if you get nervous or have anxiety while using power tools let's talk about a few tips to help you overcome those words so that you can be more confident and less anxious in the shop confidence with any power tools directly related to the amount of time you spend using that tool and the only way to reduce your anxiety and build confidence is to spend more time for that tool and I know how that sounds especially after you're already so nervous about using power tools so let's look at five tips to help you change all that nervous energy in the confident action tip number one is to understand and know the difference between respecting a tool and fearing a tool respect is a healthy caution for knowing what the tool is capable of and what the tool is not capable of respect should lead the things like guidelines safety parameters and an overall understanding of that tools function and design fear on the other hand is derived from the lack of knowledge through minimal experience which leads to a carelessness towards the tools main purpose and design fear also leads to poor decision making which ultimately leads to injury and that's what we fear the most right it's not that we're going to make a mistake and ruin a project yes that would be bad but our biggest concern is that we're going to hurt ourselves or others around us and that leads us to tip number two which is to read and understand all the manuals that come with each power tool manuals have written for a reason many of us think that reason is for safety guidelines only but it does so much more than that it explains the tools main functions it shows the best operational techniques and it sometimes talks about tool accessories my table-saw manual comes to mind here that mean there's just so much great information in here greeting and understanding manuals and other useful documentation is a sure way to gain knowledge before experience so that when experience comes you'll be better prepared to take full advantage of it I do however understand that not all power tools come with great manuals so that leads us in to tip number three which is to learn through watching others work and ask questions this could be online or in person or both and you can start by simply watching the videos that I have and leave your questions in the comment section next is in person you can reach out to a neighbor or a local woodworking shop or even a teacher and ask if you could hang out for a day or two in return for helping them clean up at the end of the day the next tip transitions us from an observer to a doer so tip number four is start simple by making a lot of easy practice cuts we have all heard the saying practice makes perfect but the updated version is so much better practice makes progress making progress is simply more attainable than seeking for perfection plus progress leaves room for making mistakes which is what we all need to do to learn by making a lot of easy practice cuts it gives you the needed time to build confidence get experience and create a healthy respect for the tool without having the stress of making hard cuts or making mistakes on a project the more reps you get in there stronger you are right but even if that's too much where you can start with more basic smaller power tools even though they don't make cuts then work your way back up to the bigger tools like the miter saw table saw and hand routers and last tip number five refining your skills with some practice now under your belt you will soon get to the point where you'll feel in here warning signs or sounds coming from the tool for instance if you apply too much pressure in a certain direction or feed the material through not quite straight enough the tool will change pitch giving you a clear signal that you need to change something before potential danger happens it's through this feedback loop where you begin to get more comfortable and confident to move forward to the next level whatever that level is for you but remember this if you ever get uncomfortable about making a certain cut don't do it there's always another way to get that job done and lastly I do want you to know that these tips don't have to be done in the way I presented them you can mix and match and make it really specific to how you think you need to learn the best and if you have any questions leave them below plus I'll add a playlist here you can go ahead and click on that to watch all of the power tool videos that I've made so far thanks for watching see you next week
