Better Way To Cut Stripboard?

[Ginsly]

I’ve been scoring both sides with an Xacto followed by a careful snap, but the breaks still come out a bit rougher than I’d like…

What are some better/cleaner/quicker ways to do it? I do realize that this can be nasty business, so I wear a mask and eye protection.

 

[owlexifry]

but the breaks still come out a bit rougher than I’d like…

your method matches mine. and i think it’s fine.
but there’s another step.
i sand the edges round and smooth with x2 different grits and then finish with the last grit wet.
just cos it’s nicer like that.

 

[Ginsly]

your method matches mine. and i think it’s fine.
but there’s another step.
i sand the edges round and smooth with x2 different grits and then finish with the last grit wet.
just cos it’s nicer like that.

Absolutely! I clean up the edges a bit, but it’s more that I wind up losing a row of pads sometimes due to the stripboard kind of chipping in an uneven way. Sometimes it’ll take the back off of the next row of pads when I snap it, if that makes any sense!

 

[spi]

I use a handsaw. Wear a mask, you don't want to breathe fiberglass dust.
Still comes out rough though, and sandpaper fixes that.

 

[dot matrix madness]

I use a handsaw. Wear a mask, you don't want to breathe fiberglass dust.
Still comes out rough though, and sandpaper fixes that.

Same here, I use a file before sanding.

 

[DS13]

Mini hacksaw and 120g sandpaper

 

[KreoPensas]

Dremel

 

[Nostradoomus]

Dremel

yup, cutting discs do the trick so nicely. I use the flat side of the disc to smooth out the edges after too.

 

[jessenator]

even when it's small scale, definitely wear protection, since it's fiberglass

 

[Joben Magooch]

Cutting disc on dremel, or if you're really in a pinch a thin cutting disc on an angle grinder has certainly taken care of it for me before

 

[Ginsly]

Thanks all! Gonna try the Dremel. Lots of attachments available, is there a specific cutting disc you like?

 

[KreoPensas]

I like generic metal ones you can get that have a rough coating on them, but the dremel brand ez-lock cut off discs are formidable.

edit: I break the dremel discs, I wear the abrasive off of these

 

[AmplifiedPartsTom]

A jeweler's saw can be a good way to get a fairly even cut without needing to sand the edges down after, although it's hard to beat the sanding method for smoothness. When I've sanded the edges, I use adhesive-backed sandpaper and stick it to a flat surface and then run the board across it.

 

[HamishR]

I use a Stanley trimmer to score each side quite firmly and snap the pieces apart. I don't often have chipping. I have a belt sander in my workshop so go out there, put the sander on its side and smooth the edges on that. Takes less than a minute. I wear a mask of course! Then i use the trimmer knife to scrape off the swarf and then brush any dust off with a stiff brush. It's all done in a couple of minutes and produces a nice smooth, clean edge.

 

[Markus Kersius]

I also use an boxcutter knife, sand the corners round, the sides flat.
Often stick it on a piece of upside down painters tape 50mm wide and spraypaint it black matt.
Just for looks.
I like black, but any colour is better than the colour of the veroboard itself.

 

[lowpitch]

I also use an boxcutter knife, sand the corners round, the sides flat.
Often stick it on a piece of upside down painters tape 50mm wide and spraypaint it black matt.
Just for looks.
I like black, but any colour is better than the colour of the veroboard itself.

That's a neat idea. Looks awesome!

 

[fontoponto]

A ceran field scraper or only the razor blades that they use because they are sharp on one side. Perfect for cutting tolex too. A box cutter isn‘t a precise tool, more like a cavemen tool.

 

[Markus Kersius]

A ceran field scraper or only the razor blades that they use because they are sharp on one side. Perfect for cutting tolex too. A box cutter isn‘t a precise tool, more like a cavemen tool.
View attachment 94659

Yeah, my vero builds look like something a caveman would make.

 

[fontoponto]

Yeah, my vero builds look like something a caveman would make.

I didn‘t write your vero looks like that, I wrote that it‘s not as precise as a single razor blade or a scalpel! Something you hold with your fingers vs something you hold with your fist.

 

[Markus Kersius]

I didn‘t write your vero looks like that I wrote that it‘s not a precise as a single razor blade or a scalpel! Something you hold with your fingers vs something you hold with your fist.
View attachment 94661