here are some pics (alot clearer then last time!)of a trap i made yesterday with modifications i have found necessary. alot of guys have asked how to assemble one so hopefully these pics will answer those questions.

ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!




here i am marking the spring for bending. it should be bent roughly 3/16 of an inch from the footstrap holes.







note: i tape the springs together for assembly safety and ease only. as you can see in the following pics i use a squeeze type clamp to compress the springs while i wrap the footstrap wire. without taping the springs it is a much more difficult task not to mention the possibility of each spring going where it wants to, hence SAFTEY!

the next 2 pics show how i rotate the trap while the drill is running. this kind of grooves out the hole allowing the dog to rotate more freely. this step can be skipped, but if you try it, do it very slowly as the drill can and will break! hence- ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!







don't fret the distance from the top of the notch in the trigger. 3/8 is about right. if its off just bend the dog so the footstrap is all the way open when set.

What are the springs you are using off of?

Do you weld the spring arms or do you just keep them taped??

thier farm equipment hay rack ect in case he dont get back to ya a farm supply store will have them pretty cheap ive heard 1.80 to 3.00 a piece

sweet plans thanks alot great looking trap i plan to make some of them ill put pic up when i get one done hope it looks as good as yours thanks ron

Good job on posting the plans for the trap.

very nice post.....archives!!!!!!

the tape is to hold the springs together during assembly only. when compressing the springs with the modified squeeze clamp, if they are not taped together it could get dangerous! after the foot strap is attached the tape can be removed. its just an assembly aid.

the pics showing drilling the dog hole might be somewhat misleading. after drilling the hole i slowly tilted the trap as shown with the drill running to kinda taper the edges of the hole. it helps the dog rotate freely if using a thick piece for the base.

the foot strap material that i found works best is the handles from 5 gallon buckets. you get 2 per bucket. it is also stiff enough to stay put and not unwind.


i have used several different springs. here is one. link to spring info.

Nice post,Thanks.

Nice job Tim

Still waitin' on the one your supposed to send me

Ack, really nice job, both with the design and in documenting it. How long does it take to make one, and do you have a rough cost on materials? Thanks! Matt

Very Nice!!

takes me about 1.5 hours per. i don't kill myself making them, and most of the time i have guys stopping by to shoot the bull. i make them i my skinning shed so when guys see my truck there they got to stop. not that i do the talking , but it would be rude to keep on working. plus the barley pop would get warm. you just have to take a break once in awhile!

jd i would send ya one but i don't have your addy!

great looking trap. What is the third pic of? How much do u think u have money do u have in them?

i mounted the spring and then pull down each arm and mark it about 3/16 of an inch from the footstrap hole. this is where i bend the springs. the following pic shows the spring bent at that point. i meant to take more pics but kept forgetting. this allows the footstrap wire to come straight up and then over the top of the springs keeping it from binding.

do you heat the foot strap when you bend it around the spring? also what do you make your trigger out of?

no heat on the springs. no weld on them either.

the material i use for the trigger is from some scrap. someone pitched some homemade wrought iron fence. it is 1/2 x 1/8th inch.

very nice!!!!