cutting Garolite

[Randall]

What is a good way to cut the G10/FR4 material? I just bought a 1 x 2' piece and want to cut some circuit boards.

[olddawg]

Miter box and fine toothed ridgeback saw? Do it outside with a dust mask.

[Randall]

Now how are you going to get a sheet that size in a miter box?

[Chuck H]

I use a fiber disc on my Drermel and sand off the burs with my belt sander. But you could sand it by hand too I'm sure. Use a block for straighter edges.

[bob p]

You must have missed the thread when were were discussing cutting tools for G10 a couple of months ago. You can find it using a search for something like "garolyte" or "garolite" or "G10".

[bob p]

search for G10:

http://music-electronics-forum.com/t45268/

[bob p]

since you bought 12"x24" my guess is that you drove over to McMaster's will-call window and picked up a 1/16" sheet.

if not, you might want to consider pickup at the will-call window next time so you don't have to pay for shipping.

your best results will come from specialized tools for cutting metal that operate at lower rpm than conventional woodworking tools, but you can get by with carbide tipped woodworking tools. my recommendation for conventional tools is a table saw with a carbide tipped blade for ripping the sheet into bars, and then a chop saw with a carbide tipped blade. G10 will be merciless on any non-carbide cutting tool, including drill bits. spend the extra money on carbide tipped saw blades and drill bits. it's worth it.

[olddawg]

Sorry... read it on my phone with old eyes. Thought it was a 2" wide strip. It's 2'. Then I would clamp a fence on it and use a cirular saw with a fine toothed blade.

[mozz]

I don't know if it was Grainger or Mcmastercarr, but one of them sold it in strips cut already, 2", 3".

[bob p]

McMaster's 1/16" material is sold in large sheets like the one Randall bought.

Their 2" and 3" wide strips are sold as "bars". They're 1/8" thick, which is too thick for many uses. Most turrets I've seen are designed for designed for 1/16" boards.

The result is that the 2" and 3" wide strips solve one problem while creating another.

If someone sells 2" and 3" wide strips that are 1/16" thick, in long segments, please post a link.

[J M Fahey]

Since forever I cut Epoxy Glass and Phenolic PCB material which I always buy by the full sheet (best price) by deeply scoring it on both sides and then snapping it along a table edge.
Then board edges get lightly sanded level with some fine sandpaper and a wood block.

[mozz]

Easy-to-Machine Electrical-Insulating Garolite Sheets and Strips
1/32" -0.004" to +0.004" 9322K11 $2.65 9322K21 $3.94
1/16" -0.005" to +0.005" 9322K12 3.25 9322K22 4.06
1/8" -0.007" to +0.007" 9322K13 4.76 9322K23 6.38

https://www.mcmaster.com/#garolite/=1ax0gf1

[Randall]

"Since forever I cut Epoxy Glass and Phenolic PCB material which I always buy by the full sheet (best price) by deeply scoring it on both sides and then snapping it along a table edge."

That's what I wanted to hear! I'm going to try that. No dust, no sacrificed blades. Juan, what do you use as a scoring tool? A utility blade, a glass scorer?

I wish I had known the McMaster "bars" were actually 1/8" strips before I bought my sheet. I went with 1/8" material because since it is sturdier it gives better standoff location options. I recently built a long Super Reverb board with a pre-cut 1/8" piece, and it allowed me to only use 3 standoffs due to spacing issues. It was plenty sturdy enough, but I'm not sure I would have been comfortable doing that with 1/16"" stock. 1/8" turret lugs are readily available at the regular places, including CED by bags of 10.

[Chuck H]

Since forever I cut Epoxy Glass and Phenolic PCB material which I always buy by the full sheet (best price) by deeply scoring it on both sides and then snapping it along a table edge.
Then board edges get lightly sanded level with some fine sandpaper and a wood block.

I was always afraid of some kind of fibrous, stringy cling on's. Most of the boards I cut are custom sized, so I never really wanted to make one long break at a given width, forcing me into using that size for another project. My current piece is a roughly irregular half of a 4x4 sheet. I think I'd like to try this though

[J M Fahey]

"Since forever I cut Epoxy Glass and Phenolic PCB material which I always buy by the full sheet (best price) by deeply scoring it on both sides and then snapping it along a table edge."

That's what I wanted to hear! I'm going to try that. No dust, no sacrificed blades. Juan, what do you use as a scoring tool? A utility blade, a glass scorer?

Loving quick and dirty solutions I just grind a hook shape on the back side of a blade (why ruin the good one?) so it has a flat perpendicular edge, like a miniature chisel if you wish, to cut a rectangular bottom groove.
Notice the spiral debris in this Phenolic board, although on Epoxy Fiberglass itīs usually "dust".





then I score the other side.



snspped edges do not look nice here because since material is opaque, scores on both sides did not match; on G10 itīs easier but in any case sandpaper/emery cloth works wonders.



I also use this to score and cut aluminum sheet, up to 3 mm thick (1/8") , go figure.

On G10, hook edge lasts only a dozen cuts or so, but regrinding it sharp takes all of 30 seconds, so .....