sej Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 Does anyone have any preferred ways of cutting PCB? I find it difficult to saw or cut cleanly with a craft knife. And I don't like the dust! Regards Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_man Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 Does anyone have any preferred ways of cutting PCB? I find it difficult to saw or cut cleanly with a craft knife. And I don't like the dust! Regards Simon A junior hacksaw works well for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 Problem is phenolic resin and fibre-glass - wear a GOOD dust mask Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
corax67 Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 You could score it deeply with a Stanley knife & steel straight edge and snap it but that can leave a rough edge or slowly saw with a razor saw £ wear a dust mask. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hesperus Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 The only way I've found of cutting it neatly is with vice and a full size hacksaw (but this could well be because my junior hacksaw is cheap rubbish). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tequila Sunrise Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 PCB quickly blunts saw blades. A new one makes a big difference - if only for a while! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzie Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 Diamond tile saw does a nice job, but lots of dust! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 Slitting disk in a Dremel? Dust mast and eye protection apply. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted December 16, 2013 Author Share Posted December 16, 2013 Thankyou all for your helpful suggestions, particularly regarding the toxicity of the stuff. I had wondered... I think in future I'm going to hunt out a selection of pre-cut bits and pieces! Cheers Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon H Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 You didn't actually say what type of PCB material you are using (or what it's for). Assuming it is for sleepering, fibre glass (FR4) material is much stronger (and better) than SRBP. I use a Proxxon KS230 table saw with a diamond coated blade, 702073. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sej Posted December 16, 2013 Author Share Posted December 16, 2013 Thanks Gordon, I use double-sided PCB (about 1mm thick) as bus-bars for "back-scratcher" pick-ups. They tend to need to be quite narrow and of varying lengths to fit. PCB sleepering could well be the answer! Cheers Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWeatheringMan Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Hi, I may be able to help if you are looking for the PCB to be cut into strips rather like sleepering/point timbering. What type of PCB do you have - for cutting preference the resin bonded (brown) type is easier to handle than fibreglass although I can handle the latter. In my workshop I have a shear press which will cut the material without problem in straight lines up to 300mm long. I often cut point timbering for myself on the shear press and also small boards for etching PCB's for electronic circuits. Please note that this is in my model railway/model engineering workshop as I'm a modeller myself. If I can be of any help please let me know - my offer is open to others as well who might need PCB cut for electronic projects or loco chassis pickup plates as yourself. If the person covers the carriage cost both ways (or it might be possible to visit my workshop with the material) I'm more than happy to do the work for nothing to help a fellow modeller. Regards, Robbie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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