Cheap way to make a turretboard

[beasleybodyshop]

So...The food service vendor here at work (We have a cafe in our building) was throwing away a stack of perfectly good, flat food serving trays. Reasoning? Wrong color. They ordered black but got a stack of white ones. So i take a few...and realize they are made from a really strong fiberglass, 1/8th inch thick. So I call the manufacturer and get someone on the phone that knows about the trays, and they tell me they are made from "FR4". So for grins I cut a bunch of the trays up on the ol' table saw (with a mask on) and drill out an 18 watt marshall board. I wonder how well these would hold up. Thoughts?

[Phil_S]

Wow, free FR4! Glad you know to wear the mask. I don't like the idea of cutting this stuff because the dust is carcinogenic and once inhaled, it never leaves. Your lungs are the Hotel California of FR4/G10. I have read, if you are going to do it, you really need a proper vacuum system and a wet saw. Mask is probably OK for once in a while, but I have my doubts. When I trim this stuff, I use a hack saw, which doesn't kick up a bunch of dust to deal with. A hand saw wouldn't do for cutting a whole board.

[Leo_Gnardo]

What a great score! That's the bee's knees beasley!

Better grab the rest of 'em if you can.

[eniam rognab]

i would like to order 5000

i will pay you with smileys

down payment:

[eniam rognab]

delete

[MGW]

Not to pick a fight, but I'd love to see your documentation on the carcinogenic properties of FR4. The MSDS on the stuff seems to indicate that it is more a nuisance than anything else.
http://www.acculam.com/MSDS-Epoxyglas.pdf

[cbass]

You can get a wet saw for like 60 bucks .I'd really recomend it if you gonna cut this stuff.

At the very least a cheap diomand blade in your TS tends to melt throuh it instead of throughing dust

[Phil_S]

Not to pick a fight, but I'd love to see your documentation on the carcinogenic properties of FR4. The MSDS on the stuff seems to indicate that it is more a nuisance than anything else.
http://www.acculam.com/MSDS-Epoxyglas.pdf

Thank you for setting the record straight. I am not convinced the documentation is fully accurate, but I'm in no position to refute it. Even if not carcinogenic, the data sheet says, "...prolonged inhalation of dust can produce lung disease." I think anyone would be hard pressed to ignore the warning that breathing the dust is to be avoided. I don't sense any argument here. Does anyone really care if the "lung disease" is cancer or not? Either way, no one wants it. I think we can all agree on that.

[M Fowler]

I would guess that it would be the fibers that cause the problem just like asbestos fibers cause plural plaques, cancer, and asbestosis.

I wouldn't argue over it just take precaution when cutting. I use a bandsaw with guide and cut very slowly.

Mark

[MGW]

Thank you for setting the record straight. I am not convinced the documentation is fully accurate, but I'm in no position to refute it. Even if not carcinogenic, the data sheet says, "...prolonged inhalation of dust can produce lung disease." I think anyone would be hard pressed to ignore the warning that breathing the dust is to be avoided. I don't sense any argument here. Does anyone really care if the "lung disease" is cancer or not? Either way, no one wants it. I think we can all agree on that.

I was really hoping you had some cancer proof...then we could all go pitch a fit at the manufacturers of the stuff. That being said...I'm glad you don't have any. I've drilled a lot of PCBs and turret boards. I whole heartedly agree that breathing it should be avoided.

[beasleybodyshop]

Totally. Respirators are important, nahmean? After a few years of spraying cars you learn quick that cancer is no fun.

I saved 30 lunch trays. I can harvest approx. 16X18 inches of flat material each, so I think I should be set on board stock for a little while

[Phil_S]

I saved 30 lunch trays. I can harvest approx. 16X18 inches of flat material each, so I think I should be set on board stock for a little while

Well, if you have the proper cutting tools and safe environment, I think you can probably finance a lot of amps with that find. Assuming you can cut and drill common layouts (5F1, 5E3, 18W, etc.) you can probably clear $10 or more per board and let the buyer stake his own turrets. You can buy a couple of thousand turrets and include them with the board for an extra couple of dollars. You can probably clear a solid $1,500 out of those trays if so inclined. Congratulations on having the presence of mind to take them with you!

[Tillydog]

I would guess that it would be the fibers that cause the problem just like asbestos fibers cause plural plaques, cancer, and asbestosis.

No. Glass fibres don't cleave down to very fine sizes like asbestos fibres do, and the body will slowly dissolve glass fibres that are ingested. Breathing glass fibres in still isn't a good idea, but the risk/damage is in a completely different league to asbestos.

Wear a dust mask anyway!

[beasleybodyshop]

I saved 30 lunch trays. I can harvest approx. 16X18 inches of flat material each, so I think I should be set on board stock for a little while

Well, if you have the proper cutting tools and safe environment, I think you can probably finance a lot of amps with that find. Assuming you can cut and drill common layouts (5F1, 5E3, 18W, etc.) you can probably clear $10 or more per board and let the buyer stake his own turrets. You can buy a couple of thousand turrets and include them with the board for an extra couple of dollars. You can probably clear a solid $1,500 out of those trays if so inclined. Congratulations on having the presence of mind to take them with you!

Your math skills are better than mine, one reason I switched to History from Engineering But I really don't want to go into the turret board business. Between the vendors you have here in the TAG community and elsewhere I would rather that go where credit is due, I just got lucky. But I would not be opposed to making some one off stuff for the guys around here on occasion.

[printer2]

I would guess that it would be the fibers that cause the problem just like asbestos fibers cause plural plaques, cancer, and asbestosis.

No. Glass fibres don't cleave down to very fine sizes like asbestos fibres do, and the body will slowly dissolve glass fibres that are ingested. Breathing glass fibres in still isn't a good idea, but the risk/damage is in a completely different league to asbestos.

Wear a dust mask anyway!

Seeing that fiberglass fibers are (not to state the obvious) made of glass, and glass is used to store most everything I doubt it will slowly dissolve in your body

Now for people doing any cutting that can be dangerous I would suggest N95 masks. The cheap disposable ones are pretty much useless, the N95 are not all that expensive and worth it. I even use them for general woodworking, just easier on the lungs.