Best Methods for Cutting FR4 PCB Boards Without Excessive Dust or Expensive Guillotines

HiIn the last few years I have pretty much tried everything to cut / trim PCB boards. I have used jigsaws, fretsaws, chop saws, tile cutters, you name it I have tried it. My best solution was an oscillating saw mounted on a grinder "chop saw" attachment. None met with any great success but still did the job.
Maybe I am just useless with tools, hand powered or otherwise. Well that really could be true as my left handed screwdriver can attest to.
Pretty much all of the above had an unwelcome attribute, that of dust. FR4 and its friends are not pleasant substances of that I'm sure we all agree. So when cutting/drilling be sure to wear P3 (or equivalent) protection. Seriously, you should not consider that an optional extra.
Always looking around for alternatives, the best option always seemed to be a guillotine but the cost from "the usual suspects" was rather prohibitive. North of £160 seemed to be the norm. I'm guessing for that amount of money it would cut a terminator in half. The guillotine does have many attributes, not least the almost complete lack of dust, but I can't justify the aforementioned price tags just to cut a PCB.Recently, as documented elsewhere, I have started to mill PCBs so I no longer need to buy presensitised boards, just plain copper. To make that very cost effective I can buy large sheets, but I need to then cut down to a workable size.
Quite by accident I stumbled across this, a guillotine that appeared to do more than I need but at a price I couldn't refuse. One of the reviewers stated that they use it to trim PCBs so I had confidence in trying for myself.https://www.amazon.co.uk/180mm-Manual-Plate-Metal-Cutting/dp/B01MQP3131/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=guillotine&link_code=qs&qid=1558301085&rnid=1642204031&s=diy&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=1-6
I have to say that I am impressed. I wish I had found this long before the tile cutter I can't comment on any ability to cut metal, but for PCB's it's the best £26 you will spend. It slices through FR4 with ease leaving clean cuts.
I'm on a mission at present to make my life less bothersome. Well by that I mean make it so easy to do stuff I probably will overcome lethargy, and this little gadget fits right in. If you need to cut PCB then you should consider this. I just G-Clamp to a bench, make my cut(s) in seconds with no mess, then I'm done.

I'll post a couple of pics later,Regards

I use a knife guided by a metal straightedge to cut through the copper and cut into the FR4 a little. I do this on both sides, making sure the two cuts are aligned. I then try bending the cut area. If the PCB doesn't want to bend, I cut a little deeper and try bending again. Once the PCB can be bent at a sharp angle at the cut, a few flexes will split the two pieces apart.

@ChipFryer,Just looked the link up and I would agree with you that it seems to be a good cheap unit.All I can add is I have been cutting PCB's with a fine bladed Record hack saw for about the last 40 years so I probably have the knack now. Recently started to use a Parkside (Lidl) scroll saw, which has a suction extractor attachment so a lot better for health and safer now.I am trailing you by a long way with PCB milling and appreciate your postsConrad aka Crusty

Our late Technical Editor John Becker told me he always used a guillotine, and looking on Amazon at the length of the lever I'm not surprised that it will cut through mild steel with ease. Also available on ebay, and longer blade lengths are sold as well. I agree that dust masks must be worn when filing or sawing glass fibre, a guillotine like this seems like a sound investment. Thanks for the heads-up!
-- Alan W

HiI have used a Stanley knife to score and break, but found that the blade dulled quickly (maybe cheapo blades) and I usually found out it needed replacing after I tried to use it for something else I have to admit that with the exception of the guillotine, although I have tried all the gadgets mentioned above I didn't actually buy any of them with the specific purpose of cutting PCBs, rather it would be good if it did it too.I bought a Dremel Scrollsaw as a scrollsaw, and it can also cut my PCBs into any shape I want. It's just a pity I don't actually want the shapes I end up with If Picasso made PCBs you'd find my work up there with his. Crusty obviously has far more skill and patience than I in using a scrollsaw. Definitely a skill in itself and my results were never too great but I do still have all my fingers and thumbs
Seems a good idea to have a built in extractor in that Lidl saw. Check the filter capabilities though to ensure it captures the waste rather than just spreading it around. Some of my tools have a port for extraction but I found connecting a vacuum a bit of a hassle. I found it easier to just position the nozzle close by and even formed a bracket to hold the nozzle anywhere I want.
I have a Triton garage vac and fitted a HEPA filter to it. When I cut / sand / drill MDF or PCB I have that on and I still usually wear a P3 mask. Probably overkill I know but I don't take the mask off until I've vacuumed up everything I can see (and usually important parts too). However with the guillotine I don't need all that.
I'm not suggesting that this is the best way to cut PCB for everybody. If something works for you that's great. I'm just saying that this is a very easy, mess free and relatively cheap way to do it.
I have attached a few pictures of the guillotine. The handle extension just slides on and off for extra purchase but for trimming PCBs it isn't really necessary. Sorry about picture quality. It's mounted on a Workmate using a G-clamp so hopefully you can get a sense of scale.


With extension handle
Without handle
Cutting PCB (so easy)

Cut to required size prior to etching

Cut / Trimmed after etching (bit too close on the left edge but OK for my need)Regards

Thank you for submitting the information about the shear.  That looks like a nice piece of equipment.  Let me add one more tool to the mix.  I've been using a Proxxon Mini Table Saw with a carbide tipped blade in it and I'm getting very good good results. The saw is nicely built, runs really fast, and the blade has a narrow kerf. I think you'll still come out ahead with the shear for cutting rectangular boards, but if you need to make any notches or cutouts the Proxxon saw might work better.-Rick

HiI'm fast becoming a fan of Proxxon stuff too so it is no surprise to me that there are many fans out there. They first came on my radar when searching for Step Clamps for use with my little CNC machine. Proxxon were the only ones I could find that were suitable and I ended up buying two sets.
I find a lot of power tools are too heavy duty for light use / PCB / Maker but Proxxon have a range that are more than suitable.It is my hope,  now that  I have my CNC up and running, that any fancy shapes I need can be done with it, but I still want a garage full of stuff "just in case" :)On my wish list just now is the Unimat-1 made by Cool Tool. No idea what I would build with it to a tolerance of 0.03mm, but it is just so cool ( https://hobby.uk.com/unimat-1-classic-set.html )Mind you the CNC pretty much paid for itself by keeping me out of the pub, so the actual cost of the Cool Tool would probably drop :)Regards

Hi allSorry a tad late posting to this thread.For cutting PCB, Ive never had a problem with a tile cutter, its neat and tidy, and simple.Ive also got aroud cutting circles also, tidy up with file,sand parer etc.
All best
_Rich_