Ten Things Everyone Should Be Able To Do

[Grant Lamontagne]

   This is a basic list of the ten things I figure just about everyone should know how to do, even though lots of people don’t know how to do them these days.  In no specific order, here’s my list.

1-   Change a tire
2-   Clean and bandage a cut
3-   Repair a hole in the wall
4-   Change a light fixture
5-   Paddle a boat
6-   Check your oil
7-   Change a wiper blade
8-   Build something basic out of wood
9-   Swap out a hard drive or CD/DVD drive
10-   Change a fuse

In the modern age it seems like a lot of these things are being left to professionals, which in some cases may be a good thing, but each of these items on the list is something that anyone should be able to do with very basic equipment.  In fact, I have done almost all of these with nothing more than a Swiss Army Knife and/or a multitool.  Admittedly, some of the things on this list may require some specialized equipment- for example, paddling a boat requires at least a boat and a paddle, neither of which can be replaced by the average pocket knife, and changing a tire usually requires a jack and tire iron, and is a hell of a thing to do with only a Gerber MP600, but for the most part, if you have even the most basic household tools you can accomplish any of these yourself in a few minutes.

Some, like replacing a fuse may be outdated, since there are fewer and fewer fuses out there, can be important from what I like to think of as an operational point of view rather than a functional point of view.  In these cases, fuses may be getting more and more scarce, to be replaced by breakers in homes, knowing why a fuse blows, how to replace it and what it’s doing there in the first place helps you to understand the entire operation of what’s happening in the walls.  This is valuable knowledge since it allows you more latitude in problem solving, which can help in a lot of places.  The same goes for building something simple out of wood, like a box, frame or even just a flat deck.

I could easily have made this a hundred things everyone should know how to do, but that's going to take an entire series.  Let's see how many folks can do the whole list!  These are pretty simple, but remember no one will know who checked what (or left what blank) so let's be honest!

Def

[Sean]

I'm sorry to say I've started a few holes in walls but can't remember having repaired them. 
I'm not sure if I could swap out a hard drive or cd-rom.  But the rest I've been able to do. 

[Medic82]

I can and have done it all

[Mr. Whippy]

I can and have done it all

Same here.

Add one more to the list:

Deliver a foal in trouble to a feral mare (in eastern Washington)--well actually any baby in trouble.

[Mike 56]

I have done every thing on the list except change a hard drive so i did not mark it but i think i could change one.

Mike

[Pacu]

done all that

add built my own aquarium

[asupernothing]

I happen to be one of those people who fails to see why most things should be done by "professionals". Grant, I absolutely agree with you that any person should be able to do all of these things and a good bit more.

I know I have seen someones sig on this forum which contains another varient of this theme. Its a list by Heinlen, and I really do wish I could remember whose sig its from.

[rp252]

The only thing I didn't tick was fixing a hole in a wall.  I've filled in an old doorway with plasterboard and painted over it before but I wouldn't be overly confident in building/fixing a brick wall to a safe standard.  I'd give it a go though

[jzmtl]

All of them and more.

[stack]

I voted. I have done it all and much more.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

This is going to shock you, but everything but "Swap out a hard drive or CD/DVD drive"

[glorn]

I have done every thing on the list except change a hard drive so i did not mark it but i think i could change one.

Mike

Same here. Just has never come up. The rest though.. many times.

[Gadget Guy]

I've done everything on the list. I call AAA for tire service now!   

[Threeme2189]

I have done everything except:

Repair a hole in the wall - because I have never made any, so it was never necessary.
Change a light fixture - I'm sure it's pretty simple, a few screws and electrical know how, but I have never needed to.
I have fixed a couple of extension cords though. Does changing a light bulb count? 
Change a fuse - I know how they work, but we just don't use them here...

[cerbera147]

All for me as well 

It is surprising the amount of people in the world who cannot change a tyre / tire 

If we get a puncture on the motorway in our company car we have to call out KwikFit to change it. 'Elf and safety 

[Nikos]

All in

[Grant Lamontagne]

I had a feeling this list would be somewhat skewed with this group!

However, try the list out on the folks around you- at work, in your family, male, female etc.  I think you'll get a very different set of answers!

BTW, I don't consider changing a light fixture to be electrical work.  I leave real electrical work to the pros, since I would really prefer that my house didn't burn down. 

And, for those of you who don't think you have fuses, look in your car- it has fuses, as do all the gadgets you plug into a cigarette lighter!

Def

[Sparky415]

A couple of tips from me if you don't mind 

Get an electrical tester and make sure the wires are dead!
Turn the breaker off! just turning the switch off might leave live wires 
Then test again!

Keep a bit of steel pipe (about 2' long and an inch in diameter/ 65cm x 25mm) in the boot/trunk to slide over the tire iron when undoing the wheel nuts
if they have been put on with an air gun at the garage they can be a bugger to undo

I've never had to do anything with horses 

[nuphoria]

I've managed all that stuff at some point or another, but that's the kind of girl I am

I haven't delivered a foal, but I have assisted with a lamb and a calf

I think basic plumbing is really important too, and survival skills like fire lighting, knot tying and shelter building.

[ducktapehero]

Like others I can do everything except the computer crap. I guess I still have too much caveman left in me. When I deal with techno-sorcery I usually get frustrated and start banging on it with a big stick.

[texasflyfisher]

Yep. Checked all those. I've built my own PCs in the past but nowadays you have laptops and wish I could grab an empty case, motherboard, and so on but not a lot of folks build their own laptops. I also can do some maintenance on my vehicles but these newer cards are harder and harder to work on due to all the electronics and the tighter spaces than from the old V8 engines with the carburetors. At least I can still change the oil.

[Neil]

All on that list

Never delivered a foal though, sorry Nate

[Mr. Whippy]

All on that list

Never delivered a foal though, sorry Nate

... or other  baby animals--puppies and kittens count too...

[sardauker]

checked all.

I think it was too easy, maybe I've understood something wrong.

[Eyegor]

I only scored a six

I am not handy so a lot of the home repair stuff I try to avoid. Not that I couldn't figure it out, but most of my projects ending up being very, very, amateurish. Wifey does not approve. Same goes for the hardrive. I would be willing to give it a go but the risk/reward doesn't quite work out.

OTOH, I have delivered a litter of puppies and two baby girls, not counting assisting with my two kids.

[David]

Every thing but the computer stuff.  I`ve delivered more livestock than I care to remember.

[Roadie]

Done em all And all at such a young age

Just out of interest though....
1-   Change a tire
         bike or car? and do you actually mean wheel, changing a tyre is a much more involved deal
2-   Clean and bandage a cut
3-   Repair a hole in the wall
        what sort of wall?! Plaster, plasterboard, brick, wood, wattle and daub?
4-   Change a light fixture
5-   Paddle a boat
6-   Check your oil
7-   Change a wiper blade
8-   Build something basic out of wood
9-   Swap out a hard drive or CD/DVD drive
        laptop or desktop...
10- Change a fuse
       internal fuse or plug fuse?

[EZ822]

Have never swapped out a DVD\CD drive (My wife works in IT so she takes care of all the computer stuff) Have done everything else on the list.

[ryan1835]

1-   Change a tire  on my bike yes on a car probably but dont have one
2-   Clean and bandage a cut - yes
3-   Repair a hole in the wall - if i googled how yeah..
4-   Change a light - fixture plenty of times
5-   Paddle a boat - yup
6-   Check your oil - never done it on a car as i havent got one, but i have on lifts, compressers etc

7-   Change a wiper blade -no car lol
8-   Build something basic out of wood built a coffee table and a tool box if that counts
9-   Swap out a hard drive or CD/DVD drive pretty sure i could manage
10-   Change a fuse  oh yes

no doing that bad

[Dunc]

I've done all of them except repairing a hole in the wall because I've never needed to .But I'd certainly give it a go if I needed to.

Dunc