PET Bottle Tape Cutter

Let me preface this instructable, the idea for a device to PET bottles actually comes from a youtube channel "

Advoko MAKES". I used his design as a guide but in the end my version is quite different. The build will take about 2 to 3 hours.

The tape/string has many uses, it all depends on ones creativity or requirements. The biggest benefit of this tape is that PET bottles are very easy to find and that it is a thermoplastic which means after we tie something together with this plastic we can use boiling water or a heat gun to shrink the plastic tape shrinking the tape and making a tight joint. Advoko MAKES demonstrates how strong the tape is.

I provided a picture of all the tools I used to make this, surprisingly the amount of tools really adds up quick when working with scrap. I will now list all the tools I used:

- Hacksaw

- Few small files

- Clamps

- Drill and drill bits

- Square

- Adjustable wrench

- Socket wrench

- Ruler

- Screwdriver

- Marker Pen

1 x Metal rectangular section or angled section - any metal will do

1 x Stanly blade - use a new one if you have it

2 x small nut and bolt

I had a scrap piece of aluminum rectangular section that happened to just about be long enough to use for this project. I would recommend using a longer piece, my small scrap piece is small and portable but lacks any sort of easy hold down method so I have to pull through the bottles by hand.

I found one of the thumb screws left over from my PC case and the other thumb screw I had to go inside my PC, I took it from the disc reader but it had two in there so it should be fine.

The nuts I found attached to a banana plug binding post, this was a lucky find as the nuts fit perfectly!

Use the blade as a guide for your edges, leave a couple of mm either side then cut the section down to size.

File the cut edges to remove the burr this will prevent you from slicing your fingers to shredded meat.

I also marked out where the holes will be to pinch the blade in place, make sure you are taking into account the thickness of the material, you can see I marked the thickness with a blue line to make it easier.

This step is pretty self explanatory, I drilled the holes marked earlier then I also drilled a wide hole on the other side.

I used a M3.5 drill bit for the small holes. For the wide hole i ended up using a deburring/internal chamferring bit because this was the widest drill bit I had.

Finally use a flat file to deburr the holes, be sure to get the insides.

Using a ruler mark out the depth of cutting slots that you desire. I decided to make 5 depth cuts. These will be what determines how thick of a PET tape you can cut.

Once it is all marked out you can proceed with cutting the slots. It is important that you make your cuts on the correct side. The blades edge will have to be laying perpendicular to the cuts and the depth cut is going away from the blade edge.

The slots have to be deburred. I would also recommend widening the slots with a file, I used a rat tail file here, you can get these at a hobby store for model making.

Finally I recommend using a triangular file on the slots. This gives a much more gentle transition and prevents the PET bottle from binding up on the aluminium.

Time to put the it together. Install the blade, cut the bottom off a pet bottle and give it a test.

FYI it is not as easy as it sounds, it takes a bit of practice to have the bottle at the right angle. Maybe in the future I will add a part to hold the bottle at the right angle for me but for now happy cutting.