/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1869003
I'm pretty much going through the same thing except I'm avout 3 years ahead of you.
I got into trucking and learned a ton about navigation, weather, planing, engines and securement using chains, ropes, and straps.

My best advice for getting that missing "man stuff" in your head is to do jobs part time or full. Ideally trade jobs like electrician, auto repair, and construction.
You could probably volunteer at "habitat for humanity" and pick up a few skills there.

As far as tools go the basics would be ducktape, pipe wrench, screw driver with an assortment of drill bits, box cutter, hammer/mallet work gloves, measuring tape, flash light(i prefee a headlamp, and a few nails and screws.

>>1869003

>>1869003

2x 440 channelocks or knipex equivalent (10 inches)
linesman pliers (klein, channellocks, knipex are fine)
wrench set (husky, harbor freight is fine); ---metric for automobile work, SAE for fasteners
socket set (impact/chrome vs shallow/deep) -- most guys just get impact rated deep sockets:

nut drivers, 3/8 adapter, extension bit

tin slips -- a bulldog one is fine, if you're shearing metal, then a right cutting, red handle one

a tape measure (fatmax or komelon),
a bit set (philips, robertson, etc)
6-1 screw driver (any is fine)
adjustable wrench or pliers wrench
a pocket knife (i prefer retractable box cutters)
torpedo level (craftsmen makes a bright red aluminum cast level which is the bees knees)
4 ft box level (stabila or sola)
ball peen hammer, alternatively a vaughan 16 oz california framer
allen key hex set (fold up)
a prybar (vaughan or estwing)
pencil,
sharpie,
notepad,
calculator.

Layout tools: I like a combination square, carry a speed square too, a bosch laser distance measure, a GREEN self leveling LINE laser (DeWalt has the really nice shit -- there's cheaper Chinese/Amazon knockoffs)

Framing carpenters have cats paws, hammers, and combination squares.

If you're going to pour concrete: get Marshalltown's 7 pc tool kit

Learn these:
Using Ratchet Straps (Youtube)
These knots
Larks Head, Bowline, Clove Hitch, Trucker's Hitch, Sheet Bend
Learn how to use tie wire. Shit is amazing for hanging things up

Power Tools:
Drill (make holes)
Impact (drive fasteners)
Circular Saw (desu, the most versatile are the baby sized metal cutting saws; just fine one which can gut a two by dimensional lumber (2x4), or if they make the blade for it
Rotary Hammer (all things masonry)
Oscillator / Multi Tool; fine detailed cuts
Angle Grinder

Shop Tools:
Vice
Drill Press
Bench Grinder
Welder

---
Books?
Carpentry by Leonard Koel
Welding? Jody welding tips and tricks
Concrete? Anyone on youtube.

>>1869095
Just so you know my current headspace:

>Replaced all the dirty, rusty, moldy drains in my appartment and at gf's house.
>Covered entrances where rats got in at my gf's house.
>Fixed two toilets at gf's that have been out of commission for years. They're 1 piece toilets with particular $300 Fill Valves. I just took an $8 Fill Valve, cut it down to size and glued it onto the porcelain with Silicone.
>Replaced all the outlet plates in my shitty apartment.
>Learning how to patch roof cracks to seal the plethora of leaks. My roof and gf's roof are in critical condition.
>Learning how to build a bed frame. Ironically enough, friend asked me to fix his and I did so by sticking a pair of 2x4's under the longitudinal plank of his frame. He says he can fuck without worry now.
>Trying to figure out why my fridge doesn't dispense water.
>Fixed my bidet. Works now, but my water pressure is such shit, it might as well be useless.
>Salvaged a table by sanding and staining it.
>Made shelves to place on my wall, but drilling into concrete actually scares me and I already fucked up a bit and don't know how to undo my mistake.
>Planning on stripping down an old guitar and tinting the wood.
>Planning on refurbishing a piece of furniture some rich folks threw out that I salvaged.

Ngl people are seeing me differently and I'm kind of into it. Not seen as that Failure to launch Asshole Neet anymore.

>>1869122
Thank you, anon.

I'll try relaying this to the spics at Home Depot. Hopefully they understand any of this.

>>1869144
Sounds like you're on the right track Anon keep it up my man.

First thing, don't blame your dad; Especially not for making enough money that he didn't need to learn how to fix/make things.
Buy what you need when you need it. Don't just buy random shit *incase*. A job in something like cabinet making or welding will give you a deeper understanding of most tools and how to work effeciently. Take your time, learn the correct and safe way on how to opperate power tools. You can't make up for 10 years by rushing. Open old stuff that you find. Fix anything in your house as soon as you see it.

>>1869144
Looks like you're well on your way.
>but drilling into concrete actually scares me and I already fucked up a bit and don't know how to undo my mistake.
You fucked up an actual bit or did you make a small fuck up? If it's the former, you probably used a general purpose bit and not a concrete bit. If it's the latter, post pics.
>>Learning how to build a bed frame.
Don't have any wood sticking out, your gf will bump into it and complain, but now she can direct her anger towards the maker.

>>1869213
In my defense, my dad wasn't the one that brought the bacon, my mom was.

Naturally, the parent who didn't work would handle house stuff, but he didn't. He constantly said he was "busy", but was always in forums and Facebook.

Everytime he would try to "teach" me something, he would drag me along to something I genuinely wasn't interested in only to have me fetch every single thing he needed, like some fucking princess. Never taught me shit. Never engaged.

I'd ask him for tools, and he'd point me to our garage that was impossible to maneuver through given the sheer amount of fucking hoarded boxes and furniture.

He constantly locked me out of my room, making me have to sleep in the small kitchen sofa, causing me to have back problems to this day.

He would randomly and particularly begin to order me around and treat me like shit when company was present.

He would attempt to get physical with me in front of company or whenever he wanted the entire kitchen to himself to eat the 20 pounds of pasta he made. (He only ate pasta and hotdogs).

That, along with giving my car away when I was 17 (a 90's Mustang that had been in countless crashes and was so fucked it couldn't go over 40 mph that he left baking out in the Sun, literally plants growing on it), leaving me without any way to get anywhere until I was 24.

He would reason that he did everything he did because he was my "boss", but he didn't pay me, he didn't raise me, he didn't help me, he was supposed to be my father.

Whenever you would call him out on it, he'd manifest this childlike condescending behavior and point out his college degrees, his doctorate, his MD, his IQ and continuously laugh.

Point is, my dad was a failure of a father, a husband, a boss and a person. His presence in my life has only made me be able to accurately pin point useless men and, as his son, I exhibit similar traits of uselessness that were ironically learned as a a reaction to his neglect and uselessness as a role model.

>>1869463
>TL;DR

Dad was an extreme neglectful narcissist and his stressful presence in my life, coupled with my mother's income and a lack of positive input from anyone has left me in a state of learned helplessness for the majority of my life.

The only silver lining to me is that I am sufficiently attractive enough that all my problems and asshole behavior didn't cause me to be a social pariah.

I am done being useless, tho. I want to be more than a pretty boy with a victim mentality and a chip on his shoulder.

>>1869213
So I bought these cheap... Metal things to stick the wood planks I prepared on top and drive small screws into them from there.

Problem is, I drilled the right ones and they were tough, but when I put the those blue cement screws in, only two were in line. The upper right one and the bottom one. The one on the left wasn't in line.

Then I did the second one and the bottom one went waaaay above where it was supposed to be and the holes I made don't house the blue screws as tightly as the right one, so they fall out.

It's been this way for 5 months. I just kinda gave up there, but I want to get back to it now.

>>1869465
Oh, yeah. Imagine all this shit, but this asshole has a 1:1 Borat accent.

Imagine a naked Borat who doesn't give two shits about what you do until he decides he does and it's just embarrassing for everyone involved.

>>1869465
>>1869469
>>1869003
Are you cleaning your room, wearing a Tshirt with a Lobster on it, and enjoying an all red meat diet too?

>>1869479
If that was a reference, it went over my head.

>Yes.
>I like lobster merch.
>I'm eating a whole chicken daily.

>>1869463
What do you do for a living?
Do you own your own house?

>>1869486
>I'm employed seasonally. Make enough to survive months after my work period ends, but as far as a steady job, I've never had one.
>No. I don't pay rent. Besides that, everything inside the apartment is mine.

>>1869003
how to do basic maintenance on a car:
change oil, tires, air filters.
service a battery.
change a battery

basic plumbing
basic wood work.
basic house wiring
lawn equipment maintenance
powertool repair
make sure she orgasms everytime.
pay your bills and live within your means.
learn how to defuse an argument with a woman without admitting you are wrong (when you are not). Learn how to figure out what the real issue is because it most likely is not what the argument is about.

bonus round knowledge
welding
how to build a house
basic electronics

>>1869495
how to do basic maintenance on a car:
>change oil
I've only done it once...
>change tires
Tires or the wheel itself when youhave a flat? I can do the latter.
>Change air filters
Don't know that.
>Change a battery
Got that down.
>Service a battery.
I know how to pour Sprite Zero on the poles to clean them and charge them by jump starting.

>basic plumbing
Learning that. So far, toilets seem easy.
Sinks are just unscrewing things and swapping stuff out.

>Basic wood work.
Need to buy equipment such as a sander, a dremmel and an electric saw to make precise cuts...
Besides that, I'm good on making them look good, I think. Still a novice.

>Basic house wiring
That scares the ever living fuck out of me. I bought a whole house Surge Protector and NOPEd as soon as I saw the loose wires I had to deal with.

>Lawn equipment maintenance
Lawn culture practically doesn't exist here, but I wouldn't mind knowing how to keep a garden.

>Powertool repair
Barely own any. Just got a Combo Set of 1.5 mAh Milwaukee Impact Driver and a 3/8 Drill Driver.

make sure she orgasms everytime.
>I used to not have an issue there, but I swear after I turned 25 I'm not as horny.

pay your bills and live within your means.
>No debt. Excellent Credit Score, but I tend to hemorrhage money on good food and eating out.

learn how to defuse an argument with a woman without admitting you are wrong (when you are not).
>I'm one of those people that just states facts and asks people to intuit from my facts until they get angry and leave. I try never to be the angry one.

Learn how to figure out what the real issue is because it most likely is not what the argument is about.
>I try to tell people what I believe the actual point of interest in arguments are. They usually just ree. Like abortion, it's legal, it's a necessary evil. You can't force someone to hold a burden they don't want. But abortion is the first thing one thinks about when they get pregnant. Even if they want it. That's fucked.

>>1869490
Learning /diy/ skills is not going to give you the closure or the fulfillment you want
Being in the garage working on a project is just as much escapism as playing a video game, if your life isnt all together the second you lay your head down to sleep youll still feel all the anguish and uncertainty youve always had

I grew up poor, learned to fix anything with my hands, deadbeat father, high school drop out
I have worked in a factory, my career job is sysadmin work
My handyman skills were never one a consideration for the jobs, and they dont help when you are actually working

They didnt make me feel like less of a failure when I was neet dropout living with my mom at 25, I still felt worthless and helpless

You arent going to spite your father by doing this, and you arent going to get the fulfillment you think you will
You know what ACTUALLY gives you the freeing feeling you so desire?
Buying your own house and having a stable job

You dont pay rent, you dont have to work a shit minimum wage job to survive
Use this free time to build a career, go to community college, learn to code, go be a machinist in a factory, do something working towards your future

Learning how to work on your toilet instead is a waste of time, when the time comes when you have to pay all the bills youll regret not using your time wisely

>>1869484
>semi famous "self help book guy"
>focuses on young men pushing pseudoscience on addiction and depression and other ailments
>"100% red meat diet will fix your depression" (eats beef 3 times a day, drinks only sparkling water, thats his whole diet he claims he fixed his depression with)
>has a whole book on beating addiction

>turns out he secretly was "self medicating" with benzos for his depression, contradicting his own writings and advice
>deeply addicted, mentally and physically to the point he went to doctors for help (because I guess his own teachings on addiction werent good enough)
>rich man, best doctors in the world in USA and Canada
>benzo withdrawals easily kill the fuck out of you, doctors told him that detoxing is a long process because of how bad benzos are and how badly he was dependent on them, they would have to watch him, give him medication to stop him from having constant seizures and brain damage from the weening of the benzos
>of course hes smarter than everyone else so he went to an unlicensed doctor in russia
>unsurprisingly got put in a coma and suffered permanent brain damage, couldnt even walk for months
>still isnt all there
But hey, he looks good in a fedora

>>1869122
I second most of this. Pretty comprehensive. If I were to list al of the tools I’ve accumulated to do different jobs over my past 5 or 6 years, we’d be here all day.

The main thing is that just about any problem you have can be learned about in 10-60 mins on YouTube. As you do projects, you’ll become acquainted with the tools and skills needed, and there’s LOTS of overlap with both once you get started working and gain XP.

As far as good YT channels to watch in your free time:

Automotive:
Deboss Garage
Eric the Car Guy
Search any issue you have with your make and model, something will come up.

Carpentry
Jimmy Diresta (Jimmy Tips series)
Next Level Carpentry (sawhorses)
Rob Cosman (hand tools and sharpening)
Jonathan Katz-Moses

Welding:
Weld.com YT channel
Jody at Weldingtipsandtricks Site and YT channel

Masonry
Mike Day Concrete
Mike Haduck - great channel imo

General:
This old house
Essential Craftsman
Jimmy Diresta
AvE: this guy is one where you’ll learn a lot through osmosis. At first he’s talking about a lot of technical things but as he takes a tool apart, he explains lots of the details and why it is the way it is. Great channel, just don’t watch him around kids lol.

Machining:
Abom79
ThisoldTony
Titans of CNC
Edge Precision
Ox Tool Co.

Plumbing:
Got2learn has a plumbing focused channel. I don’t know many else cuz I haven’t needed to do much plumbing yet.

Electrical:
For an understanding, watch EngineeringMindset’s vids.
For practical knowledge, find a local electrician and offer to work under him. Electrical is nothing to fuck with.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

Oh boy you're in for a world of suffering, frustration, struggle and pain that you couldn't even dream of. My grandad once told me any specialized skill worth knowing how to do will be hell on earth to get good at, otherwise everybody would be doing it. Don't get stressed out and quit

>>1869518
I agree. The "handymen" I know don't seem happy, but you know who doesn't seem happy either? People who moved out of their houses and have a job. It's not as fulfilling as some people claim. It's fucking lonely as fuck. When I "moved out" to my the apartment I live in, I went through this period of not wanting to leave my comfy space and playing house with random women.

On the contrary, my friends who are older waited 'til they were close to 30 to move out. Now they are ironically living the college life I lived 6 years ago, being "depressed" and eating Quesadillas for every meal, but compounded with being perpetually stressed from working a 6 figure job. Motherfuckers dress like they're fucking 18. One has a rusty 15 pound weight in his shower. I had to buy another one a fucking trash can because he was using a bathroom bin for everything. I fixed one dude's bed because he didn't get the weight of two people could not be sustained by two sticks of drift wood.

I understand what you mean about thinking of the future, my future. Regardless, sometimes you have to do things that feel fulfilling in the moment that you feel them, because feeling fulfilled in anything is rare. Fixing shit feels therapeutic as fuck. Let me ride this wave out. Second thing in Maslow's is shelter right? My shelter is depressing.

My friend's have proven to me that you can be pathetic at any juncture in life and I prefer to be the Chad at level 3 than the Noob at level 4.

>>1869821
Its not the act of "moving out" that matters
Its the act of finally maturing, growing up and being your own person
You have your own house, you have your own career, you have a confortable routine, you have finally ascended to a level where you can date decent women and settle down with one, you have spending cash to have fulfilling hobbies

Riding whatever waves feel the best is how you got into this position in the first place
Thats how you get dudes living with their parents till they are 30, then moving out and still living like manchildren depressed and unhappy
You are a walking red flag, you hang out with other red flags, im sure the women you keep company with are red flags
When are you going to stop the facade and grow up? Its a decision that you have to make

>>1869837
I dunno, man. I went to school and I'm like 9 credits off from a degree, and I'm going to finish it, but Jesus, it felt like everywhere led to shit. I didn't do anything particularly fun because I was ramming my head into trying to study medicine, but my heart was never in it.

I want to do short term shit for like a month. Learn the things I want to learn and build up from there. I have my final semester in like 4 weeks, so I'll continue then.

>>1869849
Welp, you made it sound like you were a NEET trying to compensate for your NEETness with this glorified hobby
I still stand by what I said, when the pieces start coming together your whole world opens up in ways you didnt think possible
At least thats the case for someone like me who had a horrible childhood and didnt have a good start to my adult life
I dont hate my job, its not a stressful 6 figure job, and I didnt get a degree that I hated so I dont know what to tell you other than good luck

Doing the same but mini. I want to do woodworking and plastic work inside the smallest apartment you can imagine. Any pointers for maximum efficiency and multi purpose?

>>1869859
Thanks man.

I'm like a cyborg NEET.

That's the thing. It pains me to know I'm a fine away from your average r9k robot. I want to do better. The rate I'm going, I'll end up like a less autistic (yet still visibly so) version of my dad, minus all his degrees and accolades.

>>1869003
>must have tools
Framing hammer
Crowbar
Adjustable wrench, 18” pipe wrench, pipe cutter
Needle nose pliers, locking pliers, dykes, linemans
Socket set
Extra 10mm socket for when the first one vanishes
Spanner set
Nut, phillips drivers, couple two tree flatheads
Water pump pliers
Dremel
Hand saw
Coping saw
Plastic spike for poking around in hot boxes without getting godsmacked
Torch
A good meter
>>1869502
Electrical should scare you tbqh
I know this is DIY but I’ve seen some really diy’d shit in panel boxes that is neither impressive nor comforting. Just add ragu. Not something to play with on a whim. It’ll kill ya

Oh and alans. Metric and freedom units

I'm just here to say that, having built a house, doing hobby woodworking and fixing stuff around the house is still super fulfilling. Rebuilding my small deck didn't leave me 100% fulfilled for years, but I proudly stand on it nearly every morning, and it's great. If nothing else, learning to be handy will change how you view problems, make you significantly less afraid of the unknown. When I started a similar journey a couple years back damn near everything was scary. Plumbing, cross cutting wood, hell even fixing some weatherstripping on the car door. "What if I do it wrong?" By the grace of God I got put in a position where I had to start learning, start making mistakes. CS can be a great career, and paired with a couple of great hobbies (like this) you'll be off to a great start.

>>1869915
>>1869915
Aren't socket wrenches and spanners the same thing?

>>1869003
>Knowledge
How to land navigate, at the very least how to go north south east or west in your countries interstate and road system.
How to fix basic shit around the house. Temp fixing leaks, changing breakers and sockets and receptacles, why garbage disposal not go vroom, how to clear a drain clog, you don't have fix everything properly but you should know how to bandaid something till a pro can arrive and specialize.
How to do basic maintenance on your car. Oil, tire change, other fluids, how to wash it.
How to shoot a gun.
Wilderness survival skills, how to start a fire with no matches, how to safely start one with gasoline or another fuel, first aid shit, basic plant identification or at least the knowledge to not eat what you can't identify positively, how to fish and subsequently fillet and cook one, basic shelter building and survival concepts.
Financial literacy, how to diversify your investments,
How to be a steward for the natural world, how to responsibly dispose of waste, how to be active in your community and government, how to properly catch and relocate wild animals without having to fucking ask the internet lol wut do with this baby trash panda
And lastly, how to treat a woman. As others have said long ago she is the mother of your future children have some fucking respect.

There's a YouTube channel I've been watching that can help you with these basic skills, some of them anyhow, he's still pretty new at working at it. It's called Dad How do I? And he just explains a bunch of real basic stuff that dad's usually pass down to their kids for people that never had a proper dad to teach them shit. I'm not one of them but I enjoy the content and the guys wholesome as fuck and I support what he's doing.

You're smart enough to Google the things I put above, you'll figure out what tools you need as you go, there's a guide for everything.

>>1869003
for must-have tools, buy them as you go! if you have to drop 2k all at once and have no space, it'll make you hate life

>>1869893
For woodworking in tiny spaces, look the YT chanell "Adrian Preda", especially his miny workbench and the tools he uses.

For plastics, nothing better than a 3d printer, really. Any cheap one will be millions of times better than nothing. If you can't have a 3d printer, look at the 3d printing pencils, that you move with your hand, are cool as fuck and can do many thing with them

Besides, look up buying a dremel and it's accesories, it's quite a multitool and very small.

>>1870009
Spanners/Combination wrenches do the same things as a Ratchet and Socket
They are different form factors
Your job dictates which form factor is correct to use, sometimes its impossible to use one over the other

Recommending tools is impossible without having some idea of what you want to do.
Based on the list given in >>1869502, this is what I'd recommend (assuming you're in the civilized world, so using metric). Keep in mind that this is the bare minimum. If you want to work comfortably and be able to do everything, you'll need far more:

Set of bit screwdrivers and nuts up to 10mm, at least
One large flat screwdriver or small prybar
Wrenches 6-22mm. Preferably one set open, one with rings and one with offset rings. But for the beginning, just the open ones will do.
chemical bottle with a nozzle (for distilled water)
Oilfilter wrench (aka chainwhip). Can also be used as a pipe wrench.
Voltage tester. preferably the screwdriver type.
Wire strippers (with cutter and crimper on them).

Wood work is to wide a field to give concrete rec's. For rough work, a chisel-ground bearded axe is king, while for finer work, you'll need several saws (circular for straight cuts, jigsaw for curved), knives and chisels (for joints, deburring, carving etc.), grinders and perhaps a mill.


>Change air filters
pop the clamps holding the filter cover in place, remove filter, put new filter in and fix clamps again. Idiotproof. Only harder thing is cleaning the filter (as there's different methods depending on the material, and the wrong method can destroy it), but if you've got a modern road car, you're not meant to do that anyways.
>Service a battery.
Unnecessary on modern (gel) batteries. On older ones, pour in distilled water if fluid levels are below the "max" line. No need to refill acid unless you made it boil over, which shouldn't happen.
>wouldn't mind knowing how to keep a garden.
Move your ass to /out then. there's regular threads there called "homegrown".

>>1869915
>must have
I own none of those other than the sockets, and never missed them.

>>1870253
You literally dont own a hammer or a propane torch?
Needle nose pliers or an adjustable wrench?

You never missed these basic tools because you dont work on anything clearly

Water to your fridge may just be frozen anon

>>1869468
Measure from the ceiling to make new line 1 or 2in down and redrill it. When you put the wood on it will cover it.

Okay, guys.

I made a number of purchases.

>Crescent Pass-Thru Adjustable Wrench Set
It's an Adjustable Wrench that can be turned into a Pipe Wrench and it has a Ratchet on the back.
>Milwaukee M12 Drill Driver and Impact Driver set with two 1.5 mAh batteries
>A set of Wood Files
I was told to get those 4 in 1 files, but I couldn't find one.
>A Ratcheting 8 in 1 Driver
>Husky 10-Piece Combination Wrench Set
Annoying as fuck. Doesn't have a good case.
What is the difference between the wenches with a simple number versus wrenches with a fraction?
>Estwing Long Handled Camper's Axe
I couldn't resist. It's fucking light as fuck. Gonna try it on a tree and if it sucks, I'll just return it.
>Truper Camper's Axe
>Folding Knife
>2 Retractable Snap off Knives
>Large Milwaukee Hacksaw
Supposedly good for metal
>Small Milwaukee Hacksaw
Supposedly good for PVC and Plastic
>DeWalt Saw
Supposedly good for wood and tree cutting
>Ryobi Multi Surface Laser Level
>Large Sponge
>Hose (15 ft and 50 ft)
>Griplock Channel Lock set (9.5 and 12.5 inches)
>20 Pairs of Nitrile Gloves
>Husky Magnetic Torpedo Level
>8 Clamps

>>1870381
Should I fill the holes (about 1.5 inches deep) with stucco or cement?

>>1870345
The fuck do I unfreeze it, because I have tons of food in there.

>>1869548
Why did they put him in a coma?

>>1870833
He didnt believe in "western medicine" of "treating a drug addiction with more drugs"

So he instructed that he be put in a coma, without seizure medicines and other drugs to keep his brain from damaging the fuck out of itself, so he can "detox" without actually having to face the realities of detox
Because I guess he figured you cant have a seizure if you are in a 8 day coma?

Every doctor told him and his millions of dollars to fuck off its a bad idea and refused to treat him as he wished, thats the reason he flew over to fucking Moscow