How to Build a Mouse Trap Car

How to Build a Mouse Trap Car?

Most of time, it is unusually difficult to build a toy car. Apart from the intricacies involved, lots of money also has to be spent. On the contrary, a mouse trap car is not only easy to build, but it is inexpensive too. You don’t have to run from pillar to post in search to materials. If you spend some time searching your store room or garage, you will get all the things that will be needed to build a mouse trap car. Here is a step-by-step procedure to build a mouse trap car.

• First collect all the things that you will need to construct a mouse trap car. They include a mouse trap; plywood for making the wheels; two metal rods that are 4mm in diameter, 15mm longer than the width of the mouse trap; 4 eyehole screws that can easily fit on the metal rods; washer with the inner diameter no more than 4mm; 2 rubber bands; and string. Besides the building materials, you would also need the tools like hammer, jigsaw, compass, hacksaw, vice, drill with drill bit that is 3.7mm, wood file, pliers, jeweler’s file, wood glue and epoxy adhesive.
• Take the mouse trap and with the help of the pliers take out the wire catch the keeps the trap open. Also remove the bait hook. Pull out all the nails that held the removed parts. Now, with the help of an electric drill make two holes at one end of the mouse trap. The holes should be 8mm from the edges. Insert the eyehole screws in these holes. Drilling prevents the wood from splitting.
• Take the compass and draw 4 circles of 75mm diameter on the plywood. Depending upon the size of the mouse trap, the wheels can be smaller or larger. However, 75mm wheels are of good size. Cut out the wheels with the help of jigsaw, and file the edges to make them even and smooth. In the center of the wheels, drill a hole, which is 3.7mm in diameter.
• Cut the metal rods and make sure that they are exactly equal in length. File the ends to smoothen them. With the help of hacksaw, split the rods halfway through. Use the jeweler’s file to increase the width of the slot. Take the wire catch and cut two 7mm pieces from it. Use the fine to make the ends even. Insert the piece into the slot in such a manner that one end of the wire catch overhangs, use epoxy to glue the piece to the slot of the rod.
• Place the axle with the wire piece on the rear side of the mouse trap car, and the other axle on the front side. The axle passes through the eyehooks, and at the ends, place the washers to prevent the axle from slipping out. Thereafter, slide the wheels.
• Take a string and tie it in the center of the jaws, which are the part of the mouse trap that snaps down to trap the mouse. The other end of the string is tied into a loop such that it reaches the rear axle. Cut off all the loose ends. Place the two rubber bands around the rear wheels. To prevent the bands from sliding off, you can also glue them to the wheels.
• To make the mouse trap car operational, you just have to raise the jaws of the mouse trap. For this, the string’s looped end is placed over the wire at the rear axle. When you reverse the car then string would wind around the axle. As the result, the jaws of the trap would be raised and the mouse trap car would speedily move forward.