PCB Cutting

J

Jim Douglas

Guest
How do you guy's do this, I have bare PCB that is 6x6" and I am building a
board of 2x3", what do you use to cut the boards. Before this I used the
paper cutter at the office but got caught and don't want to get yelled at by
the admin again! I am thinking a trip to Home Depot or ??


Thanks!



--



Jim Douglas
www.genesis-software.com
Carrollton, TX USA 75006
Latitude 32.9616
Longitude 96.8916
 
"Jim Douglas" <james.douglas@genesis-software.com> wrote in message
news:UMednZIpwM2FxanfRVn-hw@comcast.com...
How do you guy's do this, I have bare PCB that is 6x6" and I am building a
board of 2x3", what do you use to cut the boards. Before this I used the
paper cutter at the office but got caught and don't want to get yelled at
by
the admin again! I am thinking a trip to Home Depot or ??

Thanks!
Jim Douglas
Click to expand...
For small quantities at home with hand tools, use a hack saw then file the
edges straight and smooth with a file. I use a sheet metal shear but you
probably don't have that available. A band saw also works, use a metal
cutting blade.
Bob
 
Jim Douglas wrote:
How do you guy's do this, I have bare PCB that is 6x6" and I am building a
board of 2x3", what do you use to cut the boards. Before this I used the
paper cutter at the office but got caught and don't want to get yelled at by
the admin again! I am thinking a trip to Home Depot or ??


Thanks!



Hi,
Click to expand...

I score the board on the copper side with an exacto blade and then break
it over a table edge. You need to first make a 2 inch cut making a 2 x 6
and then cut that in half to make a 2 x 3.


--
Luhan Monat (luhanis 'at' yahoo 'dot' com)
"The future is not what it used to be..."
http://members.cox.net/berniekm
 
On Sun, 13 Mar 2005 16:19:41 GMT, Michael <NoSpam@att.net> wrote:

Not having a shear, a paper cutter, nor a bandsaw, I use a nibbling tool to cut
boards and a file to clean edges afterward. Yes, it's slow and it wastes mucho
board, but it's simple ... and cheap.
Click to expand...
Try a scroll saw. They're relatively inexpensive and much smaller than
even the smallest bandsaw. A bit hard to make a perfectly straight cut
unless you clamp an edge guide to its table. OTOH, it's useful to make
oddly shaped board and cutouts.

--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
 
"Jim Douglas" <james.douglas@genesis-software.com> wrote in message
news:UMednZIpwM2FxanfRVn-hw@comcast.com...
How do you guy's do this, I have bare PCB that is 6x6" and I am building a
board of 2x3", what do you use to cut the boards. Before this I used the
paper cutter at the office but got caught and don't want to get yelled at
by
the admin again! I am thinking a trip to Home Depot or ??
Click to expand...
I score it deeply on both sides with a Stanley knife, then snap it. It might
need a bit of cleaning up with a file afterwards.

Leon
 
Jim Douglas wrote:
How do you guy's do this, I have bare PCB that is 6x6" and I am building a
board of 2x3", what do you use to cut the boards. Before this I used the
paper cutter at the office but got caught and don't want to get yelled at by
the admin again! I am thinking a trip to Home Depot or ??

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I wonder if anyone here has ever tried a scoring knife (essentially a
single tooth file that you pull along a guide) as a way to make break
lines in PCB material. I think I may have to get one of these and
experiment with it. At least it is fairly easy to resharpen.
http://www.epinions.com/Stanley_Scoring_Knife_Shop_Tools
--
John Popelish
 
"John Popelish" <jpopelish@rica.net> wrote in message
news:423479B2.522D10B2@rica.net...
Jim Douglas wrote:

How do you guy's do this, I have bare PCB that is 6x6" and I am building
a
board of 2x3", what do you use to cut the boards. Before this I used the
paper cutter at the office but got caught and don't want to get yelled at
by
the admin again! I am thinking a trip to Home Depot or ??

Thanks!

I wonder if anyone here has ever tried a scoring knife (essentially a
single tooth file that you pull along a guide) as a way to make break
lines in PCB material. I think I may have to get one of these and
experiment with it. At least it is fairly easy to resharpen.
http://www.epinions.com/Stanley_Scoring_Knife_Shop_Tools
--
John Popelish
Click to expand...
I've always done this. I bought a knife 22 years ago, that was designed for
scoring Formica. It has a carbide tip. A take few swipes with that thing
along a straight-edge, and snap the board along the score. I score the metal
side on single-sided boards. A little sanding smoothes everything right out.
Works much better than sawing freehand.
 
I read in sci.electronics.design that Luhan Monat <x@y.z> wrote (in
<92ZYd.4356$uk7.2567@fed1read01>) about 'PCB Cutting', on Sun, 13 Mar
2005:
I score the board on the copper side with an exacto blade and then break
it over a table edge. You need to first make a 2 inch cut making a 2 x 6
and then cut that in half to make a 2 x 3.
Click to expand...
Drill a very small hole at each end of the score line and score both
sides. The holes ensure that the two scores are closely aligned. This
allows the inside of the bend to compress and the fibres at the outside
are not there to stretch, so the force needed to break along the line is
greatly reduced.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk
 
Jim Douglas wrote:
How do you guy's do this, I have bare PCB that is 6x6" and I am building a
board of 2x3", what do you use to cut the boards. Before this I used the
paper cutter at the office but got caught and don't want to get yelled at by
the admin again! I am thinking a trip to Home Depot or ??
Click to expand...
I use a "Jeweller's Saw" for smaller projects. A fugitive from my
Lapidary days, perfect for cutting, sawing small objects like circut boards
..

Yukio YANO
 
I read in sci.electronics.design that James T. White
<SPAMjtwhiteGUARD@SPAMhal-pcGUARD.org> wrote (in <4234b2f1$0$64589$a7261
71b@news.hal-pc.org>) about 'PCB Cutting', on Sun, 13 Mar 2005:

As I have access to them, I also thought about using a table saw or
power miter with a fine tooth carbide blade but never did due to the
amount of waste in the saw kerf.
Click to expand...
There was a small PCB maker in UK who used these. The saws were less
than 3 mm thick, but I don't know the thickness. Proper guarding is
essential because the odd blade can disintegrate suddenly.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk
 
On Sun, 13 Mar 2005 15:43:46 -0600, "James T. White"
<SPAMjtwhiteGUARD@SPAMhal-pcGUARD.org> wrote:

"Jim Douglas" <james.douglas@genesis-software.com> wrote in message
news:UMednZIpwM2FxanfRVn-hw@comcast.com...
How do you guy's do this, I have bare PCB that is 6x6" and I am building a
board of 2x3", what do you use to cut the boards. Before this I used the
paper cutter at the office but got caught and don't want to get yelled at by
the admin again! I am thinking a trip to Home Depot or ??



Jim,

I've used a table top jigsaw with reasonable results. Good points are that the
saw kerf is really small so you don't waste a lot of board material. Bad points
are that FR4 is a bit tough on the blades (at least they are cheap) and the
small blade tends to want to follow the lay of the fiberglass which can make
"straight cuts" difficult at times.

While I've never tried it, I always thought the ideal way to cut PCB material
would be a band saw with a fine tooth, carbide tipped blade. Using a panel
cutting jig so you could clamp the PCB material down and cranking the blade
guide down would make cutting even small PCB's pretty safe.

As I have access to them, I also thought about using a table saw or power miter
with a fine tooth carbide blade but never did due to the amount of waste in the
saw kerf. FR4 is relatively hard and brittle so the chipping might be excessive
even with a fine tooth carbide blade designed for cutting wood. Using a
non-ferrous metal carbide blade with a negative rake angle might solve this but
still removes about 1/8" of material. Table saw safety would dictate using a
panel cutting jig with clamps for the PCB. With the power miter you could just
clamp the PCB down to the saw table.

I'd be interested if you figure out any better ways to cut PCB material. Good
luck and be safe.
Click to expand...
Reminds me that friend DOES use a small-bladed, carbide-tipped, table
saw to cut FR4.

I've also, on rare occasions, used a small hand-held rotary tile saw
(Makita) with a diamond blade. Cuts the FR4 cleanly, but tends to
"mooosh" the metal edge when you cut across a ground plane.

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | |
| E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat |
| http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
 
Karl Uppiano wrote:
"John Popelish" <jpopelish@rica.net> wrote in message
news:423479B2.522D10B2@rica.net...

I wonder if anyone here has ever tried a scoring knife (essentially a
single tooth file that you pull along a guide) as a way to make break
lines in PCB material. I think I may have to get one of these and
experiment with it. At least it is fairly easy to resharpen.
http://www.epinions.com/Stanley_Scoring_Knife_Shop_Tools
--
John Popelish

I've always done this. I bought a knife 22 years ago, that was designed for
scoring Formica. It has a carbide tip. A take few swipes with that thing
along a straight-edge, and snap the board along the score. I score the metal
side on single-sided boards. A little sanding smoothes everything right out.
Works much better than sawing freehand.
Click to expand...
Excellent! I didn't find one with a carbide tip, but just bought one
with a replaceable steel tip.

Now I have to make a cutting board out of a square of plywood with a
strip of laminate glued to the near edge as a board stop and a second,
narrower strip glued on top of that as a guide for the steel square
(set back a bit so that the knife doesn't have to hit it when it
reaches the edge of the board) and I will ready to clamp that to the
work bench the next time I need to cut a board.

--
John Popelish
 
I bought a knife 22 years ago, that was designed for scoring Formica.
It has a carbide tip.
Karl Uppiano

Excellent! I didn't find one with a carbide tip,
but just bought one with a replaceable steel tip.
John Popelish
Click to expand...
http://www.google.com/images?q=carbide-tipped-scribe ?
 
On Sun, 13 Mar 2005 15:19:48 -0700, Jim Thompson wrote:

On Sun, 13 Mar 2005 15:43:46 -0600, "James T. White"
SPAMjtwhiteGUARD@SPAMhal-pcGUARD.org> wrote:

"Jim Douglas" <james.douglas@genesis-software.com> wrote in message
news:UMednZIpwM2FxanfRVn-hw@comcast.com...
How do you guy's do this, I have bare PCB that is 6x6" and I am building a
board of 2x3", what do you use to cut the boards. Before this I used the
paper cutter at the office but got caught and don't want to get yelled at by
the admin again! I am thinking a trip to Home Depot or ??



Jim,

I've used a table top jigsaw with reasonable results. Good points are that the
saw kerf is really small so you don't waste a lot of board material. Bad points
are that FR4 is a bit tough on the blades (at least they are cheap) and the
small blade tends to want to follow the lay of the fiberglass which can make
"straight cuts" difficult at times.

While I've never tried it, I always thought the ideal way to cut PCB material
would be a band saw with a fine tooth, carbide tipped blade. Using a panel
cutting jig so you could clamp the PCB material down and cranking the blade
guide down would make cutting even small PCB's pretty safe.

As I have access to them, I also thought about using a table saw or power miter
with a fine tooth carbide blade but never did due to the amount of waste in the
saw kerf. FR4 is relatively hard and brittle so the chipping might be excessive
even with a fine tooth carbide blade designed for cutting wood. Using a
non-ferrous metal carbide blade with a negative rake angle might solve this but
still removes about 1/8" of material. Table saw safety would dictate using a
panel cutting jig with clamps for the PCB. With the power miter you could just
clamp the PCB down to the saw table.

I'd be interested if you figure out any better ways to cut PCB material. Good
luck and be safe.

Reminds me that friend DOES use a small-bladed, carbide-tipped, table
saw to cut FR4.
Click to expand...
What about a table-mounted router (or roto-zip)? AFAIK, the biggies use
such high-speed widgets to cut FR4.
I've also, on rare occasions, used a small hand-held rotary tile saw
(Makita) with a diamond blade. Cuts the FR4 cleanly, but tends to
"mooosh" the metal edge when you cut across a ground plane.
Click to expand...
Wrong direction of cut. The bit should "rout", rather than "saw".

--
Keith
 
keith wrote:

<SNIP>

I've also, on rare occasions, used a small hand-held rotary tile saw
(Makita) with a diamond blade. Cuts the FR4 cleanly, but tends to
"mooosh" the metal edge when you cut across a ground plane.


Wrong direction of cut. The bit should "rout", rather than "saw".
Click to expand...
I have tried with tabletop scrollsaw from Proxxon-"DSH" (No:28092) and I
can say that it works very well, but not with blades that are meant for
it (No:28740-No:28744).

I had to use harder blades (No:28106) that are pain to mount in the saw,
but they work very well and seem to take FR4 abrasion much better than
serial ones. Quality of the cut is perfect and blade cuts closer to
straight line, so there is much less need for "course corrections".


Regards,


Branko
 
JeffM wrote:
I bought a knife 22 years ago, that was designed for scoring Formica.
It has a carbide tip.
Karl Uppiano

Excellent! I didn't find one with a carbide tip,
but just bought one with a replaceable steel tip.
John Popelish

http://www.google.com/images?q=carbide-tipped-scribe ?
Click to expand...
Those are scribes. A scoring knife has a slight hook and is sharpened
on the handle side of that hook, so it peels a thread of material off
when pulled.

--
John Popelish
 
"Jim Douglas" (james.douglas@genesis-software.com) writes:
I found heavy duty scissors at WalMart for $6.00 that cut right through the
stuff. The are made by RubberMaid, go figure. I went shopping with board
material in hand and tested alot of different products, this was the least
expensive tool I found that worked easily. The ones made for metal did not
do good cutting the PCB material.

I've always used tin snips that I had around, and once that brief time
Click to expand...
when I was buying phenolic board that cracked so easily, I've never had
problems. The only issue is that they don't work so well on long cuts,
since the cutting action is blocked by the material. But I'd think that
would apply with any "scissor" type tool.

Michael
 
I just use my lightsaber to cut PCBs...

Jim Thompson wrote:

I've also, on rare occasions, used a small hand-held rotary tile saw
(Makita) with a diamond blade. Cuts the FR4 cleanly, but tends to
"mooosh" the metal edge when you cut across a ground plane.
Click to expand...
This shouldn't be a problem; copper shouldn't be allowed to reach
the edhge of the board.
 
Michael Black wrote:
(snip)
The only issue is that they don't work so well on long cuts,
since the cutting action is blocked by the material. But I'd think that
would apply with any "scissor" type tool.
Click to expand...
Aviation offset shears do much better in this regard than normal
scissor like tools, since the cut is beside the pivot.
http://www.klenktools.com/Main/Products/SnipsBull-OffNew.asp

--
John Popelish
 
John Popelish wrote:
JeffM wrote:

I bought a knife 22 years ago, that was designed for scoring Formica.
It has a carbide tip.
Karl Uppiano

Excellent! I didn't find one with a carbide tip,
but just bought one with a replaceable steel tip.
John Popelish

http://www.google.com/images?q=carbide-tipped-scribe ?


Those are scribes. A scoring knife has a slight hook and is sharpened
on the handle side of that hook, so it peels a thread of material off
when pulled.
Click to expand...
Is scoring the copper clad really going to achieve a clean break? Seems to me
you'd have to at least score through the copper into the fiberglass. Even then,
would it necessarily break clean? Most boards AFAIK, are multi-layer, weaved
construction. Very strong. ISTR FR4 "splintering" when broken, but that was
without being scored.

For that matter, what about using a box & pan brake?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=90606
 
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