Joel Rainville

Guys,

What tool or technique do you use to cut tracks on a stripboard?

I've been using a small pocket knife for a while, and while it works, my hands have a tendency to get numb after a few cuts. It isn't easy at all.

I am not using genuine Veroboard, but generic stripboard from a surplus store. It almost feels like it wasn't meant to be cut (the tracks, not the board).

I see a lot of people using Vero/stripboard here and on tutorials, but there's never any mention of a special tool or technique for track cuts. Is it because there aren't?

I have a big board designed (based on Nigel Goodwin's 16F877 board) that will require quite a few cuts, and now I'm thinking of using my Dremel with a small cutting disc to save my hands...

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Styx

a good drill bit works for me, thats by hand btw

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Joel Rainville

Now, *that* was a fast reply

You mean like a Forstner or Brad point bit that'll leave a flat bottom, or simply a decent drill bit and you drill completely through?

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Nigel Goodwin

Use the proper tool, it's called a 'spot face cutter', you can buy them from Maplin, order code FL25C at £7.49, most electronic places sell them - even RS Components.

It's SO! much easier (and less painful) than using a drill bit in your fingers!.

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Styx

a decent drill bit (not a wood bit) needs at lest a 45deg taper tip and the tip needs to be sharp, some form of hand tapping tool makes it possible to get enoguh torque onto the track-holes

cant remember what drill bit size is best, maybe an M3

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Styx

yer a propper tool is good, got good blades on the edge, but I always misplace mine at work so I just get an M3/M3.5 ??? bit and a ratchet holder to put the force on

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Joel Rainville

Ok, so you drill completely through the board?

I have cobalt drill bits to drill in stainless, that should do it. Is M3 3mm? Although we do use the metric system up here, most construction-type supplies and tools are mostly sold in the English (which we actually call "imperial") system.

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Joel Rainville

Actually, I was thinking of using a drill press, and wasn't planning on having my fingers under the drill bit. :lol:

But I'm gonna look at the tool. I haven't seen this on Veroboard's manufaturer website, I've missed it?...

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Joel Rainville

Oh :shock: You're using the drill bit freehand? :shock:

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Nigel Goodwin

NO! - you just cut the track with it, here's a picture of the tool (although you don't hold it like the picture!). If you check the board pictures in my tutorials you will see what the cuts look like.

Attached Images

cutter.jpg (6.8 KB, 649 views)

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Joel Rainville

Yeah, the question was for Styx and his drill bit. I figured you didn't drill through with a hand tool

Thanks for the tips!

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ThermalRunaway

I also use the proper hand tool and infact I also bought mine from Maplins. Cutting tracks with the proper tool is almost as easy as cutting butter with a warm knife, you need very little effort to make a tidy cut. Well worth the money.

Brian

Joel Rainville

Ok, according to the picture below, you *twist* the tool, right?

http://www.verotl.com/products/index...C57E21020E6742

So using a good drill bit in a drill press, without drilling through, would be just as good?

Nigel : Your cuts look like blue dots :P

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audioguru

I have held drill bits in my hand, used the proper "spot face cutters" (the original one was a drill bit in a wood handle, and the new one is a drill bit in a blue plastic handle), and used a good sharp drill bit in my drill-press for years and years to cut the copper tracks on Veroboard. Many of my Veroboard circuits have hundreds of track cuts.
Of the millions of tracks I've cut, I slipped only one time and drilled right through the board.

Note: they must be sharp or burrs are left behind to short adjacent tracks.

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Joel Rainville

Of the 50 or so cuts I've just made with my drill press, I drilled through the first 2 With the proper depth adjusted, I did flawless work.

I used these high speed steel brad points. I used one just a tiny bit wider than the track, 3/32" or 1/8", I'm not sure. It worked great.

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