Tools in The Self-Employed Man

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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.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 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.

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Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 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.

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

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Skills6 min read

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

Four feet wide, nine inches deep, three boards and a box of screws. The build takes 90 minutes. Hauling the soil is the real work.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Re-caulking a bath and shower without it peeling in a year

Most new caulk fails because of what happened before the tube was even opened. The order matters more than the technique.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Basic Welding: A First Weekend With a MIG

Buy the helmet before the welder, burn a dozen practice beads on scrap, and learn to hear a good weld before you try to see one.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Why Fences Lean, and How to Set Posts That Don't

A fence never fails at the pickets. It fails in the first eight inches of dirt below grade, and that part is decided on day one.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Changing your own oil without making a mess of it

The order to do it in, the two mistakes that dump five quarts on your driveway, and the parts nobody tells you to buy.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

How to hang a door so it closes with one push

Most doors that stick were hung to a crooked frame. Set the hinge side plumb first and everything downstream gets easier.

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Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

The running toilet is a fifteen-minute fix, not a plumber call

Two parts cause almost every running toilet. You can tell which one in thirty seconds, and both cost under twenty dollars to replace.

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

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GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 22, 20265 min

Read a tape measure right the first time

The marks, the sliding hook, the diamond at 19.2 and the one habit that stops you cutting a shelf a sixteenth short.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 22, 20265 min

How to stop a dripping tap in fifteen minutes

Water off, handle off, washer out, washer in. The job is small. The mistakes are the expensive part.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 22, 20266 min

The six multimeter checks that solve most problems

A multimeter does forty things. You'll use six of them, and they cover almost every dead battery, dead outlet and dead appliance you'll meet.

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

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GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 22, 20266 min

How to wire a plug properly, and when to leave it alone

Brown right, blue left, earth on top, and a fuse that matches the appliance. The rest is knowing which jobs aren't yours.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

Skills6 min

Jumping a dead mower without frying the battery

Skills6 min

Patching Drywall So Nobody Can Tell Where the Hole Was

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Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 22, 20266 min

Sharpen a knife properly with what's already in your house

No fancy stones, no gadget clamps. A marker pen, something flat, and twenty minutes gets you a knife that slices paper.

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

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Skills6 min read

The wiring jobs worth doing yourself and the ones that aren't

Swapping a switch, a receptacle or a light fixture is within reach for most people. Knowing which jobs to hand off is the part that keeps you safe.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

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