Tools in The Self-Employed Man

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Replace a broken window pane without butchering the sash

The glass is the easy part. Skip one step and your fresh putty cracks out by next winter.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Hang a ceiling fan that doesn't wobble, hum or fall

The whole job hangs on a part you can't see from the floor, and most failed fan installs fail right there.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideTradesAde FisherSep 23, 20266 min

How Teenagers Get a Head Start in the Trades

Shop class, summer crews, the federal age rules nobody explains, and the four tools a kid should own before graduation.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

Skills6 min read

The Axe Work That Drops a Small Tree Where You Want It

Read the lean, cut the notch wide, leave the hinge alone, and be twenty feet away before it lands. Then limb it without burying the bit in your boot.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20267 min

Unclog a toilet the right way, plunger first

The first eight seconds decide whether you're clearing a clog or mopping a floor. Then a flange plunger, used properly, handles almost all the rest.

GuideTradesDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

The Tools a First-Year Apprentice Should Actually Buy

Skip the rolling box. Buy the twelve things you'll touch every day, spend where it counts, and let the company pay for the rest.

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

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

A Sagging Gate Is Three Problems, Fixed In Order

The post, the hinges, the frame. Diagnose it in ten minutes, fix it in an afternoon, and stop lifting the thing every time you walk through.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Sharpen a chainsaw chain by hand, in the right order

If your saw is throwing dust instead of chips, ten minutes with a round file will give you back a saw that pulls itself into the wood.

GuideTradesWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Which Kind of Carpenter to Be and What Each One Pays

Framing, finish and cabinetry share a name and almost nothing else. Pick the lane before you spend a dollar on tools.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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GuideSkillsDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

An oil change in order, with a checklist you can print

Crack the fill cap before you touch the drain plug, and eleven other things that go in a specific sequence for a reason.

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

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Sharpen a kitchen knife on a whetstone without guessing

A dull knife slides off an onion and into your thumb. Twenty minutes, one stone, and the burr tells you when you're done.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideTradesDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

How to Become a Diesel Mechanic and What It Really Pays

The licensing, the apprenticeship routes, the tools worth buying first, and the hazards that put techs in the hospital.

GuideTradesAde FisherSep 23, 20266 min

How to Land a Trade Apprenticeship and Get Paid to Learn

The application window, the aptitude test, the panel interview, and the six things that sink most candidates before they ever pick up a tool.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Swapping a Switch and an Outlet, in the Right Order

The whole job takes twenty minutes once you know what to look at first, and exactly where it stops being a homeowner job.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

Skills6 min

Paint a room in the order a painter actually does it

Skills6 min

Why Your Car Won't Start, Worked Out In Order

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

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.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

PartnerDude.com

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?

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