I am wondering about its suitability for cutting “PCB Ties”.
In reading over the description I’m sure it has the brute force ability to cut the sheets. But my thoughts / concerns lie in the area of finesse, repeatability, precision, etc-- plus I think probably if constructing something to chop up PC boards into ties that some sort of jig would be helpful.
Has anybody done this? I want a lot of PCB Ties, so it seems worth the cost if the machine can do the job.
What amount is “a lot”? You can get 120 actual inches of HO PC tie for $4.50 (plus shipping) from Clover House, http://www.cloverhouse.com/downloads/pcties_20071107.pdf And this material is already cut to either 8 or 9 HO inch width. For the $108 (plus shipping) of the shear in your link, you can get 2592 actual inches already cut to width. Plus when you buy the shear, you still need to buy PC board material.
Yes, I know about CloverHouse, and I also have considered the cost of the shear + pcb material. As well as the additional consideration that I’d end up with a shear out of the deal for other projects.
CloverHouse is in the process of being sold, according to their website-- although they say they are still taking orders. (FWIW)
I have a feeling the shear would tend to distort or crush the PCB material, especially when trying to cut it into the small strips necessary for HO ties.
Somewhere last night I was reading about the ties and the description said they were “stamped”. Not sure what that process is-- a die of some sort maybe in a press of some kind?
Do you or anybody know what the competing method uses (i.e. “stamped”) ??
I don’t know for sure, but that’s my best guess. It’s probably a heavy press that punches the ties right out of the sheet in one swift movement. You could try cutting ties with a bandsaw, but I doubt you could keep them even.
Yes, that was my thought as well. I got a bandsaw awhile back and have experimented with making the ties that way. Its doable but not “reliable”, IMO, for doing lots-- plus its very time consuming.
Hmm-- I wonder if you could do it with an arbor press and a custom die… ?
I don’t know how that will work but I have one of these:
and it does a good job. I got it at micromark. They don’t sell them anymore. It took a bit of practice but it shears 1/16 pcb accurately for ties. I don’t know how the one you pictured will work as it has a different cutting stroke. I bought a shear to cut an odd size and am always leery of a continuous supply of commercial items anyway. Companies disappear.
I cut PCB ties on my bandsaw with a homemade jig bolted to the miter guage. I cut the board down to about 4" width on the table saw, position it on edge against the stop in the jig with the foil side at the rear, and cut. Slicing with the jig keeps the stock parallel to the blade, much easier than ripping. I tried cutting with the foil side out, but ran into issues with the copper delaminating. Once cut, the strips need a slight touchup with a file to eliminate burrs on the copper, then snipped to length with a rail nipper. Gary
Yeah, that’s kinda what I tried doing except I didn’t have a jig. That might make it go easier. About how long did it take you to cut, say, 100 ties? It took me over an hour.
Slicing the 4" long strips, 5-7 strips/minute, each strip yields up to 3 ties (I cut them long for turnouts). So, 15-20 ties per minute, bearing in mind that it’s relatively mind-numbing repetition. The deburring with a file adds a little time, but can be done at any time prior to installation. A sharp bandsaw blade minimizes the copper burring (I usually run a blade far too long). Gary
I used a good strong straight edge and scored the ties out with a hobby knife. It took 2 #11 blades but I eventually got thru it. I was sort of desperate to do this. I had ordered the PC ties from Fast Tracks but there was nothing fast about their delivery. I was ready to lay the rail so I ended up going to Radio Shack and purchased a Copper clad PC board, took it home, and scored out the ties. It was tough but it did work well. The PC ties from Fast Tracks eventually came in so I won’t have to score out anymore ties from the PC board for awhile. One thing about this hobby, It can teach a guy patience whether he wants it or not…chuck
Well, it was a suggestion that I thought was viable, but you can agree or agree not. Possibly this could be the subject of one of the Friday things. I suggest the title “Why do people want to do things the hard way when there are easier alternatives?”[:D]
You’re right, it wasn’t a bad suggestion. And I have already been considering it-- haven’t even ruled it out yet. But I am looking for a lot of pc ties and I think it would ultimately be cheaper to make them. Perhaps I will purchase some from Clover to tide me over (hey, that rhymes!) but even their reasonable prices are a little high in the quantities I want.
