A shredder intake limiting device having a pair of parallel bars, wherein the ends of the bars are supported by a pair of side supports. Each side support comprises a floor surface flanked by two upwardly-diverging sidewall surfaces. The angle of the sidewall surfaces is such that the bars will be prevented from separating beyond a desired limit when sheet material is being inserted downward into the shredder. When sheet material is being pulled upward during removal after a jam, the diverging angles of the sidewall surfaces will allow the bars to travel upward and the horizontal separation distance to increase, thereby allowing the jammed material to be easily removed.