Tools in Side Hustles

Only Tools: the latest headlines first, then BRO’s own Tools stories and video. All of Side Hustles →

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.

GuideWoodworkingWes DunbarSep 23, 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.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

Ask it

GuideGearDean ShawSep 22, 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.

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

PartnerNames.com

Can You Fix It6 min read

A Dripping Faucet Tells You Which Part Failed

Where the water shows up decides whether you need a 50-cent washer, a $6 seat kit or a $28 cartridge. Diagnose before you buy anything.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideWoodworkingWes DunbarSep 23, 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 DunbarSep 22, 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.

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

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Patching Drywall Without Making It Worse

Nail pops, doorknob holes and the four-foot disaster behind the couch, fixed in the order a working guy actually does them.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

GuideWoodworkingWes DunbarSep 22, 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.

GuideGearWes DunbarSep 22, 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.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideHomeWes DunbarSep 22, 20266 min

How to hang heavy things so they never come down

Studs, toggles, cleats and the four mistakes that put a mirror on the floor at two in the morning.

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

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideFoodWes DunbarSep 22, 20266 min

Sharpening a kitchen knife without wrecking it

Most home knives aren't dull, they're bent. Knowing the difference, and learning to feel for the burr, is the whole skill.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideGearDean ShawSep 22, 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.

GuideHomeWes DunbarSep 22, 20266 min

The paint job that still looks right in three years

Most rooms don't fail because of the paint. They fail at the caulk line, the patch you didn't prime, and the coat you called good enough.

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

PartnerDude.com

GuideDatingMarcus ValeSep 22, 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

Is your money actually in order?

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

Cars6 min

Five car jobs worth learning before you pay someone else

Home6 min

Five house repairs you should stop paying someone else to do

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

GuideWoodworkingWes DunbarSep 22, 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

What was your first ever job?

Older articles