I started out with a 9" Ryobi ($100 13 years ago) I built six or seven guitars with it, and I still use it for a lot of the lighter work. With a 1/4" blade it doesn't track very well but is fine for rough work. Resawing out of the question.
About 2-3 years in I bought a 17" Grizzly. I run a Lennox carbide 1" 3TPI blade that I use for resaw, ripping stock, trimming sides, roughing out necks, and many other tasks. The blade on the big saw cost more than the entire small saw, but then I've been running it for ten years and never replaced it.
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Larry Nair
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