Equipment today is so great. I wish I were 35 years younger and just starting out, but as it is just doesn't seem worth the hassles/expense of upgrading. In my mid-60s now, so I have less years of woodworking in front of me than in history.
For instance, I bought an Inca 2100 in the 1980s, and it had unheard-of in the US features like a riving knife, a 3-way rip fence extrusion, and an optional floating guard. Today those are pretty standard, plus SawStop safety tech. Sliding tablesaws were crazy expensive, but man they do simplify a lot of operations is getting wonky figured hardwoods into shape, although I guess track saws can do most of that with a bit more setup and long rails.
There were no helical cutterheads for jointers/planers, at least for consumers. The 4-sides replaceable cutters are a cool, but recent, thing, I think enabled by CNC milling of the cutterheads that hold them. I retro-fitted my SCM FS-350 with a Tersa cutterhead, which still have some advantages (especially if you work with junk wood sometimes and don't want to mess up your good blades), but I think overall I'd prefer a helical. I also jury-rigged a corded hand-held drill to act as a variable speed feed to reduce tear out on things like bird's eye maple (but again, I think helicals do fine on those today). And now with new formulas that create cast iron surfaces that are less likely to rust and stay flatter.
With Carter guides or equivalent available for most bandsaws, and Laguna's and Harvey's new bandsaw fences, bandsaws are better, too.
Sliding compound miter saws were a new thing, with 8.25" blades, and you had the rear bar extrusion problem for in-shop use.
Track saws? We were still clamping plywood guides to panels to cut with a normal circular saw back then. To cut up plywood, thousands of DIYers made themselves a panel sled after Norm showed one on his show.
MFT? After getting a tablesaw and wide jointer/planer combo, I set about building my workbench. After reading The Workbench Book, decided on square dogs since the round dog holes didn't seem to hold up over decades. Today's tech relies on replacing the top periodically, and there are a LOT more holding do-hickies available today than in the early 1990s.
Festool was a new brand I saw in the late 1990s - probably around sooner though. Prices were crazy high, and the reliability and parts availability were unknowns to me then.
And, of course, CNCs. I do have a small CNC and wish I had a moderate size CNC. I may upgrade this, as it's one tool I expect I can continue to use as I get older and weaker and less co-ordinated.
Ah, to be young and starting out again...
