Tools in Home & Garage

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Tile Your Own Backsplash Without Redoing It Twice

The whole job in the order it's actually done, from killing the breaker to caulking the counter joint, plus the layout mistake that ruins first attempts.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The mower that won't start, and the order to check it

Nine times in ten it's the fuel, not the engine. A working order for diagnosis, and the point where you stop and buy a new machine.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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GuideFitnessCal Brennan22 Sept 20265 min

The recovery tool nobody can sell you

If your lifting has stalled and you're sleeping six hours, the problem isn't your program.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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Skills6 min read

Splitting a cord by hand without wrecking your back

The block height, the swing, the rounds that will never split, and how to stack so the bottom row isn't rotten by spring.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Turning a storage garage into a working shop

Light, power, wall space and one bench you can always get to. The order you do it in decides whether anything ever gets finished.

GuideGearDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

Buy-it-for-life should mean repairable, not expensive

A four-question test for whether a thing will actually last, plus the categories where the cheap one is the correct answer.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The tape hook is supposed to wiggle

Sixteenths, crow's feet, kerf, and the ten-second test that tells you whether your level has been lying to you.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Build the workbench first, and buy only four tools

Skip the floating shelves. Your first project should be a flat surface at the right height, and it takes four tools to build it.

GuideGearWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Build Your Toolkit One Job at a Time

Skip the 200-piece set. Buy the tool the job demands, learn what it does, and end up with a box that's all useful.

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Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Why patios sink, and how to build one that doesn't

The flat patio and the wavy one get built the same way above ground. The difference is what happened in the first afternoon.

Ivermectin.com — Tracked USPS delivery, no clinic visit

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GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Measure and Mark So the Cut Is Right the First Time

Most bad cuts aren't saw problems. They're marking problems, and every one of them is fixable in about ten seconds.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideGearWes Dunbar22 Sept 20265 min

Buy the cheap pry bar. Never buy the cheap ladder.

A working rule for which tools you can buy off the bottom shelf, and which ones cost far more than the money you saved.

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Sharpen a knife, an axe and a mower blade the same way

Three tools, three angles, one test. Do them in this order and you'll stop guessing whether the edge is actually finished.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

GuideDatingMarcus Vale22 Sept 20266 min

Ninety days on the app, then off it

Treat a dating app like a tool with a job and a deadline, and it stops being the thing that quietly eats your twenties.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

Gear6 min

The Pocket Knife You'll Still Be Carrying In Ten Years

Skills6 min

A four-by-eight raised bed, built in one afternoon

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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GuideAutosDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

Five car jobs worth learning before you pay someone else

Basic maintenance most drivers outsource, what each one actually takes, and the mistakes that turn a twenty-minute job into a tow truck.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

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Woodworking6 min read

Build a sawbench first, then build everything else on it

Two boards, a box of screws, and four tools you'll keep for thirty years. The best first project isn't a birdhouse — it's the thing you'll work on.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

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