Tool for removing shingles from a skip sheet roof

Abstract

A tool for removing shingles from a roof having skip sheeting comprises one or more lifting blades attached to a shaft or alternatively to a blade plate attached to the shaft. A fulcrum bar attached to the back of the shaft, or optionally to the back of the blade plate, provides a bearing surface for rotating the tool to remove shingles and for sliding the tool along a sheeting board without lifting the tool. Some embodiments have two separate fulcrum bars for sliding the tool over fasteners protruding from a sheet board. Other embodiments have a fulcrum bar with a central slot. In some embodiments, a fulcrum bar has a length dimension selected to contact at least two adjacent sheeting boards.

1 . A tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting, comprising:
 a shaft;   a fulcrum bar attached perpendicularly to said shaft; and   a first lifting blade having a top surface and a back surface, wherein said back surface of said first lifting blade is attached to said fulcrum bar.   
   
   
       2 . The tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 1 , wherein an obtuse angle is formed between said first lifting blade and said shaft. 
   
   
       3 . The tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 2 , wherein said fulcrum bar and said top surface of said first lifting blade are separated by a vertical separation distance selected to place said first lifting blade beneath a shingle when said fulcrum bar is resting on the roof. 
   
   
       4 . The tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 3 , wherein said first lifting blade is integrally formed with said shaft. 
   
   
       5 . The tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 3 , further comprising a second lifting blade attached to said fulcrum bar. 
   
   
       6 . The tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 3 , 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). 
   
   
       7 . The tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 3 , wherein said obtuse angle has a value in a range from 120 degrees to 150 degrees. 
   
   
       8 . The tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 3 , wherein said length of said fulcrum bar is greater than a separation distance between adjacent sheeting boards. 
   
   
       9 . The tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 5 , wherein said first and second lifting blades each comprise two pieces joined by welding at said obtuse angle. 
   
   
       10 . The tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 5 , wherein said first and second lifting blades are each made from a piece of flat stock bent to said obtuse angle. 
   
   
       11 . The tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 5 , further comprising a handle attached at a right angle to an end of said shaft. 
   
   
       12 . The tool for removing a shingle from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 5 , wherein said fulcrum bar is a hollow cylinder. 
   
   
       13 . A tool for removing a shingle from a sheeting board in a roof having skip sheeting, comprising:
 a blade plate having a top edge, a bottom edge, a front side, and a back side;   a shaft attached to said top edge of said blade plate;   a first lifting blade having a flat top surface, wherein said first lifting blade is attached to said bottom edge of said blade plate and an angle between said first lifting blade top surface and front side of said blade plate is an obtuse angle; and   a first fulcrum bar attached to said back side of said blade plate, wherein said fulcrum bar is adapted to slide over a fastener protruding from the sheeting board.   
   
   
       14 . The tool for removing a shingle from a sheeting board in a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 13 , further comprising a second lifting blade, wherein said second lifting blade is attached to said bottom edge of said blade plate and an angle between said second lifting blade and said blade plate is approximately equal to said obtuse angle. 
   
   
       15 . The tool for removing a shingle from a sheeting board in a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 14 , further comprising a second fulcrum bar attached to said back side of said blade plate, wherein said first and second fulcrum bars are separated by a distance that is less than a width dimension of the sheeting board. 
   
   
       16 . The tool for removing a shingle from a sheeting board in a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 14 , wherein said first and second lifting blades are integrally formed with said blade plate. 
   
   
       17 . The tool for removing a shingle from a sheeting board in a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 14 , wherein said fulcrum bar is formed with a central slot having dimensions selected to allow fasteners protruding from the sheeting board to pass through the central slot when the tool is slid along a top surface of the sheeting board. 
   
   
       18 . The tool for removing a shingle from a sheeting board in a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 17 , wherein said fulcrum bar has a length dimension selected to enable said fulcrum bar to be supported by two adjacent sheeting boards. 
   
   
       19 . A method for removing shingles from a sheeting board in 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 a sheeting board;   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.   
   
   
       20 . The method for removing shingles from a roof having skip sheeting of  claim 18 , further comprising sliding the fulcrum bar along the upper surface of a sheeting board until the lifting blade is positioned under a next shingle to be removed.