G-10 board

[Paul P]

After quite a search I finally located a piece of 1/8" G-10 board
locally. The word 'overkill' comes to mind

What to use to cut this stuff ? The place I bought it from uses a
diamond blade, 500$ !

I have an 80 tooth carbide cutoff blade on my tablesaw, will it
work ?

[Carl / Zwengel Amps]

yea that should work fine, though 80 teeth is a little course assuming you mean 80 teeth total and not 80 teeth/inch. Ideally you'd want a blade designed for cutting sheet metal or piping...in other words a really high tooth count that looks a lot like a hacksaw blade! You may see a little minor fuzzing around the edges but it's nothing a quick swipe with a file wont fix if you're really anal about perfection.

As an aside, G-10 really isn't all that tough to work with and you can cut it with most anything. Just let the tool take the stuff at it's natural rate and you wont have any problems. Make sure you dont try to force your way through the stuff. Thats a great way to break bits and blades. They'll overheat, then bind and...SNAP!

-Carl

[mlp]

I just use a jigsaw with a metal-cutting blade. Works fine. Blades don't last long, but they're relatively inexpensive.

[tonezoneonline]

I cut hundreds of feet of the stuff.Although I have some excellent table saw blades I don't use them for cutting G10.I go to one of the big box stores and buy the $21.00 thin kerf Marathon blades with 36 teeth total.The thin kerf takes less pressure because it is thinner.Then I hit the edge with some emery cloth to smooth it up.

[Shea]

1/8" really is overkill. I now have enough to last me forever, but if I had to do it over, I'd try 1/16" G10, assuming I could find the right turrets for it.

Shea

[bkloos]

Where are you guys sourcing your board, and where do you find the eyelets?

Thanks,

Bryan

[Matt T.]

I just used a Dremel and the abrasive cut-off wheels. Don't remember breaking a wheel. Then a little sandpaper to smooth it and it worked great.

[Rob S]

I got some from ebay, the thickest being 3.2 mm (1/8") - the guy sells it as robotics body armour!

ebay.co.uk item:320017153819

Tough isn't the word.

Rob.

[tonezoneonline]

If you want pieces custom cut to size,I sell it.If you want large pieces McMaster Carr is a good place.

[what_wires]

Originally Posted by bkloos

Where are you guys sourcing your board, and where do you find the eyelets?

Thanks,

Bryan

Mouser Electronics has turrets, eylets, and the staking tools for both.

[scole]

i get it from mcmaster carr supply co. the part number is 8557K152, thats for 1/8 in thick x 3 in x 24 in long

[bob p]

Originally Posted by Shea

1/8" really is overkill. I now have enough to last me forever, but if I had to do it over, I'd try 1/16" G10, assuming I could find the right turrets for it.

yeah, i made the same misteak -- i bought a bunch of the 1/8" G10 from McMaster-Carr, and I wish I had bought 1/16".

the problem with the 1/8 is that you have to use different turrets than you use for 1/16". to get around this, i've counterbored the turrent mounting holes, so that i can use 1/16" turrets with the 1/8" board. the problem is that you need a counterboring bit, and carbide counterboring bits cost about $50. the only other option is to buy a non-carbide counterboring bit at about $30 and throw it away a lot sooner.

[bob p]

FYI McMaster sells the G10 in a variety of sizes. You can get it in square sheets and rectangular sheets, and even in long rectangular strips.

I buy it by the foot in the long rectangular strips. I buy the strips that are 2" or 3" wide, and I order them cut to 2 or 3 feet long. Then all that I need to do is to make one cut to chop them to length. IMO that's a lot easier than ripping and crosscutting a larger blank to size. YMMV.

[bob p]

this topic brings to mind some questions that i've had about staking with arbor presses. rather than hijacking this thread, i've started a new one here:

Arbor Presses and Turret/Eyelet Staking Kits