbyist. They will often do tools that are a lot better than the cheap and nasty stuff, and some will stock everything from hobby to full professional quality, and are able to supply a good match of price/quality to what you need.

My advice would pretty much match what CBJohn gave you, my story is alot the same, took me a few years to purchase all my power tools and I now have most of the ones he has listed, I certainly can't afford all top of the line tools but on the other hand I refuse to buy junk ( nothing more frustrating than a tool that doesn't preform the way it should), there are many good quality tools out there and without trying to promote one brand over the other I seem to purchase alot of DeWalt, ( not top of the line but far from junk), all that being said, if I had to start over my first purchase would be my table saw, I say that because there are so many jigs and sleds ( most of which you can build yourself) it makes it my most versatile and go to tool in my shop, I also forgot to mention I have a small shop so I purchase mostly bench top models, so that's my 2 cents worth of advice, hope it helps ya out.

Can't argue with John,a bandsaw,well used will cover a lot of tasks,i'm surprised he didn't mention how an older /heavier cast iron bed saw is every chance to be a better purchase than a modern lightweight unit,but as in all power tools,spend an extra 10/15%,get a 50% better tool

Yes, it goes without saying that cast iron is the way to go...except I forgot to say that!! A saw with a cast iron table is generally far superior to one with a  pressed steel or cast/extruded ally table. My Record weighs around 200 pounds...that's pretty heavy, but it is accurate, durable and relatively quiet in use.

I can't offer much more insight, but if you are tallying votes I'd say get a good quality band saw. 

I personally do a lot of my cuts on the table saw but these same cuts could be made with a band saw with a fence. However, there are a number of cuts I use the bandsaw for that cannot (or would be ridiculously difficult) be cut using the table saw.

But I also have built my tool collection over the past few years. I've saved hundreds by buying used through Kijiji. 

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