Adapt improvise and make a tool!

I have had several instances where I either didn't have the right tool for the job or it simply didn't exist!
The thing about tools and gear is that usually when you need it you need it now!

What tools have you made or retrofitted as a product of your appropriate tech or homesteading journey?

I've made jigs and vises I've made 10 ft holesaw extensions and long handled screw drivers.

I'm sure many of you innovators have some home made tools and gear to brag about and share with us all!

Below are some pictures of a poor mans scotch auger that I made when my brace jaws broke!

Here's a 10 foot hole saw!

I needed to prune some branches 30 feet from the ground, so I cut a pole from one of my bamboo groves, drilled 2 mounting holes in the bamboo, then removed the saw blade from my 12 foot pole pruner and used 2 bolts and nuts to mount it on the bamboo pole.  Works great.  Since the saw blade was so far away and a bit difficult to see when manipulating it from the other end of the bamboo pole, I deliberately used overly long bolts when mounting the saw so could easily spot the bolts sticking out to know how the saw was oriented when making the cut.

I haven't made many tools recently, however, I ran across this web site that shows many, many DIY tools, fixtures, etc.

HOME MADE TOOLS
https://www.homemadetools.net/

Mike Turner wrote:I needed to prune some branches 30 feet from the ground, so I cut a pole from one of my bamboo groves, drilled 2 mounting holes in the bamboo, then removed the saw blade from my 12 foot pole pruner and used 2 bolts and nuts to mount it on the bamboo pole.  Works great.  Since the saw blade was so far away and a bit difficult to see when manipulating it from the other end of the bamboo pole, I deliberately used overly long bolts when mounting the saw so could easily spot the bolts sticking out to know how the saw was oriented when making the cut.

We have a tool that's very similar. A Christmas light hangar! A long (10+ ft?) bamboo pole with a huge nail on one end. If you already have nails to hang the lights on, you can simply stand on the ground and use the nail to lift and position the Christmas light string while standing safely on the ground. Also works well for putting lights up on medium tall trees.

This summer I made a third hand for my welding. It isn't very pretty but it does the job.

A more specialty tool was a rain barrel wrench for putting the caps on the big blue barrels used for water collection. I'm sure tools like this already exists but I just made one out of square tubing I had laying around. It does the job! It's got the handle for leverage and everything. Two pieces of different size square tubing stuck together basically.

My handiest tool that I use quite often is a spanner wrench made from a crescent wrench. I always misplace my angle grinder spanner wrenches. I drilled two holes one on each side of the crescent wrench jaws, I used roll pins and pushed them into the holes. Voila an adjustable spanner wrench that can still be used as a crescent wrench.

Robert Ray wrote:My handiest tool that I use quite often is a spanner wrench made from a crescent wrench. I always misplace my angle grinder spanner wrenches. I drilled two holes one on each side of the crescent wrench jaws, I used roll pins and pushed them into the holes. Voila an adjustable spanner wrench that can still be used as a crescent wrench.

That's pretty clever. I've been lucky in that I haven't lost my spanner wrench yet. A 4.5" Dewalt angle grinder I got recently actually doesn't need a spanner wrench and it's awesome. Two of the holes on the lock nut fit a 5mm allen wrench so that's all you need to tighten it. It's great because if I lose the one that came with the grinder I can just use any 5mm allen wrench laying around the garage. I hope more companies follow Dewalt's lead with this because it's a lot better than the specialty wrench that comes with most.

Cam and Robert those are all great! It sounds like you both could use one i made the other day.
I was trying to weld continuously on a round piece  of scrap and I had difficulty turning it while allowing for an even bead so I used my grinder to make a point on a bolt and put it through my table with a nut and lockwasher now I just use a center punch on the center to lightly mark the bottom of the project and it stays in place and spins evenly with little effort all from scrap!

I'm stealing to bung wrench design!