Hi
Just a small question here:
I have bought some plates of PCBs, but since they are bigger than any of the PCBs needed for the sid project, i just want to make sure i can cut the plates with a jigsaw without ripping of the cobber?
Thanks
Carsten
Yes, this works.
If you use an saw which cuts when pulling it towards you, just make sure the copper side is not facing in your direction.
Doing this you will prodice nearly no burr, or just a small one which can be sanded down.
Best regards.
Michael
Addendum:
Just noticed that jigsaw means something different than I thought. That’s the one with very fine blade used to make you mother’s day present from thin wood.
Better use a hacksaw, normally used for cutting steel.
Allright. A hacksaw it is. Thanks
Allright. A hacksaw it is. Thanks
A hacksaw blade can be rather corse for doing this. I personally would recommend either using a scroll saw (hand held or tabletop) with a metal-cutting blade (very fine teeth) or a bandsaw. I personally use a bandsaw with a 28tpi blade and it works pretty well, with the biggest problem being the width of the kerf. On smaller boards it can easily account for 5% of the width of the board.
If using something powered, it’ll help to sandwhich the board between pieces of hardboard, as this will help keep the copper from burring. And of course, file all the edges smooth when you are done.
Soon I’ll have to cut out the center of five PCBs (these), and I plan on using a Dremel mounted in a drill press (as seen in the background here) fitted with a small, round cutter (actually, an old dental bit) to mill out the center of the board. This works really, really well. Nice, smooth cuts and minimal filing.
-Steve
hmm. whats the difference between a jigsaw and a handheld scroll saw?
Could you link to an image of a handheld scroll saw - translating names of tools is not my strong point :-\
AFAIK there’s no real difference, at least not with what we call a jigsaw or a scroll saw round here. The main thing seems to be that scrollers come with narrower blades so you can cut tighter curves - but you can put the same kind of blade in a jigsaw so there’s no real difference. Just make sure you use a blade with many small teeth, not the wood-cutting blade that comes with most jigsaws. A hacksaw would probably be better, but you could probably get away with a jigsaw by placing the PCB like a sandwich between some blocks of wood, like c0nsumer mentioned.
…and just to maximize the confusion:
I’m also using a Dremel with a “Trennscheibe”. It’s easy, you have a lot of other tools included (drilling machine, polishing, engraving…).
there are some no-name devices that are a lot cheaper than the original…
I got one with a flexible bending neck(?); think you surely have some use for it after you finished your MB 
(if 30$ don’t hurt you)
Cheers,
Michael
ps: if it must not be perfect, you can also make a half-cut with a cutter and then break it (but please try before, this method is sometimes failing ;D)
Soon I’ll have to cut out the center of five PCBs (these), and I plan on using a Dremel mounted in a drill press (as seen in the background here) fitted with a small, round cutter (actually, an old dental bit) to mill out the center of the board. This works really, really well. Nice, smooth cuts and minimal filing.
-Steve
Yo! Steve,
Where did you get the drill press for dremell? That is sweet look’n :o I did not know that it exist.
thanks..
Where did you get the drill press for dremell? That is sweet look’n :o I did not know that it exist.
Amazon. Cost $35 - $50 if I remember right. It’s for a much older style of Dremel, though.
One for newer Dremels is about the same price, but I’m not sure where to find it. Probably Amazon, too.
-Steve
Where did you get the drill press for dremell? That is sweet look’n I did not know that it exist.
Hey docbrown, if you are interested in a drill press for a dremel you should check out this place: http://vanda-layindustries.com/ I picked up their “Drill Press Plus” and I am very happy with it. It is very beefy, and much more stable than any of the dremel made drill presses, making it much more capable of very precise work like PCB drilling and such. It’s made from billet aluminum and will probably last forever!
They also make a nice little milling machine type attachment for dremels that can be used for many different projects.
Check 'em out before looking at the dremel stuff. They cost about twice as much than the Dremel brand but IMHO, well worth the added cost.
-tel3
I’ve noticed the commercial PCB drilling machines have ultra high speed drills, how important is that?
Can I get away with a nice cheap 7,000 rpm drill press for doing my PCBs?
People in the Yahoo homebrew PCB group swore that nothing under 20k rpm was any good. ???
I use a small Delta press here for lots of stuff, and have occasionally bumped the speed way way down, just for the nice, pleasant sound it makes for lengthy drilling sessions. Seemed to do fine, even with my carbide .033" PCB bits, but I hear they’re supposed to be run extra fast (YMMV).
George
-And thanks tel3 for that link! That’s some weird looking stuff they make. 
- also, FWIW, I think the people in that PCB group used to knock the newer model Dremel presses (quality or accuracy issues), but some of those guys insisted that anything that couldn’t work within a .00000000001" tolerance was a piece of crap. An older model may not be a bad deal, even if it may be lacking some bells and whistles, but there could be different ones. I haven’t been keeping up with that group lately.
Using a slower speed with high-speed bits, they don’t cut properly. Because of this, I run a dremel at max, whether it is milling PCBs with dental bits or drilling them with resharpened carbide PCB drills. I also question the amount of runout (wobble) that many drill presses have. The Dremel has a lot less, so holes are more accurate and bits are far less likely to break.
Also, be sure to wear safety glasses and a respirator when working. The dust from drilling / milling PCBs is pretty harsh.
-Steve
-And thanks tel3 for that link! That’s some weird looking stuff they make.
No Prob!
I also question the amount of runout (wobble) that many drill presses have. The Dremel has a lot less, so holes are more accurate and bits are far less likely to break.
That’s the main reason I recommended the “Drill Press Plus” from the above link. That thing is rock solid stable and has no noticeable slop/wobble that I can tell…NONE!
-tel3
That’s the main reason I recommended the “Drill Press Plus” from the above link. That thing is rock solid stable and has no noticeable slop/wobble that I can tell…NONE!
Runout is generally dependent on the bearings and such in the motor / chuck itself. As the tool you linked to requires a dremel, one should get the same amount of runout with a dremel drill press or the tool you linked to. I looked at what you linked to and it looks nice, it’s just a bit pricy. That said, I wouldn’t mind their X/Y mill… It’d be better if it also had a Z axis, though.
-Steve
Runout is generally dependent on the bearings and such in the motor / chuck itself. As the tool you linked to requires a dremel, one should get the same amount of runout with a dremel drill press or the tool you linked to.
Oh, I get it! I was mainly more comparing the slop of the Dremel drill press with the one I linked to.
It’d be better if it also had a Z axis, though
I may be wrong but, I believe they offer the Z axis as an add-on?
-tel3
Oh, I get it! I was mainly more comparing the slop of the Dremel drill press with the one I linked to.
Ah, yeah. I’ve found it to be plenty good, though… The only time I’ve broken bits is when I screwed up and moved the board while still retracting the bit.
I may be wrong but, I believe they offer the Z axis as an add-on?
I’m not sure… That I didn’t see. I may just buy a Harbor Freight milling vise instead. It won’t be perfect, but it should still be good enough for milling out centers of boards. The most recent one (for my MIDIbox front panel) was done by hand and it came out well. I’ll post photos of it once I’m home in a few days.
-Steve
c0nsumer, did you look at their mill accessories page? I think maybe it’s in there…I haven’t looked at their page in a while though.
-tel3
c0nsumer, did you look at their mill accessories page? I think maybe it’s in there…I haven’t looked at their page in a while though.
Yes, they have accessories for what they call the Z axis, but it’s really just the vertical pieces. There’s no screw there for purposes of moving the tool while cutting, nor moving the piece being worked on. Ideally they’d have a third knob on the base which uses a scissor-type jack to raise and lower the piece being milled, and the X and Y could then move it in it’s respective directions as well. But… They don’t.
-Steve
Right on, I getcha…
Yeah, I’m a total newb when it comes to milling anything! I really wasn’t even sure what Z axis meant, but now I get it…
-tel3