Definition
A small hand tool used in aircraft sheet metal work to trim solid rivets to the correct length before they are driven. The tool holds the rivet shank and shears off the excess so the rivet protrudes through the sheet by the proper amount for forming a sound shop head.
Plain English
A hand tool that snips a rivet down to the right length before you install it, so it isn't too long when you set it.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft maintenance and sheet-metal repair when a mechanic is preparing rivets for installation.
Derivation
Rivet comes from an older French word meaning to fasten or clinch. Cutter simply means a tool that cuts. Together, the term points to a tool that prepares a fastener by cutting it to the needed length.
Why Pilots Care
A rivet that is too long forms a misshapen head and a weak joint; one that is too short won't form a proper head at all. Trimming rivets to the correct length is part of producing an airworthy repair.
Intuition Check
Do not think of a rivet cutter as the tool used to remove installed rivets from an airplane. In this use, it shortens a new rivet before installation.
Example Sentence 1
Before driving the rivets along the patch, the mechanic used a rivet cutter to trim each one to the correct length.
Example Sentence 2
After cutting the heads with a rivet cutter, the shanks were driven out using a drift punch.