does anyone know how to cut copper clad boards?

[SmAsH]

as title says i have a design that is 5cm/3-4cm and i have a board that is 7.5cm/14cm. so does anyone know how to cut copper clad board. btw it has fiberglass underneath the copper which is my main concern. all help is appreciated. thanks in advance
James.

[GearMotion]

James:

Score it with a knife and straight edge and snap the board.

[SmAsH]

will that go through the fiberglass too?

[superchiku]

using any cutting tool ...either run by machine or hand...i guess ur using it to make ur own pcb ??

[bionic-man]

James:

Score it with a knife and straight edge and snap the board.

ive tried that before and it worked better than other methods, James give this method a try.

[SmAsH]

and that i will, i shall report back soon with results!
EDIT: i tried scoring it with a hobby knife and got through the copper but was to scared to snap it as fiberglass fly's everywhere doesn't it? so im just giving it to my dad and he will try to cut it tomorrow at his work with an angle grinder of something

i guess ur using it to make your own pcb ??

yes, im making an atmega board kinda like the roboduino but smaller and cheaper ($8.50au just components and board) but its just for me so im hand etching it.

[noobinator]

could you use a bandsaw? those things cut fiberglass pretty good.

[want2learn]

The two most common ways of cutting pcb are:
1. use a guillotine
2.Score heavily with a sharp instrument and a straight edge. Place the scored area at the edge of a table, hold firmly to the table and sharply knock/bang the free end hanging over the edge. THIS WILL RESULT IN A CLEAN BREAK, NOT SHATTERED PIECES.

I have seen a few boards where people wanted fancy shapes so they used a bandsaw. Although it was a decent cut, the edges weren't very clean by comparison to the above methods, even after cleaning with a file.

Choice is yours

[superchiku]

if u are ssee my pcb tutorial.. .it can help u alot..

[SmAsH]

how does your pcb help with the cutting? or do you think it will help me with the etching process? also i will ask my electronics teacher how to cut it (i assume he does) and if i can try it out with his guillotine. thanks guys

[Hawaii00000]

I used a fine hacksaw. It worked perfectly.

[SmAsH]

yea, yesterday i used a hacksaw and tore through it thanks guys!

[Admin]

I use a bandsaw to cut these boards and a power sander to clean it up.

[unicoder]

I used a pair of diagonal cutters lol. The edge wasnt straight but close enough that i could reliably cut inside narrow areas. it was almost like cutting glass. Dont be scurred

[SmAsH]

the whole time i was trying to score it with a knife i was like:
"omg omg, please don't snap sending pieces everywhere..."
i was scared because of previous encounters with fiberglass in a fishing rod...

[BANE]

Use the band saw and a sander.  I did this yesterday and my boards came out pretty good.

[SmAsH]

i don't really have access to a band saw at school, and am not sure if i will be allowed to use one at school...