Homebrew PCBs

On Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:18:25 -0700, you wrote:

>Mike Oyama wrote:
>
>> This is the nibbler I picked up.
>> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97636
>
>
>Hey it's slightly off-topic but I would need to cut rectangular holes in
>steel chassis to mount panel connectors. Would a tool like that help me?
>I am really concerned about how straight the cut can be.

Your best bet is a mill for the holes.  Otherwise, you end up
drilling, sawing, and filing to fit.  That will work as well, but
tends to be tedious.

Mills can be a considerable investment, but are well worth it.  HF has
several varieties, stay away from the 3 in 1 machine, it's a
compromise and does poorly at most everything.  

HF has an X1 (micromill), which is suitable for light work, drilling,
and the like.  Uses an MT2 spindle, screw drive for the Z axis with a
quill.  It's cheaper than the X2, (mini-mill), which has a rack and
pinion Z axis setup.  

Compare the x and y travel extents to figure out what the best one is
for you, if you want to go this way.  Better to have a machine with a
square column than round, since you lose your XY when you move the
head up and down.

Other companies sell much the same machine with a few variations (main
one is collet in the mini-mill R8 vs MT3).

Harvey

>
>If it is ok, I think I'll visit the nearest harbor freight very soon :)
>
>bye
>as