On Fri, 11 Jul 2008, msg wrote:

Tim Shoppa wrote:

snip
Or, drill holes for all leads, and then use a small milling machine
cutter or just a larger drill bit to remove the copper where you don't
need it.

Indeed, this is what the Stahler mini-mill bits do; they create an instant
pad wherever it is needed. Stahler may no longer be in business, but
perhaps there are other pcb fab mini-mill bits out there. If not, a
good machine shop should be able to create a few for commonly used
pad sizes, and they will be forever useful (to justify the expense).

There was something about making one, I'm pretty sure in "Ham Radio",
sometime before 1974 (I can't figure out which article it was from
an accumulated index). I can't remember whether it was a homemade
version of the Stahler tool, or if Stahler came after to provide a
commercial version.

I can't remember the details (and I don't feel like digging through
the magazines to find the article now), but it wasn't much more than a
piece of good steel tubing.

Michael VE2BVW