From Practice to Porch Swing: Sharpening Skills Between Jobs

Being a handyman means knowing something about a lot of things. In a typical week, we may create a cattery for someone’s porch, replace a disposal and sink, fix a broken shower handle, hang some grab bars in a shower or more. One of the things most handymen will tell you they like about the job is the variety. To be successful, we must constantly improve our skills while running a small business. One way to do this is to practice.

Projects around our home provide great practice opportunities. If we have a mortar repair project scheduled, we’ll work on one of several small walls we’re building in our yard. We can hone sheet rock skills with a spray can of texture and cardboard boxes. Watching You Tube videos can be invaluable, but there’s nothing like hands on (and making a few mistakes) for really learning how to do something. For example, our ancient porch swing finally reached the point where paint and screws were holding it together. It was time for a replacement. Rather than buying a new one, I decided to use an Etsy pattern as a guide. The pattern provided a list of supplies, what’s called a cut list for lumber, and a list of the tools for the project. Some of the skills required for the project included accurate lumber measuring and cutting, learning how to use a jig saw, drill use, and sanding and painting.

It took about 3 weeks to build and paint the swing, between our paid jobs and keeping a household running. Carpentry can be engaging work, but it also requires a lot of focus. Even if I do say so myself, it turned out well, and I’m looking forward to seeing my family enjoy it over the holidays.