Homebrew PCBs

If you know of any good sites to get a good price on drill bits for use 
with circuit boards please post a link or privately email me the 
information.

I have been using an engraving bit in my dremel tool and it works well, 
but i would like to try some bits.

Thanks

www.drillbitcity.com  however, the secret is to know which bloody set 
to order. My preerence is 0.8 to 1.mm ie #67 thru #60. There is only 
one set that meets those specs: #101-10W69-60

If you check around all other 'deals' awill provide you with a 
lifetime supply generally useless drills.  

Yet another place is Harbor Freight with sets of drills nice to 
practice breaking them. 

I still would like to see deals of #67 - #60 in lots of 25 for a good 
price. Mike

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 01:06:07 +0100, matt clement <buckeyes1997@...>  
wrote:

> If you know of any good sites to get a good price on drill bits for use
> with circuit boards please post a link or privately email me the
> information.
> I have been using an engraving bit in my dremel tool and it works well,
> but i would like to try some bits.
> Thanks


I get them off ebay, you can get a really good deal and sometimes select  
diameter.

ST

I think they're the same store as 
http://store.yahoo.com/drillcity/pcbkit.html, a Yahoo storefront. New bits, 
at the Yahoo link, $21; resharpened at the direct link, $16. Another 
difference between the two is buying sets of just the sizes you need, versus 
assortments. Hole sizes tend to be 24, 32, and 40 mil (#73, #67, #60).

I just ordered the new set, but in the future will probably just get a 5- or 
10-pack each of resharpened #74 and #68; less than $1 per bit. It would be 
just dandy by me if they got dull rather than broke.

Mike, if you have a few odd-sized bits to get rid of, I expect to need some 
for mount tabs on USB jacks and stuff. I don't know right this moment what 
sizes precisely, but probably something between #60 and #40. Do you have any 
to sell?


----- Original Message ----- 

From: "mikezcnc" <eemikez@...>
To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 10:53 PM
Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: wheres a good source for drill bits for PCB's??


> www.drillbitcity.com  however, the secret is to know which bloody set
> to order. My preerence is 0.8 to 1.mm ie #67 thru #60. There is only
> one set that meets those specs: #101-10W69-60
>
> If you check around all other 'deals' awill provide you with a
> lifetime supply generally useless drills.

n00b question... what's special about PCB drill bits,
as opposed to what's available at Home Depot or Lowes?

thanks,

<<< Moderator note: please trim unnecessary quoted text >>

--- Stefan Trethan <stefan_trethan@...> wrote:

> On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 01:06:07 +0100, matt clement
> <buckeyes1997@...>  
> wrote:
> 
> > If you know of any good sites to get a good price
> on drill bits for use
> > with circuit boards...

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 17:30:12 +0100, Kenneth Long <kelong_2000@...>  
wrote:

> n00b question... what's special about PCB drill bits,
> as opposed to what's available at Home Depot or Lowes?
> thanks,


They are made of carbide. Normal drills (HSS) will be dull after a few  
holes, carbide won't.
The glass in PCBs is abrasive.
Because they are so hard, they are also very brittle, and will break  
easily. HSS is much more flexible.

ST

----- Original Message ----- 

From: "Kenneth Long" <kelong_2000@...>
To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 4:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] wheres a good source for drill bits for PCB's??


> n00b question... what's special about PCB drill bits,
> as opposed to what's available at Home Depot or Lowes?

They are made of tungsten carbide. Ordinary HSS bits get blunt very quickly.

Leon 

---
[This E-mail has been scanned for viruses but it is your responsibility 
to maintain up to date anti virus software on the device that you are
currently using to read this email. ]

PCB drill bits are made of carbide, whereas the bits from the hardware
store are just steel.

PCB material is generally resin/epoxy impregnated fiberglass, which is
very abrasive. Drill a few holes with a non-carbide bit and it'll be
dull before you get even a small board drilled.

I drilled some thin PCB with a regular drill bit, look at how nasty
the holes are even with a brand new non-carbide bit:
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBs/files/Sign_Cutter_to_make_PCBs/GeigerPCBScan01.jpg>

Steve Greenfield

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Kenneth Long <kelong_2000@y...>
wrote:

>
> n00b question... what's special about PCB drill bits,
> as opposed to what's available at Home Depot or Lowes?
>

Beside what others have stated, there are two more very important 
reasons...

Short length of the fluted section of the drill.  Longer carbide 
drills are much easier to break.

Constant - standard, .125" dia shank on all the bits. THis is good for 
use with small Dremel type tools as they can take 1/8" shank tools.  
It is also good for use in many drill presses, not all 3 jaw chucks 
can clamp down to 1/16" or smaller.

Chris

In article <dkrehf+n714@...>,
   matt clement <buckeyes1997@...> wrote:
> If you know of any good sites to get a good price on drill bits for use 
> with circuit boards please post a link or privately email me the 
> information.

Well here in the uk I use

http://www.megauk.com/

I suppose they might export.

--- lists <stuart.winsor.lists@...> wrote:

> In article <dkrehf+n714@...>,
>    matt clement <buckeyes1997@...> wrote:
> > If you know of any good sites to get a good price
> on drill bits for use 
> > with circuit boards please post a link or
> privately email me the 
> > information.
> 
I buy a set of these every year or so.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=34640

Beware that out of the 50, only 10-20 are going to be
the sizes you really want. 

Ron


	
		
__________________________________ 
Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 
http://mail.yahoo.com

Ken,

In addition to the carbide material others have mentioned:
PCB drills have standard shank size and a WIDE variety of cutting 
diameters. 3mm and 1/8 shank are the two standards. 

In addition PCB drills are nearly always of a consistent length, 
usually about 1-1/2". More importantly they often use a "depthing" 
ring of plastic so they may be interchanged and keep the same 
projection from the spindle nose.

Finally, since the mfrs. know that these holes are not going to be 
spot-drilled; pcb drills sometimes have special tip grinding to aid 
in centering the bit. Especially in the larger diameters. "Split-
point" and "o-flute" are two examples. 

Hope this helps,

Ballendo

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Kenneth Long <kelong_2000@y...> 
wrote:

>
> n00b question... what's special about PCB drill bits,
> as opposed to what's available at Home Depot or Lowes?
> 
> thanks,
> 
> <<< Moderator note: please trim unnecessary quoted text >>
> 
> --- Stefan Trethan <stefan_trethan@g...> wrote:
> 
> > On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 01:06:07 +0100, matt clement
> > <buckeyes1997@y...>  
> > wrote:
> > 
> > > If you know of any good sites to get a good price
> > on drill bits for use
> > > with circuit boards...
>

Steve,

What paper did you use on that board?  Mike