The most important safety equipment is the kind you will wear. By far the most popular type are the headphones which are useful for running snow blowers, lawn mowers and other equipment besides tools in the shop.
In the photo you'll see some hearing protection I got by asking for samples at a trade show. The Yellow "foamies" in the upper left are the cheapest, but they are also the least sturdy.
In the middle is a safety glasses lanyard that has earplugs mounted on cords to the lanyard. I prefer to use these The plugs do not get in the way when they are not in my ears and I can let the glasses hang around my neck while the plugs are still in my ears. These are very durable, easily cleanable and I have been using them for months without any problem.
The orange plugs are on a cord which can hangs around your neck keeping them handy. That style is a bit more durable than the yellow foamies, but not much. These are designed for day visitors to a plant where they will need to put them in and take them out several times before discarding them.
Rounding out the hearing protection are green and blue plugs are just like the ones on my glasses, however they are standalone and come are different sizes (by color).
Other items to get should include safety glasses/goggles, gloves and some dust masks for sanding. If you are doing some painting you may consider a respirator if you don't have good ventilation.
Finally, I use a back support because I have a torn disk and standing for long periods and lifting heavy things just hurts.
Here is a tip. Call the manufacturers of some of these things and ask for samples. The worst they can do is say no. I feel compelled to add that I don't think you should outfit yourself entirely with samples.
Next I think I'll go over to my three favorite saws (bench saw, chop saw and circular saw), look at the accessories and begin the first project: making a bench saw into a full-size table saw.
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