Roofing template and method of cutting roofing shingles

Disclosed is a template and method for use in the roofing industry for cutting roofing shingles on site in multiple useful lengths with each individual cut. The template, formed of a durable material such as aluminum, comprises a base plate having an upwardly facing planar surface. Border walls rise from two adjacent sides of the planar surface of the base plate and have abutment surfaces facing inwardly towards the planar surface of the base plate. Permanent markings on the abutment surfaces and the planar surface are visible at a fixed point above the template so as to enable a person with a T-square and a cutting instrument to cut a standard size shingle piece into two useful pieces or to cut multiple shingles stacked on top of one another into two useful pieces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention has to do with the arrangement and method of the cutting and fastening of roofing materials, usually asphalt and/or fiberglass shingles, to the upwardly facing sides of buildings, usually residential buildings and homes. An efficient arrangement of shingles on a roof of a building requires that the shingles be cut in different standard lengths, long to short, so that the different lengths may be placed in complimentary end to end relationships with one another. The longest standard length (39 inches) is placed along the eave of the rake edge. A next and shorter shingle (32½ inches) is placed above and in an overlapping position (5⅝ inches) to the first shingle. The third and even shorter shingle (26 inches) is placed above and in an overlapping position to the second shingle. Successively shorter shingles are used in the above described manner going up the roof along the rake edge to the shortest length of 6½ inches. Usually after reaching the shortest shingle going up the roof the placement of shingles starts again on the eave edge and full length 39 inch shingles are placed in end to end abutment with the already placed shingles going up the roof. The first row of shingles is typically placed or located along a lowermost horizontal edge of the roof. The next row of shingles is started from the same edge as the first and placed vertically above the first row so that its lowermost portion overlaps an uppermost portion of the first or lowermost row. The first shingle in the row above the lower row will be a successively shorter shingle length so that the abutment lines of the end to end shingles in the lower row are covered to the extent that the shingle rows overlap vertically. Going toward the other rake edge full length shingles will be abutted to the starting rake edge shingles as they extend toward the other rake edge. Complimentary shorter shingles may be used to mate each row with the other rake edge or specially cut shingles as required. Traditionally each shingle used in the above operation is cut one at a time using a framing square, a tape measure, and a utility knife. Normal size for roofing shingles sold in large and heavy bundles is thirty nine inches in length and 13 and ¼ in width. The first shingle can start from either of the gabled ends and is not cut so as to retain its full length of 39 inches as it is placed in the lowermost corner next to the gable end. The second shingle in the row then is cut 6½ inches shorter than the first for a second standard length of 32½ inches. The third standard size shingle is then cut 6½ inches shorter than the second standard length for a length of 26 inches.

The fourth standard size shingle is then cut 6½ inches from the third standard size so as to be 19½ inches long. Each successive standard shingle will be smaller by 6½ inches from the previous one.

The first shingle in a row will be placed with its cut end aligned with the gable end and vertically overlapping the previous shingle so that so that 5 to 5⅝ inches of the first shingle is exposed vertically and 6 to 6½ inches is exposed lengthwise.

Once the operation reaches the peak the next vertical column is started and the first uncut shingle has its end abutted with the outermost end of the previous first shingle. The same procedure is followed again abutting eac successive shingle with its vertical counterpart.

The same sequence is continued until the roof is covered gable to gable at which time one to the peak at which time the ridge is capped.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is disclosed an apparatus or template for repetitive cutting and sizing of roofing material.

The roofing template comprises a base plate with bordering walls that extend outwardly in the same direction from at least two sides of the base plate with visible marks along at least one side of at least one border wall. The base plate is comprised of a rectangular planar material with visible, usually parallel, graduations along the length of the base plate. The graduations on both the base plate and the border walls are intended to aid in the uniform cutting of individual roofing material pieces and therefore said graduations from the base plate and the border walls must both be visible to an observer's view, or a point, at a fixed distance from both the plate and the border. It is further contemplated that the roofing template base plate will have a rectangular shape when viewed in plan with longitudinally and parallel spaced graduation marks extending laterally across the width of the base. In the usual adaptation the parallel graduation marks on the base will be spaced apart by a substantially equal distance between the marks. In the roofing industry the spacing will usually be 6½ inches. In order to make the template durable and able to stand up to the outside environment the material selected ie of the metal although they could be indelibly marked on the surface.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to efficiently cut, arrange and fasten roofing materials to buildings.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a durable and long lasting template for use with a quick and efficient method to cut roofing materials.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a safer and easier way to cut and install roofing materials.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable and durable template for use in cutting roofing materials.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a template for repeated and accurate sizing of roofing materials.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a template with graduated markings for repeatedly sizing differently dimensioned roofing shingles.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a template that supports substantially the entire length of an uncut shingle so that one cut can provide two standard size shingles.

It is a further object of the present invention to make a lightweight portable template to be carried to and from the job site.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide multiple cut shingles with one cutting action on a template.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cutting template where shingles may be placed on top of one another to produce multiple cut shingles with one cutting action.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

What is shown inFIG. 1is a perspective view of the environment and template10of the present invention. The template is made from a soft aluminum that will not unnecessarily dull a cutting edge of the knife blade. Roofer12is shown using the template10according to the present invention. The template10is laid on a base plate11, the base plate11having a flat surface14and a shingle16is placed in the template10so that the rectangular sides of the shingle16abut sides18and20of the template10. With the shingle16in the template10, roofer12then places his framing square shown at22on the first 6½ inch mark on template10. A utility knife is then used to cut the first shingle of length 39 inches into two shingles of length 6½ inches and 32½ inches.

What is shown inFIG. 2is the template10according to the present invention having a base plate11with two border walls18and20extending upwardly from the base plate11. The border walls18and20have abutment surfaces19and21respectfully for abutment with shingle materials that are to be positioned on the template10. The abutment surface19of border wall18has machine markings shown at30all along the length of template10from end31toupwardly extending border wall20. The machine markings30can be in any dimensioning system one chooses, the ones shown inFIG. 2and for this invention are graduations in ⅛ inche incriments from 0 inches at border wall20end to 40 inches at free end31. The machine markings place a permanently visible measuring ability on the border wall18where one can measure the length of the shingles to be cut. The base plate11has machine markings33extending from the border wall18across its width to edge35. Machine markings33are spaced equidistantly from one another and parallel to one another. In this particular example the equidistant spacings between markings33are 6½ inches. A carrying handle is shown at40that is attached by threaded connections extending through wall18as shown at42. In this embodiment the base plate11is made from aluminum stock of ¼ inch thickness and is 40 inches long and 14¾ inches wide. The borders18and20are made from ½ thick aluminum stock with border18being 40 inches long and 1½ inch and a half inches tall.

What is shown inFIG. 3is a top view of the template10according to the present invention. The base plate11is shown having markings33spaced equidistantly apart and parallel to one another as they extend from end31to border20. The border18is shown extending from border20along one side of the base plate11to the end31and the border20is shown extending from the innermost wall of border18to the edge62of the template10. Handle40is shown as it is attached to the border18of the template10.

What is shown inFIG. 4is a bottom plan view of the template10according to the present invention having an end31and edge62and a handle40.

What is shown inFIG. 5is a side view of the template10according to the present invention. The template10is shown with the border wall18upstanding on the base plate11and having the graduated markings30shown thereon the graduated markings are in ⅛ inch increments were in the markings ranged from 1 to 40 along the border wall18threads threaded connections42are shown for the handle40not shown inFIG. 5.

What is shown inFIG. 6is an opposite side view of the template10according to the present invention.FIG. 6shows the template10with its opposite side showing the backside of border18and base plate11along the bottom of the template10the handle40is shown attached by the threaded connections42through the border wall18of the template10.

What is shown inFIG. 7is an end view of the template10according to the present invention.FIG. 7shows the base plate11with the border20upstanding from the base plate11and the border18having the handle40thereon. The height of the borders20and18are 1½ inches off of the one quarter inch thick aluminum base plate11.

What is shown inFIG. 8is an opposite end view of the template10according to the present invention. Shown therein is the base plate11having the upstanding border wall20that handle40and the end average of border wall18.

What is shown inFIG. 9is a plan view of the shingles as they have been cut to different links and overlaid one on the other. Shingle26is shown at the bottom-most portion ofFIG. 9and they extend from a rake edge100of a roof. Shingle26is 39 inches long and is laid along the lowermost edge of the roof with its one edge27adjoining the drip edge100. Shingle50is Cut next and it is cut to a length of 32½ inches been 6½ inches shorter than shingle26. Shingle50is laid so that one half of its width overlaps the tap top half of shingle26. Shingle50has edge51which adjoins a drip edge100of a roof. Shingle52is then cut so that its length is 26 inches long been 6½ inches shorter than shingle50. Shingle52has edge53which is laid adjacent to the drip edge100. Shingle54is cut to length of 19½ inches which is 6½ inches shorter than shingle52and has a edge55that adjoins the drip edge100of the roof. Shingle54is positioned so that overlaps the top half of shingle52. Shingle56is cut to length 13 inches which is 6½ inches shorter than shingle54and overlap and the bottom part of shingle56overlaps the top half of shingle54shingle56as an edge57does it abutted to her adjacent to the drip edge100.