Hmmm... the guillotine has been suggested by some, always with good results, but my PCB's are usually very small, or have curved cuts, so I've not tried that yet. I used a hacksaw, which was okay, but I just picked up an X-Acto hacksaw from a model/hobby store. Cuts much faster, and the width of the area cut out is thinner. But there are 2 quirks -- the blade is more flexible, so it's easier to get a non-straight-line cut, and the blade "height" is short (which matters since the top of the blade has a "frame") so to cut lines of more than a couple in inches, the blade needs to be angled almost parallel to the board. Odd. I just shaped some boards (circles) using a dremel with a sanding drum. Cut thru the board super easily, though very dusty/messy. If I could afford to waste a half-inch of board space, I wouldn't mind use this to cut straight lines. A jigsaw should work well, but use a very fine-tooth blade, or try a router/dremel with a fine blade (perhaps a Roto-zip type rotary cutting blade). Are jigsaws really cheaper than guillotines? Cheers, -Neil. -----Original Message----- From: pic microcontroller discussion list [mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Jesse Lackey Sent: Thursday, July 04, 2002 2:18 AM To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU Subject: PCB cutting / tinning ... ? Hello all, I've been making my first few pcbs, using an iron-on method (laserprint to special paper) and they're looking sharp. But cutting them is a royal pain. I use a hacksaw and its basically impossible to get a straight cut (maybe I need a new/better hacksaw). And it takes forever. What do people use for this? A discussion on this webpage (http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~wwl/pcbs.html) suggests a guillotine / shears, but I'm hoping for something cheaper - and in the usa, this source is in the UK. Jigsaw? How well do they work? I don't need perfect cuts but a hacksaw is quite ugly. Also I need to cover the copper with something after its assembled to prevent oxidation. Tinning is mentioned ... seems like a messy and expensive pain. What about a "flux pen" or "flux rework"? Could I just spray clear acrylic sealer stuff over it? A couple coats would seal well, I'd think. Anyone try that? Thanks yet again for advice from the list... Regards Jesse -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email listserv@mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email listserv@mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body