Tools in The Self-Employed Man

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The apartment workshop that doesn't earn you a complaint letter

You can build real things in a rented flat. The trick is knowing which noise travels through concrete and which stops at your door.

GuideCan You Fix ItWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Your Garbage Disposal Hums But Won't Spin

The hum means the motor is fine and something is jammed against the impeller. Fix it in twenty minutes with a $3 wrench, in this order.

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What should I wear to this?

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GuideGadgetsDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

The tools to buy first when you buy a house

Three budgets, what each one really covers, and the gear you should rent instead of owning.

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

PartnerDude.com

Autos5 min read

Restoring a car with your son without ruining it for both of you

Pick the right car, sequence the work so he sees wins early, and know the month where most projects die in the driveway.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideCan You Fix ItWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Why Your Garage Door Stops Halfway and What to Fix First

Five minutes of diagnosis tells you whether this is an eight-dollar can of lubricant or a call to a spring guy.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Build a real workbench from two sheets of plywood

A 67-inch bench with a shelf, a clamping overhang and no wobble, cut from two 4x8 sheets in a single Saturday.

Ivermectin.com — Tracked USPS delivery, no clinic visit

PartnerIvermectin.com

GuideBRO for HerNina Castellan23 Sept 20265 min

Self-defense that holds up when you're frightened

The strikes worth learning, the tools that don't work, and how to tell a real class from a confidence exercise.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuideCan You Fix ItWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Fix a Sticking Door Before You Reach for the Plane

Nine times out of ten it's a loose hinge screw, not a swollen door. Find the rub, then fix it in the right order.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Start with a cutting board, not a bookshelf

Hard maple, six strips, one bottle of Titebond III, and the mistake that doesn't show up until you oil it.

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Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

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GuideGearWes Dunbar23 Sept 20265 min

Buy the cheap drill. Never buy the cheap jack stands.

A working line between the tools where price buys you nothing and the ones where it buys you a finished job and ten fingers.

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

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideCan You Fix ItDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Your Dishwasher Won't Drain. Do This Before You Call Anyone

Four inches of gray water in the tub is almost never a dead machine. Work the blockage points in order and most of these fix themselves in an hour.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Bringing a rusty Stanley No. 4 back to work

A car boot plane, a sheet of 80 grit and an evening at the bench will out-cut most of what's sold new in the shops.

GuideFoodDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

The knife, the pan and the board you actually need

Most kitchen gear is dead weight. Three tools, chosen properly and looked after, will cook nearly everything you'll ever cook at home.

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

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuideCan You Fix ItDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Fix a Dryer That Runs But Never Gets Hot

Three parts cause almost every no-heat dryer, and one of them costs twelve bucks. Diagnose in the right order and you'll be dry by dinner.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

Woodworking6 min

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

Fitness5 min

The recovery tool nobody can sell you

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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GuideCan You Fix ItWes Dunbar23 Sept 20265 min

A Dead Outlet, Diagnosed in the Right Order

Before you buy a receptacle or call anybody, work the circuit from the cheapest cause to the most expensive. Most dead outlets die from three things.

PartnerCancerDefying.com

Woodworking6 min read

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.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

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