I have very very old power tools. I cannot afford new ones. The problem is, if I’m being totally honest, I’m largely afraid of the tools I have. I’d like to get over this. How does one do that without direct supervision?
More info: I inherited tools from my parents and grandparents. Things I could afford to replace, like drills and drivers, I did. What I have left are big bladed things (chop saw, table saw, tile saw, etc. no lathe sadly :( ) None of the users of these specific tools are still alive. They are all probably 30+ years old, and work fine, probably, but… are just super intimidating (tho my grandfather had a lot of pre-electrification manual tools and I love those - So nice to take a manual plane to a solid door and end up with something that closes properly!). Some of them have plugs that screw together so you can repair them and everything (those I probably won’t use, absolutely terrifying if you fuck up). I’m mid 30s so I remember most of these things being used but I also remember the table saw I have in my garage taking off half my step-dads thumb…
I know power tools today are built to be a lot safer, but I definitely can’t afford those (I wouldn’t even be able to afford these but they were free for me), and I don’t know anyone with power tool skills (last learning I got was in hs shop class almost 20 years back) so how do I get comfortable with them enough to actually use them for the little projects I need them for? I don’t live in a big metro area, so there aren’t clubs afaik.
In addition to lots of good comments you have already received, I’ll add a couple notes.
Some old tools were designed to let you do some inherently unsafe things. Radial arm saws are one thing that comes to mind. They were designed to be a one stop shop, but really compromised safety to do that. If you have one, do some reading or watch some videos of modern woodworkers on what you can actually safely do with them.
Another thing to look out for is that old tools can sometimes have a lot of vibration. As things get older, bearings wear down, and screws/bolts can loosen. If you notice a lot of vibration, you can go around the tool to try and find anything loose. Many tools have a lot of adjustment points to ensure things are well balanced. If you are really handy, you can also replace bearings. Another trick I used with an old contractor saw was placing weights on the shelf under the body of the saw. Generally, more mass is less vibration; that’s why cabinet saws weigh so much.
Really, if I were you, I would just post pictures of what you have to this community. That’s a good way to get more specific advice.