Tools in The Self-Employed Man

Only Tools: the latest headlines first, then BRO’s own Tools stories and video. All of Self-Employed Men →

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.

GuideGearDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

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

Steel gets all the attention. Weight, pocket manners and whether you can take it apart are what decide if a knife survives a decade.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

Ask it

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

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.

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

PartnerShirts.com

Hunting & Shooting6 min read

Cutting up your own deer without wasting half of it

What home butchering actually takes — the cold space, the tools, the legal checks, and the mistakes that cost you meat.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideCountry BroWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Running a chainsaw without ending up in the emergency room

Kickback and falling wood cause most of the damage. Both are predictable, and both are avoidable if you change how you stand and how you cut.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Everything I Do Differently After the Shop Hurt Me

Nobody gets hurt on the hard job. You get hurt on the easy cut, at the end of the day, on the tool you've used ten thousand times.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuideGearDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

The truck kit that handles almost every roadside problem

Four failures cause most breakdowns. Build for those, spend where it matters, and leave the rest on the shelf.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

GuideCountry BroWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

The corner posts decide whether your fence lasts twenty years

Most paddock fences fail at the ends, not in the middle. Build the assemblies right and the rest is just wire and patience.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Learn to sharpen and every tool you own gets better

One skill, a couple of stones, and an afternoon. After that your knives, chisels, axes and pruners all work the way they did when they were new.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

GuideHomeWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Ten tools that cover ninety percent of household repairs

Most jobs around a house fail for want of the right tool, not the right skill. This is the short list that handles nearly all of them.

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

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideGearDean Shaw17 Sept 20262 min

Where "buy cheap, buy twice" is true — and where it's nonsense

Some tools genuinely justify the money. Plenty don't, and the difference is usually how often you use it.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Raise a burr, and the rest of sharpening follows

One skill, one piece of feedback, and about fifteen minutes to learn it. After that your chisels, kitchen knives and axe all get easier.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Build a garage workshop you'll use on a Tuesday night

Most home shops fail for one reason: starting takes too long. Fix that first, and the tools take care of themselves.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Build a tool tote first, and buy these five tools

One board, one afternoon, no table saw. The project that teaches you square cuts, glue-ups and finish — and gets used for the next twenty years.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

That’s everything on Tools in Self-Employed Men.

All of Self-Employed Men →

Keep reading in