[DonRotolo]

A nice band saw is a few hundred dollars, while a nice mill is a few thousand.

First item should be a shop vacuum. Keeps the place clean.

A band saw cuts most everything, if you use the right blade. If money is an issue, avoid high-end machines with blade welders.

A belt sander - even with a 1" wide belt - is used to finish metal and plastic parts. You cut close to the line and use the sander to make it perfect.

A good vise, on a sturdy table, is essential. It holds everything tightly so you can do things to them, like drilling or tapping or sawing.

You have a drill press and chop saw.

That's about it for what we use often. We do have a lathe and find it useful for what was mentioned above, plus making shaft collars, shaft couplings, and drilling holes dead center of shaft ends. We also use our table saw on occasion.