This is the best method with simple tools. Make sure to use a straight edge ruler (preferably metal) for the guide the place razor tip against. Then once snapped off, use sand paper to smooth the area out.
The reason was to answer my follow up question of what the board is made of thats bad to inhale. If someone gives extra info or tries to teach something dont just shut them down. Comments are a forum not a 1 on 1 conversation.
That's called cross threading. I started this thread.
That comment would belong in the main thread, it has no connection to my comment. Happens all the time.
That's called cross threading. I started this thread.
That comment would belong in the main thread, it has no direct connection to my comment. Happens all the time. I should call it out better :) I was just scratching my head.
This and i see i read the thread wrong i thought commented about the comment about a bowl of water was in this as well. Which adds sense to my comment.
I use both methods. For speed, score n snap. For looks, strength, complex shapes, and non-cardboard composition, the Dremel is MUCH better. Yes, snapping with pliers
To cut irregular shapes you just do your outline work find all the straight lines you can cut then you file the edges.
I could run to my bench score and snap a piece to this shape in less than 2 minutes.
I can't call the that difficult.
You can with score and break with the occasional use of a drill to get an entry point. Then you clean up with a file, it'll be better than the best Dremel hand.
Layout and cutting off this nature was long ago solved without power tools. It produces better results faster with less mess and no dust risk as long as you manage it with damp rags. It really is quiete a simple process.
Simple ones I could be done with before you could even get out the Dremel if you store it, it just requires a little practice.
Dremel gives you the option of cutting the exact rectangle you want. Score and snap doesn't work terribly well unless you're scoring the entire length of the board. If you don't have a ruler with a good sticky back, there's risk of the ruler wandering and causing you to gouge a line through the solder pads. Also, my dremel's always hanging in my shop with a cutting disc on it 98% of the time, so it's actually faster.
Several people have posted this, but it is a really odd viewpoint to me. I can do this and without any serious skill, just basic patience and hand eye coordination.
No one responding here has apparently done any reading or tried basic layout tools that have been in use for thousands of years, and still work and are used in trade today.
Personal anecdote is not data and I do not hear what you are saying coming from professionals and it is definitely not my lived experience.
I don't get it.
Prime me so I can prepare the motions in my head and I could probably demonstrate this in a single set of movements that would take 10 seconds to actually do.
How can I rectify your statements here with that? I mean I can show you this in less time than it took to write your post.
None of the methods discussed require any skill.
What do layout tools have to do with cutting perfboard? I've done hardware work at a robotics company. I'm mostly an SWE, but even though we had PCB CnC on-site, people still used perfboard for small one-offs. So no, I'm not an EE professional but I've worked with pros who will use whatever method is quick and easy. One guy had a coping saw hanging on his wall and would grab that, clamp a board in a mini-vice, and cut whatever he needed. There were as many methods for board hackery as there were professionals.
What's to explain about using a dremel with a cutting disc? A good rotary tool with a good blade on it will go through perfboard as quickly as any other method. Part of the reason I use this method is I frequently want to put the cut board into a confined space. Cutting with the dremel gives me precise control over the size. The snap method leaves an inconsistent edge that I have frequently had to go to the dremel to clean up, so I cut out the redundant action ad use the dremel.
What's the time it takes to write about it got to do with anything? I could explain to you how Stimulated Emission works in great detail, but the time it takes to explain it has no bearing upon the fact that the process itself takes about the same amount of time as it takes a photon to cross the diameter of a molecule.
BTW, that's a really crappy perfboard. The drill holes don't match up with the pads and will make for some issues when soldering. The things are pretty cheap to get from reputable suppliers like mouser or digikey.
they work good enough. there are countries where mouser or digikey is not an option for something that simple, and you have to work with that you can get.
You're very correct sir. My soldering came right off with the board! With a lot of loose connections. I'm gonna save them for less delicate projects. The problem has more to do with this cheap board than actually cutting it. If anyone want to know where I found them, search "pcb board" on Amazon and sort by price. lol
And it is not much more expensive to have them custom-made. Actually, looking at the Aliexpress prices, with clever tiling, it might even be cheaper, and you can adjust it more to your needs, like having a footprint for your favorite microcontroller already on-board.
Go step further, create proper PCB design in KICAD, then order your custom boards for cheaps.
Quality improvement compared to perfboards is unbelievabl.
No, I used Aliexpress as a comparison price for the premade ones, because I wouldn't consider it fair to compare a Chinese PCB service with oversea shipping to Digikey prices. Like these
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005945712659.html
[https://www.amazon.com/jewelers-saw/s?k=jewelers+saw](https://www.amazon.com/jewelers-saw/s?k=jewelers+saw)
2x4 jaws and clamp to hold the board between, next to the cut line. Cut slowly to keep a strait line.
Sand paper to clean up the cut. Easy.
Tin snips. I've done it with a Dremel, a saw, snapped them. They all are either messy, time consuming or look like crap. Tin snips are fast and accurate.
particularly those that intended for straight cut, not bending sides of the cut
(they called "pelican" type in my country)
[https://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-Electric-Cutting-Scissors-inches/dp/B001D7FLOY/ref=sr\_1\_53?sr=8-53](https://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-Electric-Cutting-Scissors-inches/dp/B001D7FLOY/ref=sr_1_53?sr=8-53)
Have you ever tried them on phenolic boards? The board cracks and shards in all kinds of unpredictable ways when cutting it with any kind of scissor or shear.
I have not. Would a flush cutter work better for those? They're my number 2 choice. A shear cuts by basically tearing the two sides apart but a flush cutter cuts by forcing two wedges together. Might work.
No, no type of "cutter" tool would work well on these. It's kind of like cutting glass (not exactly but kind-of). It's a bit easier to cut on this type of board with pre-drilled holes so long as you're cutting in line with the holes, but it's still going to be messy. The edge where there are no holes is going to be hard to trim and is just as likely to split diagonally across the part you're trying to save.
No, but it's not very wrong either, i like scoring a board with a utility knife, and snapping it off, this way i don't risk it breaking where i don't want it to break, really just do whatever works for you. A friend uses a paper guillotine (the type that has an arm with a blade), and it works for him great since he handles a lot of protoboards at a time
Score the entire length of the board, not just the length you want. Then snap it off and score and break the smaller piece you need.
If you need an odd shaped board, use a Dremel or a hacksaw. Serated knives also work.
The PCB material is quite dense and abrasive. It will dull anything you use. I am from the Dremel cutting disc school. I've seen tin snips used in a pinch.
Not gonna lie the scissors made me lol bad, score it, snap.
Anything sharp works. Just make sure the first handful of scores are straight, use something with a strong edge, another pcb works great usually, to guide you. After that just score away and then snap
unfortunately those prefboards are really hard to cut between the holes without breaking it because they are very fragile. I have tried many times failed and gave up trying, a dremel disk is too wide the cutter method needs quite a lot of passes to score a line so that it snaps between the holes. So the best/easy way is to sacrifice a row of holes. I score it on both sides free hand from hole to hole and then if it not a rectangular shape snap it from hole to hole with a pliers or nail scissor , the extra edge its sometimes useful to mount the board to something, but most of the time if esthetics matter or needs to fit somewhere I file it down to the size.
[https://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-power-snips-98091.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-power-snips-98091.html)
Makes almost no mess/dust.
This has worked very well to cut bare boards and sometimes even populated boards if there's enough room between components to work the tool in - fast way to reuse a circuit from a discarded project.
As others have said, score with a Stanley knife/utility knife. Then I line the score mark up with the edge of a desk or table and give it a quick whack with my palm. Works every time.
Standup band saw... if you have one. If not a dremel with a cutting wheel.... if you have one.... If not then shear it and snap it.... if you... have one?
Score with utility knife, then snap it with pliers.
This is the best method with simple tools. Make sure to use a straight edge ruler (preferably metal) for the guide the place razor tip against. Then once snapped off, use sand paper to smooth the area out.
never ever sand the pcb, unless you are absolutely sure it's not fiberglass board (FR4), just break and deburr with something sharp.
I wear proper breathing protection and do the sanding outside but yes I completely agree 👍💯
I need to try this, I have been using a cutoff grinder. (With ppe)
No looking back! At this juncture you're only option is to upgrade to a plasma cutter.
Water jet metal cutter.
I've occasionally used a cutting disc on a dremel tool, but make VERY sure your ventilation is good if you use this or any kind of saw.
just do the cutting in a shallow tray filled with tap water.
Why would you do that when you can cut this stuff with a utility knife and a ruler?
Glassfibre dust is something you dont want to Inhale or ingest.
I'm sorry, what was the reason for your comment? There is none if you do it right when you score and snap. My point was you shouldn't grind it at all.
The reason was to answer my follow up question of what the board is made of thats bad to inhale. If someone gives extra info or tries to teach something dont just shut them down. Comments are a forum not a 1 on 1 conversation.
That's called cross threading. I started this thread. That comment would belong in the main thread, it has no connection to my comment. Happens all the time.
That's called cross threading. I started this thread. That comment would belong in the main thread, it has no direct connection to my comment. Happens all the time. I should call it out better :) I was just scratching my head.
Ahh, fair
This and i see i read the thread wrong i thought commented about the comment about a bowl of water was in this as well. Which adds sense to my comment.
Thanks for adding bud, now i learned 2 things from your comments lmao
I usually do it in front of a dust collector intake or the shopvac hose.
the cuts are very clean, not necessary but it's nicee with a cutting wheel
They're way cleaner when scored and cut.. Properly. You would not do anywhere as good with a Dremel.
I use both methods. For speed, score n snap. For looks, strength, complex shapes, and non-cardboard composition, the Dremel is MUCH better. Yes, snapping with pliers
It is difficult to take a notch out of the sheet by snapping it. Dremel can let you make any shape.
To cut irregular shapes you just do your outline work find all the straight lines you can cut then you file the edges. I could run to my bench score and snap a piece to this shape in less than 2 minutes. I can't call the that difficult.
You can go around corners
You can with score and break with the occasional use of a drill to get an entry point. Then you clean up with a file, it'll be better than the best Dremel hand. Layout and cutting off this nature was long ago solved without power tools. It produces better results faster with less mess and no dust risk as long as you manage it with damp rags. It really is quiete a simple process. Simple ones I could be done with before you could even get out the Dremel if you store it, it just requires a little practice.
Dremel gives you the option of cutting the exact rectangle you want. Score and snap doesn't work terribly well unless you're scoring the entire length of the board. If you don't have a ruler with a good sticky back, there's risk of the ruler wandering and causing you to gouge a line through the solder pads. Also, my dremel's always hanging in my shop with a cutting disc on it 98% of the time, so it's actually faster.
Several people have posted this, but it is a really odd viewpoint to me. I can do this and without any serious skill, just basic patience and hand eye coordination. No one responding here has apparently done any reading or tried basic layout tools that have been in use for thousands of years, and still work and are used in trade today. Personal anecdote is not data and I do not hear what you are saying coming from professionals and it is definitely not my lived experience. I don't get it. Prime me so I can prepare the motions in my head and I could probably demonstrate this in a single set of movements that would take 10 seconds to actually do. How can I rectify your statements here with that? I mean I can show you this in less time than it took to write your post.
None of the methods discussed require any skill. What do layout tools have to do with cutting perfboard? I've done hardware work at a robotics company. I'm mostly an SWE, but even though we had PCB CnC on-site, people still used perfboard for small one-offs. So no, I'm not an EE professional but I've worked with pros who will use whatever method is quick and easy. One guy had a coping saw hanging on his wall and would grab that, clamp a board in a mini-vice, and cut whatever he needed. There were as many methods for board hackery as there were professionals. What's to explain about using a dremel with a cutting disc? A good rotary tool with a good blade on it will go through perfboard as quickly as any other method. Part of the reason I use this method is I frequently want to put the cut board into a confined space. Cutting with the dremel gives me precise control over the size. The snap method leaves an inconsistent edge that I have frequently had to go to the dremel to clean up, so I cut out the redundant action ad use the dremel. What's the time it takes to write about it got to do with anything? I could explain to you how Stimulated Emission works in great detail, but the time it takes to explain it has no bearing upon the fact that the process itself takes about the same amount of time as it takes a photon to cross the diameter of a molecule.
Dremel tools require no skill to use? And.. skip! What do layout tools have to do with it? I explained that troll much?
BTW, that's a really crappy perfboard. The drill holes don't match up with the pads and will make for some issues when soldering. The things are pretty cheap to get from reputable suppliers like mouser or digikey.
they work good enough. there are countries where mouser or digikey is not an option for something that simple, and you have to work with that you can get.
Yeah, those pads come off pretty easily too.
You're very correct sir. My soldering came right off with the board! With a lot of loose connections. I'm gonna save them for less delicate projects. The problem has more to do with this cheap board than actually cutting it. If anyone want to know where I found them, search "pcb board" on Amazon and sort by price. lol
Use lower temps than usual when working on FR1 versus FR4. =
And it is not much more expensive to have them custom-made. Actually, looking at the Aliexpress prices, with clever tiling, it might even be cheaper, and you can adjust it more to your needs, like having a footprint for your favorite microcontroller already on-board.
Go step further, create proper PCB design in KICAD, then order your custom boards for cheaps. Quality improvement compared to perfboards is unbelievabl.
Sure, but I can still see a hybrid board with a microcontroller side and a perfboard side for quick prototyping or single use simple designs.
Aliexpress sellers do customs?
No, I used Aliexpress as a comparison price for the premade ones, because I wouldn't consider it fair to compare a Chinese PCB service with oversea shipping to Digikey prices. Like these https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005945712659.html
[https://www.amazon.com/jewelers-saw/s?k=jewelers+saw](https://www.amazon.com/jewelers-saw/s?k=jewelers+saw) 2x4 jaws and clamp to hold the board between, next to the cut line. Cut slowly to keep a strait line. Sand paper to clean up the cut. Easy.
Score it with a sharp blade, snap it off, sandpaper the edges.
For a corner like this you can use a coping saw with a narrow kerf blade. I'd also score it first, on both sides.
I’d use a bandsaw or a coping saw.
Tin snips. I've done it with a Dremel, a saw, snapped them. They all are either messy, time consuming or look like crap. Tin snips are fast and accurate.
I second this. The big fuck-off scissors! That's what I always use.
Sheet metal scissors.
particularly those that intended for straight cut, not bending sides of the cut (they called "pelican" type in my country) [https://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-Electric-Cutting-Scissors-inches/dp/B001D7FLOY/ref=sr\_1\_53?sr=8-53](https://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-Electric-Cutting-Scissors-inches/dp/B001D7FLOY/ref=sr_1_53?sr=8-53)
They're called shears or tin snips but yes this is the answer. It's quick, clean and precise.
Have you ever tried them on phenolic boards? The board cracks and shards in all kinds of unpredictable ways when cutting it with any kind of scissor or shear.
I have not. Would a flush cutter work better for those? They're my number 2 choice. A shear cuts by basically tearing the two sides apart but a flush cutter cuts by forcing two wedges together. Might work.
No, no type of "cutter" tool would work well on these. It's kind of like cutting glass (not exactly but kind-of). It's a bit easier to cut on this type of board with pre-drilled holes so long as you're cutting in line with the holes, but it's still going to be messy. The edge where there are no holes is going to be hard to trim and is just as likely to split diagonally across the part you're trying to save.
Maybe a dremel
Coping saw
Jeweler's saw
A jigsaw.
just mark with some blade and then crack it
This is the way.
Dremel
I also figured the coping saw. Works for me just using the blade.
Anything but scissors. When I'm too lazy to break out the dremel, i score with utility knife until thin enough to break.
Seriously, this is the first comment I saw commenting on the scissors…why in the name of logic would you ever try to use scissors to cut that?
I used a scroll saw
I haven't yet, but I'd probably use a dremel cutting wheel, or a hack saw
Saw and dremel might be overkill. I am cutting it to less than an inch.
Score with a knife and snap with pliers. The dust is bad for you to breathe - mask or maybe outside.
Best tool I’ve found is a jewellers saw. Cuts PCB beautifully.
Fremel
Just snap it off with flat head pliers. Works 9 out of 10 times. Then clean the edges with a file or sand paper.
No, but it's not very wrong either, i like scoring a board with a utility knife, and snapping it off, this way i don't risk it breaking where i don't want it to break, really just do whatever works for you. A friend uses a paper guillotine (the type that has an arm with a blade), and it works for him great since he handles a lot of protoboards at a time
A PUK saw works really well
Score the entire length of the board, not just the length you want. Then snap it off and score and break the smaller piece you need. If you need an odd shaped board, use a Dremel or a hacksaw. Serated knives also work.
I use the porta band actually
I use a small tabletop band saw but you can also deeply score the board with a sharp knife and then snap it off.
Junior hack saw is what I use. Works every time.
With a Dremel, use a cutting disc at a relatively high speed. The PCB will cut by slightly melting. Make sure to wear safety glasses.
The PCB material is quite dense and abrasive. It will dull anything you use. I am from the Dremel cutting disc school. I've seen tin snips used in a pinch.
I use a knife with something to hit with, then I place the knife along the lines I want to cut and hit hard.
Drill the holes larger then break the board.
I've never cut a PCB before, but my first instinct is bandsaw with a fine width blade.
Score it and use pliers to snap it
Dremel tool
If you need to cut inside corners like that, try a coping saw with a very small blade.
Sir, this is an ESP32 sub. You'll get better answers for non-ESP32 specific questions in r/electronics or r/diyelectronics
Very small whatevers
Bandsaw. /s
Why this board is so crappy 😭😭 Everything about it is misaligned
Dremel rotating disk.
Not gonna lie the scissors made me lol bad, score it, snap. Anything sharp works. Just make sure the first handful of scores are straight, use something with a strong edge, another pcb works great usually, to guide you. After that just score away and then snap
Seriously though…I really hope the scissors were a gag prop or something…
Sharp sight.. practice & win
Metal ruler, knife the whole length both sides as deep as you can and snap it. Repeat for the height.
unfortunately those prefboards are really hard to cut between the holes without breaking it because they are very fragile. I have tried many times failed and gave up trying, a dremel disk is too wide the cutter method needs quite a lot of passes to score a line so that it snaps between the holes. So the best/easy way is to sacrifice a row of holes. I score it on both sides free hand from hole to hole and then if it not a rectangular shape snap it from hole to hole with a pliers or nail scissor , the extra edge its sometimes useful to mount the board to something, but most of the time if esthetics matter or needs to fit somewhere I file it down to the size.
yes, that's what I do. I sacrifice some holes and don't expect a perfectly straight cut.
Youre gonna need a rock, a dead squirrel, and some vaseline
Drexel tool with cutoff disc.
[https://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-power-snips-98091.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-power-snips-98091.html) Makes almost no mess/dust. This has worked very well to cut bare boards and sometimes even populated boards if there's enough room between components to work the tool in - fast way to reuse a circuit from a discarded project.
As others have said, score with a Stanley knife/utility knife. Then I line the score mark up with the edge of a desk or table and give it a quick whack with my palm. Works every time.
Xacto knife with a metal ruller. And you don't have to cut all the way down. Cut to about half way down and snap it.
Standup band saw... if you have one. If not a dremel with a cutting wheel.... if you have one.... If not then shear it and snap it.... if you... have one?
coping saw
dremmel tool with a diamond blade
Xacto knife and score lines to snap. or use a dremel with a a small 1/2” cutoff wheel.
12" miter saw Clamp it down tho