Table saws aren't that dangerous if you actually use the safety equipment and take precautions. Unfortunately the first thing a lot of people do is pull the guard and riving knife off and start sawing away.
To start, I wouldn't go for a job site saw, as even the good ones aren't a lot of fun to work with. If I couldn't swing at least a contractor style saw I'd probably hold off and make do with a circular saw.
That said, years ago reface an entire kitchen once using only the following tools:
-$99 Mastercraft table saw
-Ryobi drill and bits
-Mastercraft orbital sander
-a few clamps and other odds and ends
It actually turned out quite well. I had to use pre-milled lumber since I didn't have a planer at that point, but if you're judicious about where to use the straighter stock vs the less straight stuff you can get pretty good results. Still, looking back there were some safety shortcuts I had to take to make it work with only those tools that I wouldn't do again.
For a first workbench, you might also want to take advantage of Home Depot's panel saw. Figure out the dimensions you want, have them cut a plywood top and any other crucial sheet good parts to size, and then get started. You could easily build it from there with just a circular saw and drill.
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