[threepointone]

oh, and on laser printers--they are NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT more expensive than inkjets. I got a ML1740 for just $30AR (and yes, I got the rebate). The quality is about 10000000x better and 1000000x less hassle than inkjets, at least in terms of document printing, which constitutes most of my printing activity. I've had this for over a year by now, and I've only spent about $120 for it--$30 for the printer, $20 for the toner refill, and $70 for a new cartridge that I got only because my refill hadn't arrived yet, my inkjet ran out of color ink (so naturally it couldn't print in black, either) and I needed to print something in a hurry. Both of my old inkjets jammed catastrophically all the time, misaligned the pages, fed incorrectly, and cost me a LOT for ink (much, much, much, MUCH more than I ever paid for my laser), although they did print better photos for obvious reasons. My laser prints crisp text, cost less in BOTH the short run and the long run, prints a lot faster, and more smoothly. The refills for laser printers also tend to be much much better and cheaper than the refills for inkjets (I got 3 bottles of toner, equivalent to maybe 10k pages or so, for $20), and generally shouldn't damage your printer (thought it might mess up your already-depleted toner cartridge). The only thing I've noticed about the refilled cartridges is that, at least for for my model, they print somewhat lighter than the fresh cartridges.

Some notes about laser toner transfer I've noticed--
- color lasers don't work well; I've tried an office color laser and the toner seems to bleed a lot when transferring
- at least comparing a modern office laser and a modern cheapo printer, there doesn't seem to be much of a difference in transfer quality (comparing an office b&w laser and my home ml-1740 laser)

 

[AndrewFischer]

Mono makes some good points. No arguments from me. I'm going to keep sending my boards out though

When I said 'plated' I meant plated through holes and vias. Typing too fast. Not the end of the world if the vias don't conduct but is one more hassle with a home made board.

I'd love to have a drill press and a laser printer. We are getting ready to move, so no heavy toys for awhile. I've been thinking about building a bicycle frame. I had a false start a few years back. I found it is much harder than it looks. Working with only hand tools made it nearly impossible. If I try again I will be getting a drill press. Gotta have a drill press.

 

[Pars]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndrewFischer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mono makes some good points. No arguments from me. I'm going to keep sending my boards out though When I said 'plated' I meant plated through holes and vias. Typing too fast. Not the end of the world if the vias don't conduct but is one more hassle with a home made board. I'd love to have a drill press and a laser printer. We are getting ready to move, so no heavy toys for awhile. I've been thinking about building a bicycle frame. I had a false start a few years back. I found it is much harder than it looks. Working with only hand tools made it nearly impossible. If I try again I will be getting a drill press. Gotta have a drill press.

Yes, mono did make some good points, some of which i hadn't considered.

Andrew: the Delta benchtop drillpress at Lowes for ~$100 is the one I have and I have been very happy with it, if it is big enough for what you need with bike frames.

Chris

 

[AndrewFischer]

Thanks for the tip. I'll take a look at that Delta.

If it works, the hole saws will cost more than the drill press.

http://www.novacycles.com/catalog/pr...roducts_id=747

http://www.novacycles.com/catalog/pr...oducts_id=1454

I just found this video on you-tube. Shows how it is done without a drill press and a jig. I tried this once. Much harder than it looks in the video. I'm sure it gets easier with practice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIxCd...elated&search=