What is the best way to cut stripboard/veroboard/perfboard?

THE_RB

Joined Feb 11, 2008
5,438
Yeah the nibbler can make a mess of the front panel. I used to stick paper stickers or masking tape on before nibbling a square hole, to protect the finish.

But there are no problems with finish on PCB or stripboard. It usually needs filing of the edge, but that common to guillotines and especially hacksaws too.

Nibblers are cool they are a relic from the 60's and 70's when people made their own electronics enclosures out of sheet metal and bent them into boxes on small sheet metal benders, then filled the box with tubes or round silver transistors... The good old days! ;)

But my nibbler still lives in arms reach next to my screwdrivers and (surprisingly) it gets used quite a bit.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
I think I'm stuck in the dark ages. I have a nibbler and I bend sheet metal. One of my friends asked me where I bought the front panel for a 19" rack, but I made it from a blank of .090 aluminum using a drill and tiny hand files. Fortunately, today, I have a real job and the sun just came up. Time to go to work. Later, guys.
 

PatM

Joined Dec 31, 2010
86
I still have my Nibbler and also a assortment of Greenlee Chassis Punches.
The Greenlee's were for assorted Vacuum tube bases.
Probably never to be used again, but nice for nostalgia.
The only thing I tossed were a pile of old Sam's Photofax folders.
 

Crispin

Joined Jul 4, 2011
94
I've always just used a pair of side cutters. Start cracking it once side, turn it around, quick snip on the other side. Only one or twice have I had it run off in the wrong direction.

If I am being careful, I use the corner of a metal file to score the line and the edge of a table + palm of my hand. Works everytime :)
 

Thread Starter

JingleJoe

Joined Jul 23, 2011
186
I've always just used a pair of side cutters. Start cracking it once side, turn it around, quick snip on the other side. Only one or twice have I had it run off in the wrong direction.

If I am being careful, I use the corner of a metal file to score the line and the edge of a table + palm of my hand. Works everytime :)
But does that break along a row of holes or between two rows?

I've just had alot of success with scoring and snapping, infact more success than I have ever had cutting stripboard :D

@JingleJoe - I have this one from Klein it works pretty good, but don't know if they are available in the UK; http://www.mytoolstore.com/klein/76011b.html
There is a shop walking distance from me called "The Handyman's Supermarket" (It's one of the reasons I don't want to move too far away from where I live now :D) They will have one.
 

johndey

Joined May 14, 2017
1
The best power tool to use for making straight cuts in very thin material is the band saw.

Since I don't have a band saw, I use the "score & snap" method. I only score the side of the board with the guide lines. Make 6 - 8 passes with a utility knife, then bend and snap to produce a clean cut.
 

tribbles

Joined Jun 19, 2015
31
I can't remember where I heard this but I use an electric (ceramic) tile cutter to cut my boards (the one with a spinning blade that is cooled in water). No dust comes off (although you do end up with sludge at the bottom of the water tank).

I was skeptical when I heard it, but it does work very well.
 

philba

Joined Aug 17, 2017
959
funny how 6 year old threads spring back to life!

I don't cut a lot of board material these days but have used the score method, hack saw and a sheet metal shear like this. The shear is the best option by far but isn't even close to practical for hobbyists. Hack saw is my current method.

And I'll take this opportunity to rant about how amazingly bad the currently available stripboard/perfboard/... is. horrible stuff. Does anyone make/sell real fiberglass based perfboard these days?
 
Top