I got a bunch of (dried) almonds in their shell today. I wasn't aware of how hard their shells were and I have no nutcracker. Is there any way to open them without one?   
To summarize the comments:   Use common household tools (such as pliers) as improvised nutcrackers Try using the bottle gripper/opener on kitchen shears as an improvised nutcracker Use impact tools, such as a hammer, a heavy pan, or even cleaned rocks as nut smashers, but you may not get whole nutmeats with this method Bite the bullet and buy or borrow a nutcracker   (This is part of my little quest to get answers to some of the non-answered questions....) 