Pinwheel Mouse Trap

thingiverse

This design is for a rotating style of bucket mouse trap. To prevent mice from hanging on to a stationary spot with their rear legs and stretching out towards the bait, the entire rotor turns. The small moment arm of the ends of the spindle shouldn't induce much tendency to rotate and once the mouse reaches a spoke and it begins to turn they won't be near anything stable to grab onto. If a spoke stops pointing upwards a mouse could get to the bait without it spinning, so perforated covers are used. These are made from soda bottle caps (Coke brand) and a drilling jig is included (it's a good idea to press the cap against some wood when drilling to prevent tear-out, so the holes drill cleanly). The spokes are the same diameter as the caps to minimize features the mouse could cling to. A length of 3/4" CPVC pipe serves as the central spindle. The end plus are designed to be used with two 1/4" shafts (a continuous one is not required, and a couple 1/4" bolts should work fine, the threads are irrelevant) and I recommend drilling the hole out to make it more accurate before installation (ideally in a drill press). Drill slightly larger holes in the sides of the bucket for the shafts. Step versions of all models are included to aid in customization. These parts are designed to print without supports, but a raft for the two spindle halves may aid getting the heights precise. There are square alignment features to guide them when gluing. Additionally, soda caps screw on the ends can help with alignment, but be sure no glue is on the threads or they may become bonded. I printed this with good results in PLA with a 0.9 mm line width (from a 0.6 mm nozzle) and a single wall at 20% infill.