Shingle Cutter

Shingle Cutter - 2

In my version the mouse trap is not removed from it's pine base. The first picture shows that I have removed the trap setting bar and the release pad. (The thing that holds the cheese.) Next you pull the trap bar back as if you were setting the trap. While holding it back you trace the inside layout of the bar onto the trap base. (2nd picture) This gives you the basic outline of the wood you need to cut away. This is because you have to have two angles run up through that bar. They not only hold the trap bar from springing all the way back but they also server as guides to keep the knife in the same place. Note: This is a mouse trap and it does not know the difference between a finger and a mouse! As you get older traps seem to get faster and they inflict more pain. No, I don't know why.

When cutting the wood off of the trap base, you can use a fine tooth saw like a dovetail or coping saw, a chisel and hammer or a razor blade knife. The problem with a normal saw is that the teeth are to big and they will break off pieces of the base. The base is made from soft pine and easily splits.

Note that trap was moved to lower blade line in my revised version.

The last picture above shows how the brackets will be laid out in relation to the trap. Now you can see why we cut the wood off of the base. Note that in my final version I used 1 1/2" brackets instead of the 1" ones shown. I did this because the knife needed to be bolted up higher and the 1 1/2" brackets have 2 holes and hold the bracket to the base better.

Note that knife was moved to lower blade line in my revised version.

The first think to do now is to find the proper distance for the back brackets. Attach two 1 1/2" corner brackets to the knife through the hole in the handle. Push the blade out of the knife till it is fully out and locked. Now place the knife and brackets on the Lower Blade Line so that the tip of the razor blade is just past the edge of the wooden guide. The knife and brackets should be centered slightly below the lower blade line (1/16" below). This basically determines the thickness of your shingle. (There is room for adjustment when you attach the side brackets which guide the knife.) Now attach the back brackets with 4 - #4 x 3/4" wood screws.

Next attach the mouse trap to the base using 4 - #3 x 1/2" wood screws. Make sure to pre-drill and counter sink the screws to avoid splitting the trap wood. The wood is soft and splitting it is easy to do. I placed the trap all the way back against the two handle brackets and put one screw in the front, one in the middle and two in the back corners.

Attaching the front 2" guide brackets is probably the hardest part of this project. With the knife attached to the rear brackets, put one bracket in place and flip the trap bar down over that bracket. Now flip the knife over on top of the bar with the blade all the way out. The object is to set this bracket so that it allows the trap bar to rise up about 1 1/4" and to holds the knife with the blade 1/16" from the Stop Block. Once I thought I had it in the right place, while still holding everything, I took a pencil and marked a dot on the base in the middle of the two holes on the 2" bracket. Once I released everything I drilled 5/64" holes for the screws. You then have to pull the trap bar back over the 2" bracket and screw it down to the base. I suggest that you round the corners of these brackets before you attach them, ouch! Now you can put the bracket on the other side into place. This should be right up against the side of the knife so that it has very little room to move side to side. You can bend the brackets slightly, after they have been attached, if you feel the knife is being held loosely or to tight. Remember the brackets also determine the thickness of the shingles. There should be about a 1/16" gap between the blade and the stop block.

Finish it up.