Cutting Vero and Perf Board- I cant do it!

[claytushaywood]

So I've been trying to cut my vero  and perfboard with a utility knife and an exacto, but I just can't get it cut.  Maybe the board I bought is thicker than usual (came from tayda and another low cost place) I can mark it, but it's difficult to get it all on the same line even when using a metal straight edge.

Is a vise nescessary for cutting this stuff?  If not, do I just need a yet better knife- if so, anyone have a particular model/size?
Should I just get a rotary tool like a dremel and a vise?  I plan on doing a lot of perf and vero in the future as I do enjoy using it a lot, is the dremel an easier way to cut the stuff more accurately?

On another dremel note... I currently use a hand drill and a unibit for drilling enclosures- i've seen these low priced drill press stations for dremel rotary tools.  Is a dremel powerful enough to drill enclosures- if so what speed do I need?  is there a unit bit piece for them?  If not, do they even make drill bits big enough for enclosure drilling?  Are any of these cheaper dremels worth a damn?  Like the $20-35 ones- I've seen em with variable speeds up to 30,000rpm and some bits and colletts for $30.  I really dont have $80 for a named brand one, so looking for someone in a similar situation that's had good luck with a low cost one.

Any input is appreciated!

[artifus]

use a small drill bit between your fingers. a few twists over the holes along the line you wish to cut on both sides of the stripboard and it should snap quite easily. you don't need to go all the way through nor do every hole, just a few twists every other hole or so. it's a quick and easy process.

avoid cheap rotary tools. maybe look into getting or making drill press jig for your hand drill.

[runmikeyrun]

I use a hacksaw and then file it smooth.  Creates a lot of dist though, which is supposedly very bad for you.  I'm only cutting it once a month though, if that so i'm not really worried.  I think GMO food and air pollution will kill me before that.

[fpaul]

I use tin snips for pcbs. Might try sissors on the perf, if that doesn't work the snips will.  Never tried to cut vero but guessing snips would work as well.  Best thing is no dust.  I used to use a dremel but very messy and bad for lungs.

[smallbearelec]

One issue with standard Dremel kits from most retailers is that they come with numerous accessories that are not essential to stompbox DIY. By the time you buy bits, it winds up costing much more. I offer a Dremel variable-speed tool With a bunch of selected accessories and drill bits for less than $70.00.

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=852

The cutoff wheels slice easily through epoxy-glass, only please wear goggles and a face-mask when using!

Regards
SD

[DavenPaget]

I use tin snips for pcbs. Might try sissors on the perf, if that doesn't work the snips will.  Never tried to cut vero but guessing snips would work as well.  Best thing is no dust.  I used to use a dremel but very messy and bad for lungs.

I use a kitchen scissors , those buggers have lots of power ! Get those long ones .

[LucifersTrip]

Should I just get a rotary tool like a dremel and a vise?  I plan on doing a lot of perf and vero in the future as I do enjoy using it a lot, is the dremel an easier way to cut the stuff more accurately?

I use a tool like this for the dremel, with finer teeth...and it cuts through very easily

On another dremel note... I currently use a hand drill and a unibit for drilling enclosures- i've seen these low priced drill press stations for dremel rotary tools.  Is a dremel powerful enough to drill enclosures- if so what speed do I need? 

I believe a hand drill is better for enclosures. you want something more powerful that spins slower for metal. I use dremels to drill wood & plastic mainly.

[gritz]

I clamp vero to a bit of wood in a vice so it's horizontal and cut along the holes with a junior hacksaw. You have to take the last bit of the cut gently (supporting the free piece that you're cutting off), otherwise you might chip a corner, but it's quick. Then I just clean up the edges with a file. Like runmikeyrun says it does make a tiny bit of (noxious) dust, but it doesn't chuck it about as badly as a power tool might. [/obligatory disclaimer mode]

[deadastronaut]

+1 junior hacksaw, file...vero/pcb....i have a small vise outside for doing this...its also handy for cutting pot shafts.....i got sick of the dust too.....

[StephenGiles]

Certainly for veroboard, it's possible to snap where required over the edge of a square edged table - but not when your wife is looking

[azrael]

I always snap vero and perf, then sand to make it look nice.

I use a small bit to cut traces on vero.

[Seljer]

Hacksaw/fretsaw/coping saw seems to be the most effective option for me. I don't know what kind of boards you guys are using to be able to do with an exacto knife (though it does work if you score it over the entire length of the board and then snap it off) or scissors

A vise helps too, but you can get away with some creative clamping

[alex_spaceman]

I use an old M&S kitchen knife, one of those with lots of small pointy teeth, using something rigid to guide it with. Very easy to snap after a little sawing, with very little effort.

[JRB]

I make my cutting line with a stanley knife. Then I use a pincer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pincer_%28tool%29) to snap it off. The couple of times I used this method it works perfectly.

[seedlings]

+1 for dremel.  Although I use the heavy duty abrasive cutoff wheels instead of the 'saw' wheel above.

CHAD

[markeebee]

.....or six scores on each side with a Stanley blade, then snap over the edge of the table.

[petey twofinger]

a utility knife with the proper THICK blades to score the line 2x on each side , then snap on a square table edge with a flat iron file placed on the top line .

+1 on the cheap dremel , although i got an 8 dollar kit , like they sell on harbor freight , then a 10 dollar used craftsman 60,000 rpm rotary unit . i use all the acessorys from the cheapo kit in the craftsman , i did have to buy the bushings/ fittings seperate for 5 though .

menards had a 15 dollar set of unibits , for drilling metal i use a syringe with oil in it , this has reduced broken drill bits to almost none . i use motor oil .  just a small amount on the bit , same for when i use the uni-bit .

another contraption that is GREAT is this hobby grinder i built . its a 14.5 volt charger / batt that feeds an old cordless drill screwed down to the base . all my old cordless tools plug into its outlet i made on the front , even the dustbuster . so when the tools battery dies i cut in a cable and they run off the batt that is always being charged . even a 3.6 volt screwdriver will run off 14.5 , it screams too ! the 7 volt dustbuster actually dusts bust now . the battery hasnt died in YEARS . i can run 3 cordless drills , a predrill bit , a spade bit a phillips when wood working it save so much time and battery use .

i am sure all of this is wrong .

[petemoore]

  I got to scoring then wire snipping about 1/4'' in from the edge of the board.
   Since the board is super rigid and won't expand or stretch, the wire cutter teeth pry the two pieces apart if aligned and pointing directly at the score line.
  A little bit of 'bend pressure' helps, I have scored and just used bending action, but figured the copper traces see more stress/stretching and are more likely to loosen from the harder flexing [depends on how well scored or if drilling some of the holes larger...

[davent]

A hacksaw for coarsely sizing then a diamond cutoff wheel in a Dremel for fine trimming after etching. The diamond wheel slices through the pcb board like there's nothing there! A vice is nice but not necessary, a pivoting drillpress vice is ideal but a single 'c' clamp or similar can easily do the job of stabilizing the board you're working on.

dave

[rutabaga bob]

fine-toothed hacksaw says my $.02...much faster than score and snap.