Chris Peterson - Manskills: How to Ace Lifes Challenges, Save the World, and Wow the Crowd

There are men, and then there are Men. The former are the guys who wear white socks with their sandals, drink cocktails with umbrellas in them, and are utterly lost when their water heater goes on the fritz. Manskills men are Men, a different breed altogether.

The real man knows his way around a bar and a toolbox. He isnt afraid of a little adventure, makes life interesting wherever he goes, and whatever hes doing, he isin a wordcapable. Hes capable of eluding a high-speed pursuit, rescuing someone from choking to death, giving the high-pressure best man toast, and generally doing the right thing regardless of what that thing might be. You dont need to know everything to be a Manskills man. You just need to know the right things. Thats what this book is all about: knowing exactly what to do and how to do it for all the critical situations of life.

Lucky you, this updated version of the book includes more crucial knowledge than ever before. Weve beefed things up with more on boats and boating, whether youre a spinnaker man or the type of water sport guy who likes to drop the throttle and fly. Youll find more about acing risky automotive maneuvers, because you never have too many tricks in your driving bag. There is also some entirely practical advice on getting the better of your nerves and conquering jet lag. Because the true Manskills man never lets fear have a say in his life, and he certainly doesnt head to the hotel for a nap right after his plane touches down in a foreign land. All in all, youll find more than 100 pieces of advice in these pages, advice that will help you become the man you were meant to be.

As part of the renovation, weve updated topics throughout the book to make sure you have the latest thinking on all things Manskills. Theres no excuse for being behind the curve, and now you can develop your own Manskill set knowing youre entirely up to date.

Of course, many of the topics here are timeless. Real men have always needed to be able to grill the perfect steak, save someone from drowning, and start a fire in the great outdoors. Those fundamentals never change but are always essentialyou can call them the Manskills basics, and they are all contained in the pages that follow.

So you can read on like the inquisitive, well-rounded dude you are, or just slip this book back onto the shelf and proceed with your meek-and-mild Clark Kent existence, forever walking in the shadow of greater males. Were not judging, but we certainly know the choice wed make. You would be best served by plowing forward into the chapters and topics that lie beyond, claiming your true birthright to the Y chromosome.

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Using a power saw to make cuts quickly and easily is just the tip of the iceberg.

Home Run

A mans home is his castle , and castles dont take care of themselves. Sadly, any place a man might reside requires regular upkeep and dealing with the occasional emergency repair. Beyond ensuring that the place doesnt fall down, the electrical system doesnt burst into flame, or the pipes dont freeze, there is inevitably the uniquely male drive to improve those lodgings in new and increasingly complex ways. All that calls for a very specific set of DIY Manskills.

The topics in this chapter cover just about anything that can happen to a home from the front steps to the back door (and beyond). Whether youre repairing a leak, patching your carpet, or giving new life to that shop light thats been wonky for a while, youll find clear instructions here, guidance that will help you manage the process with a minimum of fuss.

The goal is to save money and provide the unique satisfaction of making a home all your own. Sure, these days you could call a repairman or handy guy to come over and fix or finesse just about anything to do with the home, but why? The skills you can learn here will be eternally useful, whether you eventually move to the mansion youve always dreamed of, or end up downsizing from your empty-nest four-bedroom to a more manageable condo.

Beyond the practical rewards, you get to play with tools. Lots of tools. Once a young man puts away the childish playthings of his youth, he can enjoy replacing them with the adult playthings of manhood. Using a power saw to make cuts free from frustration, quickly and easily, is just the tip of the iceberg. How about some quality time spent with a jackhammer? Or finessing a paint sprayer for instantaneous surface satisfaction? The tool aisle awaits your attention.

Ultimately, though, its all about being self-sufficient. Because really, theres no problem your own particular castle can throw at you that you cant master with a little elbow grease, some can-do attitude, and a copy of Manskills right by your side.

STOP A HANDSAW FROM BINDING

The most basic of Manskills is handling a handsaw. It starts with knowing which kind of saw you should use, rip or crosscut. Pretty simple really: if you need to cut across the grain, you usewait for ita crosscut saw. If youre cutting parallel to the grain, use a ripsaw. Regardless of which type youre using, both can bind when the kerf (the gap of your cutline) closes down, cinching the blade. Its a frustrating experience and it can lead to sawing off line (not to mention a whole lot of words the kids shouldnt be hearing).

Prevent binding by keeping saws sharp and in good condition. When sawing, use a spacer such as a thin piece of scrap, an awl, or a nail to keep the kerf open. Just stick the spacer in the kerf behind the saw, as you saw along the cut line.

REMOVE A STRIPPED SCREW

A stripped screw has to rank in the top three among the all-time great frustrations of any do-it-yourselfer. Getting that bothersome fastener out of its hole is like a lot of life: you can do it the easy way or the hard way. If the screw is just slightly stripped, stop before you do any further damage and use the easy way. Press a piece of rubber gasket or a rubber band down over the screw head, and then press down hard with the screwdriver, jamming the blade into whats left of the screw-head channels. The rubber often creates enough tension in the stripped head to hold onto the blade of the screwdriver so that the screw can be slowly removed.

However, if youve let your frustration get the better of you and you really stripped that sucker out, time to do things the hard way. Buy a screw extractor (or better yet, a set) of the smallest size that comes closest to matching the screw size. Drill a pilot hole in the center of the stripped screw head using a bit that is at least a size smaller than the screw. Now use a hammer to tap the point of the extractor into the pilot hole. Attach the T handle onto the square shank of the extractor (or use vise grip pliers if your forgot to buy the T handle) and start slowly turning the extractor counterclockwise. With a little bit of patience, youll have an empty screw hole in no time.

If its the screw hole that stripped, youll need a slightly different solution. Basically, you want to create friction where there is none. Wrap the screw in unstripped electrical wire (speaker wire will work as well) counterclockwise. Then screw it in slowly and the threads should bite securely into the surrounding surface.