First let me warn you, sausage making is often referred to as "the dark side" because it opens up a whole new world of food opportunities and can become addictive!
I recommend starting slowly and growing into it.
If you have a good local butcher, then all you really need to start (besides a couple recipes and seasonings) is some kind of mixing tub (I use inexpensive wash tubs), some nitrile gloves and cotton glove liners (to keep your hands warm and your sausage cold).
You can start out by buying some ground pork from your butcher and mixing some bulk sausages. THEN if you think you're going to enjoy sausage making, you can move on to a good stuffer & stuffing sausages, and finally a good grinder.
Also, start out with fresh style sausages to get use to the process, then move on to cured/smoked sausages.
Casings: The best place to buy casings... again try your local butcher! Most local butchers have and sell sausage making supplies. If you don't have a local butcher who makes sausage, then you might need to go to an online store such as
www.meatprocessingproducts.com.
AVOID buying those small "Home Pack" packages of casings. They are irregular size/lengths and usually poorer quality. Instead buy the full hanks of casings. That's what butchers use, and trust me the difference in quality is worth it! You will pay a little more up front buying a whole hank, but not that much more, and as long as you keep them packed in salt and store in the fridge (never freeze them), they stay good for 2 - 3 years.
I've tried the "pre-tubed" casings, and don't think they are worth the extra $$.
When you get a hank of casings, they will come packed in salt on a ring. Go ahead and separate them into smaller zipper bags with some of the salt, and store them in a bigger bag in the fridge (not freezer). If you need more salt, just use pickling or Kosher salt. This allows you to pull out what you need as you need them. If you have any casings left over after stuffing, just put them back in a baggie with a tsp or so of pickling salt and put them back in the fridge for later use.
A good rule of thumb for hog casings is you will need about 24" of casing for every pound meat. They do NOT need to be soaked for hours. All they need is a good rinsing off/out and about a 20 minute soak in lukewarm water (this is per my butcher who makes hundreds of lbs of sausage every week).
Stuffers: Do your best to avoid stuffers with nylon gears, and opt for metal gears, ESPECIALLY if you plan to stuff smaller diameter sausages (breakfast links, snack sticks, etc.). The smaller the diameter sausage the more strain it puts on the gears!
Some stuffers, such as the LEM's come with nylon gears, BUT you can order a metal gear replacement kit, so be sure to look for that!
Grinders: Again, avoid the grinders that have nylon gears. They simply do NOT hold up under heavy use, and talk about noisy!
If you can swing it, get at least a true 1/3 - 1/2 hp grinder with a size #12 throat. A #8 throat requires cutting meat into much smaller pieces, whereas a #12 throat will take much bigger strips.
I cannot stress how much time this saves!