I saw a simillar question for buying copper clad board in UK, so I
thought someone might have an answer for Canada...

Thanks!

rile wrote:
I saw a simillar question for buying copper clad board in UK, so I
thought someone might have an answer for Canada...

Thanks!

Define "large". Which part of Canada?

In Toronto I'd start with Active Surplus. In Vancouver, RP.

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "That's a totally illegal,
Grid: CN89mg madcap scheme. I like it!"
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - H. Pearce

I saw a simillar question for buying copper clad board in UK, so I
thought someone might have an answer for Canada...

Thanks!


Define "large". Which part of Canada?

In Toronto I'd start with Active Surplus. In Vancouver, RP.

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "That's a totally illegal,
Grid: CN89mg madcap scheme. I like it!"
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - H. Pearce

===========================
On some if not most european continental amateur radio fleamarkets
cut-offs up to 1x1 ft are often sold by weight.
I have a healthy stock enabling me to also homebrew enclosures.

Is this material not available from surplus traders frequenting North
American hamfests & fleamarkets ?


Frank KN6WH / GM0CSZ

Highland Ham ) writes:
I saw a simillar question for buying copper clad board in UK, so I
thought someone might have an answer for Canada...

Thanks!


Define "large". Which part of Canada?

In Toronto I'd start with Active Surplus. In Vancouver, RP.

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "That's a totally illegal,
Grid: CN89mg madcap scheme. I like it!"
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - H. Pearce

===========================
On some if not most european continental amateur radio fleamarkets
cut-offs up to 1x1 ft are often sold by weight.
I have a healthy stock enabling me to also homebrew enclosures.

Is this material not available from surplus traders frequenting North
American hamfests & fleamarkets ?


Frank KN6WH / GM0CSZ

That's the sort of answer I would have given, but I wondered if it
was a trick question.

"Large area" suggests something really big, but if someone isn't
familiar with what is available, then "large" might mean something
more than a few inches.

In 35 years, I've never bought blank circuit board new. Starting
with wretched board that cracked when you cut it and the copper came
off when you soldered to it (but it was "surplus" and cheap at
Etco Electronics back then), and then buying it at hamfests, and
then the remaining old school electronic store here in Montreal (Addison
Electronics), blank circuit board of all kinds of thickness and sizes
and single or double sided has always been readily available.

You're right, it can usually be had so cheap that it is a great thing
to use for enclosures. Unlike plastic, it's can provide shielding, but
it's also a lot easier to work than equivalent thickness metal. I've
been known to strip off the copper and use the bare board when I need
to make up some mechanical gadget, it being so easy to work with.

Addison often has board that has been drilled for some production work,
but not etched (or even had resist applied), which is even cheaper. I
can cut around it for small pieces, or if I'm just using the board for
soldering to, the holes aren't even noticed.

For the original poster, the Radio Amateurs of Canada have a website
at http://www.rac.ca and they keep a list of upcoming hamfests, so it's
easy to watch for one coming up nearby. Though, it's really the off
season and I doubt there will be many until the spring.

Michael VE2BVW

ok, I was not precise. I am an amateur. What I am looking for is
getting copper board for less than what digikey is selling.

When I say large, 12"x12" is large enough, even smaller. I think the
keyword is "cheap", not "large".

I used to buy (in Eorope) large sheets (by weight, i.e. cheap) and then
cut the sizes I wanted. (where large is defined as approx 1m x 1m).
Here in Canada, I could not google up anything similar.

p.s. I am in Ottawa, ON


Thank you!

On Jan 19, 12:30 am, (Michael Black) wrote:
Highland Ham ) writes:
I saw a simillar question for buying copper clad board in UK, so I
thought someone might have an answer for Canada...

Thanks!

Define "large". Which part of Canada?

In Toronto I'd start with Active Surplus. In Vancouver, RP.

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "That's a totally illegal,
Grid: CN89mg madcap scheme. I like it!"
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - H. Pearce

===========================
On some if not most european continental amateur radio fleamarkets
cut-offs up to 1x1 ft are often sold by weight.
I have a healthy stock enabling me to also homebrew enclosures.

Is this material not available from surplus traders frequenting North
American hamfests & fleamarkets ?

Frank KN6WH / GM0CSZThat's the sort of answer I would have given, but I wondered if it
was a trick question.

"Large area" suggests something really big, but if someone isn't
familiar with what is available, then "large" might mean something
more than a few inches.

In 35 years, I've never bought blank circuit board new. Starting
with wretched board that cracked when you cut it and the copper came
off when you soldered to it (but it was "surplus" and cheap at
Etco Electronics back then), and then buying it at hamfests, and
then the remaining old school electronic store here in Montreal (Addison
Electronics), blank circuit board of all kinds of thickness and sizes
and single or double sided has always been readily available.

You're right, it can usually be had so cheap that it is a great thing
to use for enclosures. Unlike plastic, it's can provide shielding, but
it's also a lot easier to work than equivalent thickness metal. I've
been known to strip off the copper and use the bare board when I need
to make up some mechanical gadget, it being so easy to work with.

Addison often has board that has been drilled for some production work,
but not etched (or even had resist applied), which is even cheaper. I
can cut around it for small pieces, or if I'm just using the board for
soldering to, the holes aren't even noticed.

For the original poster, the Radio Amateurs of Canada have a website
athttp://www.rac.caand they keep a list of upcoming hamfests, so it's
easy to watch for one coming up nearby. Though, it's really the off
season and I doubt there will be many until the spring.

Michael VE2BVW

Cohen's on Merival had a bunch real cheap.
I'd check it out and while your there check
out Computer Recyclers on McFarland they might have some too.

rile wrote:
ok, I was not precise. I am an amateur. What I am looking for is
getting copper board for less than what digikey is selling.

When I say large, 12"x12" is large enough, even smaller. I think the
keyword is "cheap", not "large".

I used to buy (in Eorope) large sheets (by weight, i.e. cheap) and then
cut the sizes I wanted. (where large is defined as approx 1m x 1m).
Here in Canada, I could not google up anything similar.

p.s. I am in Ottawa, ON


Thank you!

On Jan 19, 12:30 am, (Michael Black) wrote:

Highland Ham ) writes:

I saw a simillar question for buying copper clad board in UK, so I
thought someone might have an answer for Canada...

Thanks!

Define "large". Which part of Canada?

In Toronto I'd start with Active Surplus. In Vancouver, RP.

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "That's a totally illegal,
Grid: CN89mg madcap scheme. I like it!"
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - H. Pearce

===========================
On some if not most european continental amateur radio fleamarkets
cut-offs up to 1x1 ft are often sold by weight.
I have a healthy stock enabling me to also homebrew enclosures.

Is this material not available from surplus traders frequenting North
American hamfests & fleamarkets ?

Frank KN6WH / GM0CSZThat's the sort of answer I would have given, but I wondered if it

was a trick question.

"Large area" suggests something really big, but if someone isn't
familiar with what is available, then "large" might mean something
more than a few inches.

In 35 years, I've never bought blank circuit board new. Starting
with wretched board that cracked when you cut it and the copper came
off when you soldered to it (but it was "surplus" and cheap at
Etco Electronics back then), and then buying it at hamfests, and
then the remaining old school electronic store here in Montreal (Addison
Electronics), blank circuit board of all kinds of thickness and sizes
and single or double sided has always been readily available.

You're right, it can usually be had so cheap that it is a great thing
to use for enclosures. Unlike plastic, it's can provide shielding, but
it's also a lot easier to work than equivalent thickness metal. I've
been known to strip off the copper and use the bare board when I need
to make up some mechanical gadget, it being so easy to work with.

Addison often has board that has been drilled for some production work,
but not etched (or even had resist applied), which is even cheaper. I
can cut around it for small pieces, or if I'm just using the board for
soldering to, the holes aren't even noticed.

For the original poster, the Radio Amateurs of Canada have a website
athttp://www.rac.caand they keep a list of upcoming hamfests, so it's
easy to watch for one coming up nearby. Though, it's really the off
season and I doubt there will be many until the spring.

Michael VE2BVW

"rile" wrote in message
ups.com...
ok, I was not precise. I am an amateur. What I am looking for is
getting copper board for less than what digikey is selling.

Digikey's prices are good on a lot of things, copperclad isn't one of them.
Almost anyplace would be cheaper. If you don't have decent hamfests up
there, you can find plenty on the other side of the border.

I generally pick up most of mine at the Findlay, Ohio fest, a bit of a hike
for you, and probably not a large enough fest to make it worth the trip. I
go every other year and a two year supply generally costs me around twenty
bucks.

Dayton is worth the trip, and if you are a builder, then the QRP conference
FDIM is well worth the trip all by itself. For copperclad, though, you need
to be quick at Dayton. Even though there is an amazing amount of stuff
there, the decent deals on copperclad are often all gone by the middle of
the day Friday.

...

On the subject of copper clad what is the best way to cut it into the
sizes one need? I would assume using it for constructing boxes would be
pretty time consuming using hacksaw and files. Short of a full size
bench saw is there anyother lower cost/ smaller size electric saw that
would work well with CC ?

Thanks Larry

A bench shear is a wonderful thing for cutting copperclad. I have a
relatively inexpensive small brake and shear from Northern Industrial Supply
that also comes in handy for making boxes. It is a little small for some
things, but I just plain don't have the space for a full size model. Even
fairly large shears aren't all that expensive if you have the space.

...

"Lefty" wrote in message
ups.com...
On the subject of copper clad what is the best way to cut it into the
sizes one need? I would assume using it for constructing boxes would be
pretty time consuming using hacksaw and files. Short of a full size
bench saw is there anyother lower cost/ smaller size electric saw that
would work well with CC ?

Thanks Larry

On the subject of copper clad what is the best way to cut it into the
sizes one need? I would assume using it for constructing boxes would be
pretty time consuming using hacksaw and files. Short of a full size
bench saw is there anyother lower cost/ smaller size electric saw that
would work well with CC ?
=====================================
To cut fibreglass or phenolic copperclad boards I use a carpet knife
(repaceable Stanley type) After carefully scoring (deeply) along a steel
ruler it breaks very neatly . Finish with a file or amaril paper .

Frank KN6WH / GM0CSZ temporarily in Torrance CA