Being a one man show, most jobs I take can be done without help. I can figure out ways to make my work a little easier. For example when I build fence I made some two legged sawhorses I lean up against the post to hold the lowest 2x4 runners. Then I cut spacer blocks to set on top of the lower 2x4 to hold up the middle 2x4 and again for the top board. Just some little thing I have come up with to do the job by my self.
Well today's job was to remover 36ft of rotten barge rafter and replace with new wood. Well holding up a treated 2x6x8s over my head, and in place, will I nail them with a hammer was going to be a challenge. So giving it a few minutes to think about what I was going to do and, I came up with this. I carry 3 Wonder Bars in my tool box. I took the oldest one out and drilled a hole dead in the middle, just big enough for a deck screw to go though. And with one screw I mounted it under the rafter as shown in the picture. Then I slipped the new 2x6 barge rafter under the eve strip and rolled it in and on top of the end of the Wonder. Bar. That was enough to hold the new barge rafter in place so I could nail it. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't fance, but it worked. And when you work alone, that's all I needed was something that worked. Now before you asked why I used 8ft boards, because The home owner bought it and hired me to put it up.

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I am a one man show also. That's why I cant live without my air brad nailers in the shop.

Great thinking and it got the job done. Way to go! Red

I love it. I'm a solo act too and I believe working alone is the Mother of Invention.

Great idea, I like it.

I'm a one man show as well. That's why my arm strength has increased tremendously since starting my project.

solo act here also. Best part is you know exactly who to blame and dont get bs fer an answer, cept if ya taklks to ya self like I do

Great tip regardless if your solo or otherwise.

Profit is all about time and material. We all learn pretty quick that bidding a job requires a very critical eye and I focus on time killers. Parts of the project that will suck up more hours than you thought because it requires 3 hands to make it work.

Everyone in my crew carries scraps of metal in their truck. Don't know who started it but everyone has some. Different lengths of aluminum angle and thin flat stock. Thin gauge, bendable with the aide of a hammer and a truck mounted vice. Someone's always creating something to support/assist them because they need a third hand 3 times an hour and don't want to wait for a guy to be free. Most of the aluminum has several holes drilled in them from past uses. I know these guys are not old enough to have played with erector sets as kids but you'd never know it to see how creative they can be.

I'm a fan of large metal C-clamps up to 16". I pick them up at yard sales all the time and couldn't guess at how many I have. They are my 3rd and sometimes 4th hand on many projects.