My favorite homemade snake handling tool is a light plastic bread board with a handle on it. It's an excellent pinning tool in conjunction with a padded mat (sold as a camping mat for sleeping bags).
I also like a folding laundry hamper from Wal Mart that is useful for bagging snakes, a pool net I modified to be a bag stick (stuck a pillowcase on it) and a pinner built from foam padding and PVC pipe. The plans for the latter tool are here:
http://www.snakegetters.com/equip/pinners-howto.html
What is your favorite homemade snake handling tool and how did you build or modify it?