Make-do mallet
If you need a mallet once in a blue moon but don’t own one, improvise: Use a heavy kitchen sponge. Get it wet, wring as much water out of it as you possibly can, then wrap it around the head of your hammer and secure it with a heavy rubber band.

Clamping with a caulk gun.

If you need a clamp that you can operate one-handed, and you don’t have a commercial one around, use a caulk gun. It grabs only along the edge, but it may do the tick.

Stop those wandering bits

Every time you drill a hole in metal, the bit seems to wander away from the exact spot you want to drill, right? Of course, you can make a starter mark in the metal with a center punch. A quicker way is to plunk down two pieces of masking tape, one over the other, right where you want to start the hole. They’ll hold your bit in place.

Mini drywall saw

A coarse jigsaw blade mounted in a scrap of wood makes a handy little drywall saw. It’s easy to carry and is good for cutting around electrical boxes and other tight spots.

Socket wrench screwdriver

Sometimes there’s just no way to make even a short screwdriver work in a tight place. What works for me is to use a phillips head screwdriver bit with my ratchet wrench. The hex shaft of most bits fits into the ¼-in. socket.

Mr. Wrong Wrench

If you don’t have a wrench that’s the right size, improvise with a larger one and shim the gap with a coin or washer. A nickel fills about a 1/16-in. gap.

Mousetrap clamps

Make strong, inexpensive, wide-grip clamps from ordinary wooden mousetraps. Cut off the hold-down side and they’re ready to go to work. Use them when gluing, welding or soldering.

Sticky screw gripper

Use this quick and simple way to get a screw started in a hard-to-reach place. Just poke the screw through a piece of masking tape with the sticky side of the tape toward the head. Place the screwdriver in the slot, then fold the tape up onto the screwdriver. Once the screw is well started, pull the screwdriver loose and remove the tape.

Driving small tacks

To hold and drive a small tack, magnetize a screwdriver by drawing it over any ordinary magnet several times. Pick up the tack with the screwdriver, then hit the screwdriver with your hammer.

Sponge-mop pole sander

You can make a pole sander for walls and ceilings with an old sponge mop. Remove the sponge, cut a block of wood the same size and wrap a piece of sandpaper around it. Attach the block and you’re ready to go.

Stay-put toilet tank lid gasket

If you have a toilet tank lid that moves out of place every time something bumps into it (like the toilet seat), ring the top of the tank opening with a small bead of silicone. To guide the bead, place a finger alongside the nozzle to align it with the tank’s lip. Use only the type of silicone that will adhere to porcelain (check the label) and let the bead dry before replacing the lid. Another bonus: You won’t hear that annoying grinding that happens when unglazed ceramic surfaces slide across each other.