I have made 100s of wood pans for 120s. I am going off memory, but I think I made them 2-3/4" long and 1-3/4" wide. I used 3/8" plywood and used a longish 1/8" drill bit to drill two holes through the middle of the plywood short ways. They were spaced to match the trigger wires at the trigger, keeping the wires perfectly straight. Push the wires through the holes, and leave a little space, maybe 3/8" between the plywood and the trigger bracket holding the wires. This will accommodate the bend.
Remember, you are going to bend the whole thing at about 30 degrees over the jaws when set.
The wires will protrude out of the wood pan, and I carefully bent each one parallel to the edge of the pan, securing it in place. You want to set the trap before bending the whole pan/trigger assembly and secure it before doing the bend, so you can see which way to bend the pan and wires. Remember, you want the finished set with the pan beginning over the lower jaws. You don't want the animal all the way through the jaws before stepping on the pan. And also, you want at least a 30-degree bend, NOT FLAT! The idea is for the animal to bump/push the pan down, not stand on it. This nearly eliminates poor strikes.
Also, if you use them in boxes, you can cut a little slot to accommodate the dog dropping, or make your spring slots snug and allow the springs to hold the bottom of the jaws a tiny bit off the bottom of the box. I wouldn't worry much about that, really. the pedal provides plenty of leverage to push the dog down for dis-engagement.
Last edited by alaska viking; Yesterday at 11:46 PM.
