Homebrew PCBs

If you have a good hacksaw, and aren't making a very long cut, it's not too
bad. I much prefer the bench shear.

If you don't want to invest in a bench shear, you can go with the handheld
nibblers, like I did. The ones I posted about above are totally lo-tech. If
you are doing a lot of PCBs, get an automatic version.

You have many options there.

If you have a shop air compressor, you can get a pneumatic tools with punch
nibbler and shear style heads.

Punch Nibbler =
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=46061
Shears =
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=98833

In direct contrast to the manual hand tools, the opposite rules of thumb
apply. If you want straight lines, get the shear style of the power tool.
Use the power nibbler for curves.

If you don't have shop air, you can get electric versions of both styles as
well.

Punch Nibbler =
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92148
Shears =
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92115


They even have some fancy contraptions that fit on your normal drill, and
turn it into a nibbler.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91739

Nice.

Like I said, if you're doing more than a few inches at a time, or lots of
boards on a regular basis, an automatic version is much better. If you go
with the manual power versions, PACE YOURSELF. My hand cramped for a full
day after the first time I dove into some old VCR PCBs with my new nibblers.
I was a nibbling fool for three hours, and payed for it later. Seriously, it
hurt to tie my shoes the next day. So take it easy, and go slow, and take
LOTS of breaks.



Oh, and I will never use a cutoff wheel to cut a PC board. Fiberglass dust
is even more obnoxious than sawdust, because not only does it make a HUGE,
hard to clean up mess, it itches like hell when it gets on you. One of the
most compelling reasons to go with a bench shear, power shears, or a punch
nibbler, over any type of reciprocating or rotating tool, is that there is
ZERO dust.

Maybe it's just me, but as a staunch supporter of safety glasses for almost
anything except reading in my workshop, I find it uncontrollably irritating
that cutting tool dust will circumvent my glasses every time, and find it's
way into my eye.  I've got a pair of swimming goggles in the drawer by my
die grinder now. Permanently.



On Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 8:15 PM, Alessio Sangalli <alesan@...>wrote:

>
>
> The current thread about the mini metal shear triggered my curiosity:
> what do you guys think its the best way to cut a pcb? right now I use a
> hand saw and/or a dremel with cutting disc. I am not very satisfied I
> must say.
>
> bye
> Alessio
>
>  
>


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