Homebrew PCBs

JanRwl@... wrote:
> In a message dated 12/9/2002 1:56:21 PM Central Standard Time, 
> adam_seychell@... writes:
> 
> 
> 
>>I was just wondering how many people here would like to make their own 
>>plated through hole double sided boards. How far are hobbyists willing to 
>>go ?
> 
> 
> Adam:  I do one-off double-sided boards all the time, but without PTH, this 
> is relatively easy.  I have a professional PCB-house do jobs requiring ten or 
> more PTH "same board", or, where a relatively complex "one-off" job requires 
> relatively many PTH holes "under IC's", etc.   Using tiny rivets to "make 
> your own" PTH's is cumbersome from several aspects, of course, and I do that 
> only when there are relatively few, on ONE board, and "just soldering 
> jumpers" won't do.  
> 
> So, yes, were it relatively easy to set-up---even if it WOULD require a 
> ten-amp DC supply???---I'd be very interested!  
> 
> I asked that "local PCB house" if they'd plate-through "blanks" I had already 
> drilled, and as this was such a difficult thing for them to COMPREHEND (Why 
> would anyone WANT drilled blanks plated-through, and no further 
> processing???), they quoted me a price-per that made it more attractive to 
> just let them do the "whole thing".  But no "solder-mask" nor silk-screening, 
> of course!
> 
> I will be VERY interested to follow this question!  GO for it!              
> 
> I have another question for this group, while I'm "here":  I "rough-cut" FR-4 
> on a bandsaw, using 14-TPI "woodworking" blades.  If fresh, a cut of just 1" 
> through that will "total" a blade for woodworking.  I do this actually too 
> infrequently to warrant looking at carbide- or "bimetal" blade-stock. 
> HOWEVER, it is a royal pain in the glute\ufffd to hafta change blades!  Does 
> anyone have a suggestion for BETTER rough-cutting FR-4 ("glass") stock?  I do 
> not mean "shearing", as that requires expensive equipment and space.  I 
> "edge-sand" to bring the band-sawn blanks to final size, on a disc-sander.  
> For "fancy shapes", I use solid-carbide "rotary files" or mill-bits in a 
> vertical mill, with PC-stock fastened to HARDWOOD scrap with "double-stick 
> tape". (for drilling, I use a home-brew CNC X-Y drill.  If anyone must see a 
> pic of that, I have that digitized, "on-computer", and can upload, if 
> wanted).

Try a scroll saw if you can find a carbide cutter. The cutter is much
smaller (and cheaper) than a bandsaw blade and you can do more intricate
shapes. It's difficult to get a nice smooth edge like a guillotine.
I use a small 18" guillotine and it's the ultimate for doing pcb
off-cuts. It's very small, about the area of an A3 paper guillotine.