People often trim their finger nails and toe nails with clippers built especially for the purpose. Scissors, as well as small side cutters that do not have plier ends, are interchangeable for this task. Should the trimmed nails need filing, you can substitute a metal nail file or even a piece of extremely fine-grade sandpaper for an emery board.
To remove crumbs or pet hair from a chair or couch, substitute a strip of clear 2- or 3-inch-wide shipping tape for your brush or vacuum. Place the strip with the adhesive side down on the part you want to clean, press along the full length of the strip and lift the tape.
Vice grips, which when closed lock the jaws in place, can substitute for pliers, socket wrenches and crescent wrenches in many situations. For this substitution, the object needs to be durable enough so that the teeth of the vice grips will not mar it. The vice grips must be large enough to fit the object, and you need to have enough open space to fasten the jaws and turn the handle.
Alignment punches, which are used to line up holes to insert a pin or thread a bolt, have several substitutes. You can use a Phillips screwdriver of the right diameter and length, a small heel bar or even a nail of the correct size.
When you don't have a magnet, a piece of wire bent to form a hook at one end can enable you to snag and lift an item you otherwise couldn't reach. Fine wire can prevent accidentally dropping a bolt and will help steady it while you start the threads. Secure one end of the wire, then wrap the other end lightly around the bolt just below the bolt head. Position the bolt and turn it into the threads. Once the bolt is securely threaded but before it is fully tightened, hold the bolt head so that it cannot turn and pull the wire free.
To drive spikes while building a fence, you can use a sledge hammer, the flat side of a single-bit axe or a maul. Claw hammers or fencing pliers can pull or drive fencing staples.
To dig a post hole by hand, you can substitute clamshell or hand auger post hole diggers for the traditional bar and shovel if the soil is not too rocky. To tamp the dirt around the post once it is in the hole, you might substitute a sturdy round stick in place of a metal tamper.