20 unusual uses for workshop tools

Make your workshop tools work double duty with these 20 unusual uses for common DIY tools and materials.

There’s nothing better than a fully prepared meal, paired with the perfect bottle of wine. And there’s nothing worse than the realisation that you don’t have a corkscrew! Luckily, you can use a drill to set a screw into the cork, and then use a pair of pliers to pull out the screw and cork in one go.

There’s an elegant simplicity to quality hand tools. So much so that many craftsmen can’t bring themselves to discard beloved tools after they’ve worn out. If you like the look of old tools and hardware, consider giving them a new life.

These hammer heads repurposed as coat hooks are especially sharp looking.

Check out these 22 extraordinary uses for the junk in your garage. 

Shockingly, your trusty drill can be used as everything from a mixer to a mini-lathe, sometimes as a novelty, but sometimes to great effect. If you want to put this most reliable of workshop tools to creative culinary use, check out how to use a drill to speed up food prep.

Everyone knows that leaf blowers are a must-have tool for keeping your driveway and sidewalk clean and tidy. But most people don’t realise how useful they are for cleaning off other items.

While they’re not a good choice for indoor work, they perform surprisingly well to clean out cars, garages and other workshop tools. Turn one loose in an area where the debris can go tumbling outdoors, and you’ll save time and keep your work area free of sawdust and similar debris.

Don’t miss these 40 handy hints for cleaning every nook and cranny of your house. 

An air compressor is one of those workshop tools that has the ability to transform your workflow, speeding up your process and allowing for time saving tips that you likely never knew existed. As just one example, an air compressor equipped with an air blower gun tip is most often used to clean off surfaces, but it can also be used to push liquids into cracks.

This is especially useful to get wood glues and other adhesives into tight spots, and can let you make quick work of what might otherwise be a time-consuming repair.

Anyone who’s struggled working in low-light conditions knows that a flashlight is an essential tool, but often feels like you need a third hand to hold it in the right spot. Use this quick hack to turn a pair of standard pliers into a flashlight stand, and get the light you need.

Here are more home improvement hacks you’ll wish you knew sooner. 

If you’re short on clamps, did you know you can substitute a caulk gun to get the job done? A caulk gun doesn’t have the old-world charm of a wood-handled clamp, but it can be surprisingly effective. Check out the full instructions here.

Then when you’re ready to use the caulk gun for its intended use, follow these tips for mastering your caulking gun. 

If you’re working on a project and realise that you need a softer impact than you’d get from a standard hammer, then it’s time to break out a rubber mallet. But if you don’t have one, slip a rubber cane tip onto your hammer’s striking surface, or cut a hole into a tennis ball and slip it onto the hammer’s head.

Tired of dragging heavy or bulky tools around your shop? Grab an unused mechanic’s creeper and turn it into a tool dolly. This simple hack will save time and protect your back.

Even better, a simple dolly build doesn’t need to make permanent changes to the creeper. Simply remove the workshop tools and you can use the creeper as usual.

Don’t miss these 31 yard tool hacks to make your life easier.