US20090038443A1

US20090038443A1 - Tool for removing shingles from a skip sheet roof

Info

Publication number: US20090038443A1
Application number: US11/890,593
Authority: US
Inventors: David Haight
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-08-07
Filing date: 2007-08-07
Publication date: 2009-02-12
Also published as: US20090151514A1

Abstract

A tool for removing shingles from a roof having skip sheeting comprises a lifting blade connected to a first end of a shaft, a handle attached to a second end of the shaft, and a fulcrum bar attached at a preferred vertical distance from a bottom surface of the lifting blade to a side of the shaft. A length of the fulcrum bar is selected to enable the fulcrum bar to rest on a top surface of two or more adjacent sheeting boards in a roof having skip sheeting. A position of the fulcrum bar on the shaft enables placement of the lifting blade between adjacent sheeting boards and below a back surface of a shingle.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a tool for removing shingles from a building roof and more specifically to a tool for removing shingles from a roof having skip sheeting.

BACKGROUND

Shingles on a building roof are generally attached with shingle fasteners such as nails, staples, or other removable fastening means to an underlying support layer known as sheathing or sheeting. Shingles are usually positioned on the sheeting with a portion of a shingle overlapping one or more shingles and shingle fasteners lower down the slope of the roof. One form of sheeting comprises rows of wooden sheeting boards with individual sheeting boards having a width of about four inches and a thickness of about one inch. Adjacent rows of sheeting boards are separated by a distance about the same as the width of a sheeting board. This form of sheeting, known as skip sheeting, is sometimes used in roofs having wooden shingles. Skip sheeting allows air to circulate underneath the shingles to improve drying of wet shingles.
After being exposed to wind, sunlight, temperature changes, impacts, and other stresses, shingles must eventually be removed and replaced to prevent or correct roof leaks. In roofs having skip sheeting, sometimes the shingles are removed by first removing the shingle fasteners from the row of shingles nearest the peak of the roof, then pulling up the loosened shingles to expose the next row of shingle fasteners down the slope of the roof. Removal proceeds down the slope of the roof until the last row of shingles are removed next to the lower roof edge. Sometimes a prying tool is forced under an edge of a shingle and the shingle is pushed away from the sheeting, pulling out shingle fasteners at the same time.
Several types of tools are known for removing shingles from roofs. Some tools are forced under a shingle and then cut or break a shingle fastener, thereby freeing the shingle for removal. Part of the cut or broken shingle fastener remains embedded in part of the roof. Other tools are forced between overlapping layers of singles or alternatively between a shingle and the sheeting, then rocked or twisted to separate the shingles. However, it may be very tiring to remove many shingles by repeatedly forcing a tool between tightly attached layers of shingles and sheeting and then applying sufficient force to pull out the shingle fasteners. Some tools cause a shingle to break or split during removal, resulting in additional effort to remove all the pieces. Furthermore, it is sometimes difficult to avoid gouging or splitting the sheeting during shingle removal, which may weaken the sheeting or make attachment of new shingles more difficult.
What is needed is a manual tool for removing shingles from roofs with skip sheeting that applies an amount of mechanical advantage to a force exerted by a person to quickly and efficiently remove a shingle, with the shingle preferably being removed in one piece, without damaging the sheeting, and without requiring the tool to be repeatedly forced between layers of shingles and sheeting.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to a manually-operated tool to remove shingles from a roof having skip sheeting. In one embodiment, a shingle removal tool built in accord with the invention comprises a shaft, a transverse handle attached about halfway along a length of the handle to a first end of the shaft, a lifting blade attached on a back end of the lifting blade to a second end of the shaft, and a fulcrum bar attached to the shaft with a longest dimension of the fulcrum bar perpendicular to a longest dimension of the shaft. The fulcrum bar has a length greater than a distance separating adjacent rows of sheeting boards. Alternatively, a fulcrum bar has a length greater than a width of a sheeting board. A front end of the lifting blade is wedge-shaped. Hand grips may optionally be installed over opposite ends of the handle. In some embodiments, a distance between a top surface of the lifting blade and an axis of the fulcrum bar is selected to position the upper surface of the lifting blade lower than a top surface of a sheeting board while the fulcrum bar is resting on the top surface of the sheeting board.
In some embodiments, the lifting blade is attached to the shaft by welding or equivalent strong attachment means. In other embodiments, the shaft and the lifting blade are formed from one piece of metal. Some embodiments have one lifting blade and other embodiments have more than one lifting blade. A width of the lifting blade is chosen so that the lifting blade fits in a gap between adjacent rows of sheeting boards. For embodiments having more than one lifting blade, a separation distance between lifting blades is chosen to be larger than a width of a sheeting board. Some embodiments have a fulcrum bar that is long enough to contact more than two sheeting boards.
In some embodiments, a cross-sectional shape of the shaft and the lifting blade are approximately the same. In other embodiments, the shaft has a solid round or alternatively a hollow round cross section and the lifting blade has a rectangular cross section or other alternatively some other flattened shape. In some embodiments the shaft is straight and in other embodiments the shaft is formed with a curved surface.
In some embodiments, a lifting blade is formed from two pieces of metal joined together at an obtuse angle by welding. In other embodiments, the lifting blade is formed from a single piece of curved metal. In embodiments having more than one lifting blade, a back surface of the lifting blade may be attached to the fulcrum bar.
Embodiments of the invention are manually operated by placing a lifting blade between two adjacent rows of sheeting boards with a top surface of the lifting blade in contact with a back surface of a shingle and the fulcrum bar above the top surfaces of adjacent rows of sheeting boards. A person presses downward on the handle, causing a rotation about an axis through the fulcrum bar and thereby causing the lifting blade to push upward against the back surface of the shingle. A sufficient amount of downward pressure is applied to push the shingle and shingle fasteners away from the sheeting board. Neighboring shingles and their shingle fasteners may also loosened by a single motion of an embodiment of a shingle removal tool.
This section summarizes some features of the present embodiment. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the embodiments of the invention will become better understood with regard to the following description and upon reference to the following drawings, wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of an embodiment of a shingle removal tool.

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in position to remove a shingle from a roof with skip sheeting.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing a vertical separation distance between a fulcrum bar and a lifting blade and further showing an angle between a shaft and a lifting blade.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment having a shaft and a lifting blade formed in one piece.

FIG. 5 represents a cross section of a lifting blade. In some embodiments, FIG. 5 is a cross section of a handle.

FIG. 6 represents a cross section of a handle for some embodiments.

FIG. 7 represents a cross section of a handle for some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a pictorial view of an embodiment having two lifting blades.

FIG. 9 is a pictorial view of the embodiment of FIG. 8 in position to remove a shingle from a roof with skip sheeting.

FIG. 10 is pictorial view of a lifting blade formed in one piece with a bend.

DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention include a manual tool for removing shingles from a roof. Devices built in accord with the invention are particularly suited for removing wooden shingles from a roof having skip sheeting, although shingles made from other materials may also be removed. Some of the benefits of the embodiments of the invention include, but are not limited to, rapid and efficient shingle removal from roofs having skip sheeting, shingle removal without damage to sheeting boards, generation of a shingle removal force that is proportionally greater than a force applied by a person to a handle of an embodiment, removal of more than one shingle with a single operating motion of an embodiment, and operation of embodiments of the invention by a person in a standing, crouching, or kneeling position.
In an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a shingle removal tool 1 comprises a shaft 3 having a gripping portion near a first end. In some embodiments, the gripping portion is a handle 2. In other embodiments, the gripping portion may be curved, round, elliptical, or other shapes, or a portion of the shaft 3 may be adapted for secure gripping by a hand. A second end of the shaft 3 is connected to a back end of a lifting blade 4. A front end 6 of the lifting blade 4 is wedge-shaped. A fulcrum bar 5 is attached to a back side of the shaft 3. A length of the fulcrum bar 5 is at least as large as a distance from an edge of a sheeting board to an edge on an adjacent sheeting board so that the fulcrum bar 5 may be positioned above at least two top surfaces on two or more adjacent sheeting boards. In one embodiment, the fulcrum bar 5 is about nine inches (23 centimeters) long, the shaft is about 30 inches (76 centimeters) long, and the lifting blade is about 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) wide and about ten inches (25 centimeters) long. Other embodiments may be made by changing these dimensions singly or in combination.
A preferred material for the shaft 3 and the lifting blade 4 is an alloy of steel selected for resilience, strength, and suitability for joining by welding. The handle 2 and fulcrum bar 5 may optionally be made from the same alloy of steel used in the shaft 3 and lifting blade 4, or a different steel alloy may be used. A preferred method of joining the lifting blade 4 to the shaft 3, the shaft 3 to the handle 2, and the fulcrum bar 5 to the shaft 3 is welding, but other strong attachment means such as bolting may also be used.
The embodiment of FIG. 1 is shown in a position to remove a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, two sheeting boards 8 are separated by a gap of about the same width as the width of a sheeting board. A shingle 9 is attached to a top surface of a first sheeting board 8 by at least one shingle fastener 10. Examples of shingle fasteners include, but are not limited to, roofing nails and staples. The sheeting boards 8, shingle 9, and shingle fasteners 10 are parts of a roof having skip sheeting. FIG. 2 shows a shingle 9 attached to a sheeting board 8 by two shingle fasteners 10, but the number and positions of shingle fasteners holding a shingle is variable. The front end 6 of the lifting blade is visible in FIG. 2, with a position of the lifting blade between the sheeting boards 8 indicated by hidden (dashed) lines. The fulcrum bar 5 rests on a top surface of adjacent sheeting boards 8.
A person manually operates the embodiment of FIG. 2 to remove the shingle 9 and the shingle fasteners 10 from the sheeting boards 8 by pressing downward on the handle 2, where “down” is a direction toward the outer surface of the roof. Alternatively, a person may press down at a convenient position on the shaft 3. A downward force on the handle 2 causes a rotation about a rotation axis through the fulcrum bar 5, causing the top surface of the lifting blade to press against a back surface of the shingle 9. A sufficient amount of force is applied to cause the shingle 9 and shingle fasteners 10 to separate from the sheeting boards 8. For manual pressure applied against the handle 2, the force applied against the shingle by the lifting blade is proportional to a separation distance between the handle and the rotation axis through the fulcrum bar divided by a separation distance between the rotation axis through the fulcrum bar and the end of the lifting blade. For the embodiment of FIG. 1, a constant of proportionality, that is, a value representing an amount of mechanical advantage, is greater than one. In other words, the force applied against the shingle is greater than the force applied by a person using the embodiment. A method of choosing a length for the shaft 3 is to select a length that permits the embodiment to be used by a person in a preferred operating position, for example standing, crouching, or kneeling. Another method is to choose a length that provides a preferred amount of mechanical advantage for shingle removal.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, a vertical distance separates a rotational axis 11 of the fulcrum bar 5 from the top surface of the lifting blade 4. The vertical distance is also shown in FIG. 3, where the vertical distance marked “D” represents a separation between the rotational axis 11 of the fulcrum bar 5 and the top surface of the lifting blade 4. The vertical distance “D” enables the lifting blade to reach under a row of shingles between adjacent sheeting boards while the lifting blade is supported by two or more sheeting boards, thereby eliminating the need to repeatedly force an end of the lifting blade 6 between layers of shingles or between shingles and a sheeting board to accomplish shingle removal. Operation of embodiments of the invention is therefore fast and efficient and does not tire an operator as quickly as methods and tools previously known in the art. Alternative embodiments may be made with vertical distance “D” in a range from about 0.6 inch (15.9 millimeters) to about 4.0 inches (101.6 millimeters). In one embodiment having a fulcrum bar 5 with a diameter of 2.0 inches (50.8 millimeters), distance D is 1.25 inches (31.8 millimeters), corresponding to a vertical separation between the top surface of the lifting blade 4 and a bottom portion of the outside surface of the fulcrum bar 5 of 0.25 inch (6.4 millimeters).
FIG. 3 illustrates an angle “C” formed between the shaft 3 and the lifting blade 4. The magnitude of angle “C” affects the amount of clear work space needed to remove a shingle and also affects an amount of mechanical advantage by an embodiment. In alternative embodiments, angle “C” has a range from about 120 degrees to about 150 degrees. In one embodiment, angle “C” is about 135 degrees.
The handle 2 and the fulcrum bar 5 may be hollow cylinders as in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3. In other embodiments, the handle 2 and the fulcrum bar 5 may be solid cylinders. In one embodiment, a diameter of the handle 2 and a diameter of the fulcrum bar 5 are about 1 inch (25 millimeters). Alternatively, the fulcrum bar may be formed with a cross section having a distinct edge, such as a triangle, a square, or a rectangle, and an edge of the fulcrum bar acts as an axis of rotation. For a fulcrum bar comprising a distinct edge, the edge may comprise the rotation axis.
The positions of two sectional views are marked in FIG. 3. Section A-A is a section through the shaft 3. Section B-B is a section through the lifting blade 4. Some alternative examples of cross-sectional shapes at Section A-A are shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7. The shaft 3 may optionally be formed with other cross-sectional shapes than those illustrated in the figures. FIG. 5 shows a preferred cross-sectional shape for section B-B. A lifting blade 4 having a flattened cross-sectional shape as in FIG. 5 is particularly suited for lifting thin, fragile, cracked, or split shingles in a single motion, thereby reducing a number of operating motions and improving an efficiency of shingle removal.
In some embodiments, the shaft 3 and the lifting blade 4 are formed as one piece. An embodiment having the shaft 3 and the lifting blade 4 formed as one piece is shown in FIG. 4. The angle “C” and the vertical separation “D” are marked in FIG. 4 for comparison to FIG. 3. In one embodiment, a cross section of the shaft 3 marked as section A-A in FIG. 4 and a cross section of the lifting blade marked as section B-B is rectangular as shown in FIG. 5. In other embodiments, the shaft is round as shown in the cross sections of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 and the lifting blade 4, formed by forging or a similar process to form a flattened shape from round material, is rectangular as in FIG. 5.
Removal of thin, brittle, split, or cracked shingles may be made easier by a shingle removal tool 1 having more than one lifting blade 4, as in FIG. 8. The lifting blades 4 are attached to a side of a fulcrum bar 5. The fulcrum bar 5 is attached to a side of a handle 3 as previously described for other embodiments. A length of the fulcrum bar 5 may be longer than a length of the fulcrum bar in embodiments having a single lifting blade. For example, a length of the fulcrum bar 5 may be about the same as a distance across three adjacent sheeting boards. A distance separating a lifting blade 4 from an adjacent lifting blade 4 is selected so that the two lifting blades 4 will fit into the two gaps between three adjacent sheeting boards 8, as shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 also show the handle 2 without the optional hand grips 7 from FIG. 1.
FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a shingle removal tool 1 in a position to remove shingles 9 from adjacent sheeting boards 8. Three shingles 9 are attached to three sheeting boards 8 by pairs of shingle fasteners 10 in the example of FIG. 9. Some shingle fasteners 10 are drawn with hidden (dashed) lines to indicate they are below the topmost shingle 9. Pressing down on the handle 2 causes a rotation about the fulcrum bar 5 as previously explained. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the two lifting blades cause the top two shingles 9 to be loosened in one operational motion. Neighboring shingles and shingle fasteners may also be loosened in the same operational motion.
In FIG. 8, each of the lifting blades 4 comprise an upper part and a lower part joined by welding to make a single lifting blade. In an alternate embodiment, a lifting blade is formed as a single piece with a curved edge. An embodiment of a curved lifting blade 4 is shown in FIG. 10.
The present disclosure is to be taken as illustrative rather than as limiting the scope, nature, or spirit of the subject matter claimed below. Numerous modifications and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art after studying the disclosure, including use of equivalent functional and/or structural substitutes for elements described herein, use of equivalent functional couplings for couplings described herein, or use of equivalent functional steps for steps described herein. Such insubstantial variations are to be considered within the scope of what is contemplated here. Moreover, if plural examples are given for specific means, or steps, and extrapolation between or beyond such given examples is obvious in view of the present disclosure, then the disclosure is to be deemed as effectively disclosing and thus covering at least such extrapolations.
Unless expressly stated otherwise herein, ordinary terms have their corresponding ordinary meanings within the respective contexts of their presentations, and ordinary terms of art have their corresponding regular meanings.

Claims

1. A tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting, comprising:

a shaft having a first end, a second end, and a gripping portion for a hand near said first end of said shaft;

a fulcrum bar attached perpendicularly to said shaft; and

a lifting blade joined to said second end of said shaft.

2. The tool of claim 1, further comprising:

said fulcrum bar further comprising a rotation axis and a length;

said lifting blade further comprising a top side;

said shaft further comprising a side;

a vertical separation distance between said rotation axis of said fulcrum bar and said top side of said lifting blade; and

an obtuse angle between said side of said shaft and said top side of said lifting blade.

3. The tool of claim 2, wherein said vertical separation distance has a value in a range from 0.6 inch (15.9 millimeters) to 4.0 inches (101.6 millimeters).

4. The tool of claim 3, wherein said obtuse angle has a value in a range from 120 degrees to 150 degrees.

5. The tool of claim 4, wherein said lifting blade further comprises a front end having a wedge shape.

6. The tool of claim 5, wherein said roof having skip sheeting comprises at least two sheeting boards having an intervening separation distance and said length of said fulcrum bar is greater than the intervening separation distance between sheeting boards.

7. The tool of claim 6, wherein said shaft and said first lifting blade are joined by welding.

8. The tool of claim 6, wherein said shaft and said first lifting blade are formed as one piece having a bend angle between said top side of said lifting blade and said side of said shaft, and said bend angle corresponds to said obtuse angle.

9. A tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting, comprising:

a shaft having a first end, a second end, a side, and a gripping portion for a hand near said first end;

a fulcrum bar having a length and a rotation axis, wherein said fulcrum bar is attached halfway along said length of said fulcrum bar perpendicularly to said shaft;

a first lifting blade having a first end, a second end, a first surface having an edge in common with an edge of said first end of said first lifting blade, a second surface having an edge in common with an edge of said second end of said first lifting blade, and an obtuse angle between a portion of said first surface near said first end of said first lifting blade and a portion of said second surface near said second end of said first lifting blade;

a second lifting blade having a first end, a second end, a first surface having an edge in common with an edge of said first end of said second lifting blade, a second surface having an edge in common with an edge of said second end of said second lifting blade, and an obtuse angle between a portion of said first surface near said first end of said second lifting blade and a portion of said second surface near said second end of said second lifting blade; and

a vertical separation distance between said rotation axis of said fulcrum bar and said second surface of said first lifting blade, wherein said first and second lifting blades are joined to said fulcrum bar.

10. The tool of claim 9, further comprising a separation distance between said first lifting blade and said second lifting blade, wherein said roof having skip sheeting comprises a sheeting board having a width, and said separation distance between said first lifting blade and said second lifting blade is greater than the width of the sheeting board.

11. The tool of claim 10, wherein said first lifting blade comprises at least two pieces joined by welding and said second lifting blade comprises at least two pieces joined by welding.

12. The tool of claim 10, wherein said first lifting blade is formed as one piece having a bend angle, said first and second surfaces of said first lifting blade are portions of the same curved surface, said second lifting blade is formed as one piece having the same bend angle as said first lifting blade, said first and second surfaces of said second lifting blade are portions of the same curved surface, and said bend angle corresponds to said obtuse angle.

13. A tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting, comprising:

a shaft having a first end, a second end, and a side;

a handle having a first end and a second end connected to said shaft near said first end of said shaft;

a first hand grip connected to said first end of said handle;

a second hand grip connected to said second end of said handle;

a lifting blade having a first end, a second end, and a top surface, wherein said second end is wedge-shaped and said first end of said lifting blade is joined to said second end of said shaft;

a fulcrum bar having a first end and a second end attached about halfway between said first end of said fulcrum bar and said second end of said fulcrum bar perpendicularly to said shaft;

said fulcrum bar further comprising a rotation axis passing through said first end of said fulcrum bar and said second end of said fulcrum bar;

a vertical separation distance between said rotation axis of said fulcrum bar and said top surface of said lifting blade; and

an angle between said side of said shaft and said top surface of said lifting blade, wherein said angle is an obtuse angle, said roof having skip sheeting comprises a sheeting board having a thickness, and said vertical separation distance between said rotation axis of said fulcrum bar and said top surface of said lifting blade is greater than the thickness of the sheeting board.

14. A method for removing shingles from a roof having skip sheeting comprising:

inserting a lifting blade on a shingle removal tool into a gap between two adjacent sheeting boards in the roof;

positioning a fulcrum bar on the shingle removal tool above an upper surface of at least two adjacent sheeting boards;

positioning an upper surface of the lifting blade against a bottom surface of a shingle to be removed from the roof;

manually applying a force against a handle of the shingle removal tool in the direction of the outer surface of the roof, causing the shingle removal tool to rotate about an axis through the fulcrum bar and causing a surface of the lifting blade to press against the bottom surface of the shingle; and

increasing the amount of manual force applied against the handle of the shingle removal tool until the shingle is removed from the roof.