Cutting Vero and Perf Board- I cant do it!

[deadastronaut]

cheers, i'm cutting pcb copper clad board...

[hoodoo]

Aaahhh, i should have read your post a bit better, good for vero though 

[Perrow]

Recent posts here got me googling "cutting pcb" and one result was an instructable about a cutting rig, but the most interesting thing about it was one of the comments.

Nice rig! I've been cutting (one-sided) pcb's with scissors after heating them a little with a hot air gun or just holding them at a distance over the kitchen range fire. Phenolic can be cut this way as easy as paper. FR-4 is a bit more resistant.

That sounds like something one could try.


Link

[deadastronaut]

mad idea, i might try that with a bit of scrap board...

might unglue the copper maybe?..hmmm...cheers pelle.

[Perrow]

mad idea, i might try that with a bit of scrap board...

might unglue the copper maybe?..hmmm...cheers pelle.

I suspect the result will depend on finding the right temperature to heat the board to, which will probably differ between makes of boards

I'm thinking that heating them in the oven would be the safest way to do it as you have far better control over the temperature. But perhaps a hairdryer is warm enough and yet not too hot.

[rocket8810]

I score the lines I want to cut then I use one of the cutters that use a utility blade.  Like the one below



It cuts like butter if you score it properly, if its not deep enough or not scored at all it cuts like crap, and is very difficult to do.

[deadastronaut]

^ nice, but how does it get through a long piece?..

[pappasmurfsharem]

Strange.

I just run a box cutter along the holes I want a few time then snap. The holes nearly guide the blade in a straight line.

[mth5044]

^That's what I do too. I didn't read the entire thread, but I'd imagine the OP is scoring between the pads. Score across the pads (I only do it one side), line it up with the side of the table, hold it down and push on one side to snap it off.

GMO food

Won't kill you. Air pollution might?

[deadastronaut]

i'm using FR4 copper clad pcb board..not that nasty vero..

i think i may just have to bite the dusty bullet and go with a mini table saw...at least i'll get straight neat cuts.

[Jdansti]

I just use a big ass miter saw and it works great. 2 seconds per cut.

[thelonious]

I just use a big ass miter saw and it works great. 2 seconds per cut.

+1. It sounds like overkill, but it works perfectly. I wear a respirator when I do it, though. And for pete's sake, be careful with your fingers.

[Davelectro]

I only work with pad-per-hole perfboards. I cut them using an x-acto knife and a ruler. Takes SEVERAL minutes but they usually come out perfect. Sometimes you can't even tell the board was cut.

Patience is key.

[rocket8810]

^ nice, but how does it get through a long piece?..

That's the tricky part. If you score it well it will actually follow the line, but sometimes I have to slide the cutter up and continue. The more common problem is when its a short run, as the pressure can cause it to cut/split the board more than you expect. So you can't just squeeze it and have it cut only the scored lined.

It took a little getting used to, but I like it the best from the other methods I've used. I've don't something like 20 boards now this way, and they've come out great. The only part that's a mess is the wiring, but I've gotten better at making everything nice and neat.

I'll post some pics of the boards I've done using this method.

[tubegeek]

I remember hearing a suggestion to use a big guillotine paper cutter for circuit boards - anyone tried that? Seems like it would work fine, like a giant scissors.

[Mustachio]

I use snips to cut sheet metal and pcb's they cut vero easy peasy. No dust you can get a nice straight line too.

http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/snips.html

That 3 pack for 9 bucks is a good deal. I just picked up a set just like it at a local hardware store for about the same price. They are serrated a little bit but it helps hold the material in place while cutting. And they cut through everything as easy as a piece of printer paper. You will probably use the straight cut most the time but the left and right cut will come in handy some day when you need to cut around a corner in some large sheet metal or something.

Just like scissors keep your fingers out of the blades go slow and be safe. 

[bluebunny]

We've all seen your nice tiled bathroom, Rob ...

  How about trying tile-cutters to score and snap the board?

I remember hearing a suggestion to use a big guillotine paper cutter for circuit boards - anyone tried that? Seems like it would work fine, like a giant scissors.

Yeah, seen some vendors selling exactly that - specifically for cutting up PCB stock.

[deadastronaut]

yeah those tiles were a pita with my suit on, i don't know why i installed a toilet either, i just do it in my suit anyway...

...hmmm...all good methods/ideas..

i have a brand new mitre saw actually, but its in mrs astro's daughters storage cupboard...i'll have to nick it back and try that ..cheers john.

as i have a minicraft drill, i thought i'd bid on the minicraft mini table saw...looks cool , but obviously dusty still.....but straight edges all round yay!..

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=minicraft+table+saw&safe=off&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=4sToUp2lDeae7AaSsIDgCQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=1887&bih=897#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=BQ4zdSEeXxdJcM%253A%3Br-LP_JCoRIe1MM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi.ebayimg.com%252Ft%252FMinicraft-Circular-Saw-Table-%252F00%252Fs%252FNzY4WDEwMjQ%25253D%252Fz%252FOLoAAMXQhuVRV28F%252F%252524T2eC16dHJF8E9nnC8Hy1BRV28EtCew~~60_35.JPG%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.co.uk%252Fitm%252FMinicraft-Circular-Saw-Table-%252F290889816918%3B300%3B225

[Seljer]

Over the past week I discovered I cut much straighter with the hacksaw if I take the time to get out a square and draw myself a line first. Who knew? 

[tubegeek]

Over the past week I discovered I cut much straighter with the hacksaw if I take the time to get out a square and draw myself a line first. Who knew? 

No WAY!