Homebrew PCBs

In a message dated 7/25/2006 6:21:37 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
lcdpublishing@... writes:

As the  subject title says, I am looking for a source of them.   Actually, I  
really don't need a lot of them, I just would like to have enough to identify 
 all the drills I have (or will have) and use. 

Most of the bits I have  now already have the rings, but some don't.<<
Chris!  Do I imagine correctly that you will have only  one or two of each 
size, and will hand-mark the ID-rings?  Wow!  Even  my CNC PCB drill will BUST 
commonly-used sizes often enough that it has proven  VERY 
economically-advantageous to buy-in those "reconditioned" boxes of 50 bits  (JDR Microdevices, 
etc), ALL of which have properly MARKED rings.  You  might buy a box of those, and 
SAVE the rings off busted bits, for re-use.   And SAVE the 1/8" shanks of the 
busted bits!  They can be used for  regrinding into engraving bits, braze-on 
"carbide edges" for specials you make,  etc.  
 
Yeah, if I had to depend on one or two of "popular sizes"  (like #56, for 
example), I'd be spending 70% of MY time waiting for delivery of  the TWO 
replacements!
 
I haven't needed a "professionally-did" PCB in so long, I  don't even know if 
they will accept "2X camera-ready" artwork for new work as  always, or now 
will accept ONLY whatever PCB-CAD layout "on-disk"!  So, I  haven't asked how 
THEY buy-in their bits.  Boxes of 100?  How many  sizes do they keep in stock?  
Min. quantity of each size before  reorder?  Hmmm...  I will have to try to 
remember to ask, next time I  need PTH or multi-layer!
 
Jan Rowland






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