Best arch punches according to redditors

This is the one I have. Expensive but super heavy duty and makes consistent clean cuts

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https://www.amazon.com/2-5mm-Radius-Corner-Rounder-Cutter/dp/B00G2QUZO2/ref=sr_1_16?keywords=corner+clipper&qid=1563551158&s=gateway&sr=8-16

If you're looking for something to cut chipboard, the best corner cutters out there are by Oregon Lamination. Here's their 2mm version, but you can also get it in 2.5mm and 3mm.

I've been using mine for years and it's worth every penny. They're absolutely fantastic.

I use an arch punch on 3mm chipboard with sticker paper applied. Then I coat it with a puzzle sealer to protect from wear. Mod Podge also works but this step isn't necessary. You will need to sharpen the punches at some point. One of mine arrived dull.

Here's the final result.

I think a punch is quicker than applying individual stickers to ready rounded tokens.

It really depends how professional you want them to look. For playtesting you really don't need to go this far.

For the 2.5mm one:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G08PEXO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

For the 3mm one:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076FJ7SS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2.5mm is closer to American corners. 3mm is closer to Japanese corners.

Yup. Luckily I’ve already got a corner rounder from a previous project.

The 3mm or 1/8” radius corner rounder is what you need to recreate playing card corners. If you like to create proxy cards this is an awesome tool to have.

I use an Oregon Lamination Corner Rounder, 2mm size. Absolutely worth the price if you want to have perfectly rounded corners on your counters. Once you get the hang of it, it's quick and consistent.

Here is the same model I purchased on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Radius-Deluxe-Corner-Rounder-Cutter/dp/B00G08PEXO/ref=pd_cp_469_1?pd_rd_w=Ws7o3&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=8RH8ZXP0CDX47VH61D4K&pd_rd_r=dc050288-bf46-4c97-9ae8-600b8e46d379&pd_rd_wg=slIm4&pd_rd_i=B00G08PEXO&psc=1&refRID=8RH8ZXP0CDX47VH61D4K

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This one is worth the little bit extra. QC has slipped recently, but they will ship replacements.

I clipped all my ASL counters(12,000+) with finger nail clippers and a jig I made from a CD case. I bought one of these back when he was selling them for 5 dollars, it works well also. Last year I bought this corner clipper it works ok, but you have to be careful when using it or you can mangle the counters. Clipped counters just look better on the maps/boards to me. It also makes the counter much more uniform for stacking purposes.

>What kind of photo paper did you print to?

I used Canon Premium Semi-Gloss. It seems to have roughly the same sheen as the boards do. Matte would probably be okay, as well.

>Did you do anything else to it before gluing to the chipboard?

Nope. Let it dry, then glued it straight on. I did use a light-box to draw lines on the edges of the image on the backside of the paper to make lining up the board easier.

So, when I did mine, here's the sequence of events:

1. Glue the original board to chipboard.
   
2. Using a metal ruler lined up to the edge of the game board, trim away the chipboard so it's the same size.
   
3. Print the back-side image.
   
4. Using a light-box, trace the cut-lines onto the back of the paper to make positioning the chipboard easier.
   
5. Apply glue to the back of the chipboard/board combo, then glue it to the back-side image, using the lines drawn in step 4 as a guide.
   
6. Place the whole thing photo-paper-side down. Using a metal ruler lined up to the edges, trim away the excess photo paper.
   
   Voila. :) So, mine also have rounded corners that were actually the result of a bit of a mistake... I had used a corner-rounder to cut the corners on all the Location boards before starting this process, because I was originally planning to laminate them. When I glued them to the chip board, I basically had to hand-cut the rounded corners on both the chip-board and photo paper, which I would not recommend (it's not easy).
   
   However, if you're using the Location boards as-is, there would be no need for this extra step because they've got square corners. If you want to round the corners, I would recommend getting a heavy-duty corner-rounding cutter like this, and performing those cuts after-the-fact.
   
   This is, however, a relatively unnecessary step, and is only for aesthetics.

Looks like the same one I have (although there are 3 different radii styles). I have the 2.5mm which I use for everything - works great. If you're real picky you'll want all 3 depending on the counter size.

https://www.amazon.com/2-5mm-Radius-Corner-Rounder-Cutter/dp/B00G2QUZO2/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1495730730&sr=8-8&keywords=lamination+clipper

The most important thing you'll need will be a powder measure (lee has them for cheap) and a decent scale that will read in grains. I've found the cheap little digital ones they sell at jewelry stores or smoke shops for around $10-$20 work just fine.

As for the she loading you'll need a crimper You can sometimes find these at antique stores but ebay is your best bet. Theyre not marked so the best way to check if it's a 10 ga one is to see if a nickel will pass through the opening for the shell. If the seller is asking more than $35 or so they're asking too much. Those things are actually pretty common. If you spray some wd40 on this one it will work just fine, they're stupid simple.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141605706097

as for cutting the overshot cards you can either do it the hard way by drawing a circle on a beer box and cutting with scissors or buying a wad punch. I've found a 13/16 wad punch works just fine and the cards fit nice and tight in the shell. Here's one for sale on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-Instruments-1271J-16-Inch/dp/B00004T7WE

for cutting the shells to length you can use a piece of pvc pipe cut to length and a razor blade to start with. If you really want to load in quantities it might pay off to source a shell trimmer like mine. You can find the razor blade type on midway for about 20-30 bucks IIRC.

User error. You have to make sure the counter is properly aligned against the stops. Which model cutter did you get, the completely handheld one, or the one that sits on the table and you push down the top handle?

I use this one because you can hold it upside-down and clearly see how well the counter is aligned before you punch.

This works too, for a mere $25 :x
http://smile.amazon.com/Radius-Corner-Rounder-Punch-Cutter/dp/B008CG7D1S/

I bought one of these for wargames (and to a lesser extent euro games) and it's been perfect for rounding out the corners and getting rid of dog ears:

https://www.amazon.com/Radius-Deluxe-Corner-Rounder-Cutter/dp/B00G08PEXO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485698174&sr=8-1&keywords=2.5mm+corner+clipper

I don't remember it being that expensive (think I paid ~$40) and I would use CamelCamelCamel to keep an eye on it to drop in price, but it's been amazing.

I used it for The Colonists goods chits and they look and feel much better without the sharp edges. Not to mention any player aids all have the sharp corners that get bent anyways, clipped off. They also sell a 2mm and 3mm version. I found the 3mm to be a touch too much and the 2mm just too little of a cut, but they are both available for a little cheaper than the 2.5mm one.

Oh and one last thing, but this is basically foolproof. I know they sell a cheaper model that does that same, but I remember reading that you can fuck up your chits if you do it wrong. The version I listed is literally impossible to do it wrong.

Edit: Actual site that's a touch cheaper:
http://www.oregonlam.com/C-006-2-5MM_2-5mm_Corner_Cutter_Punch_Rounder.html

I have a 2mm and 2.5mm version of these punch cutters:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G08PEXO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are the best tool I've used for clipping. I'm actually going to sell these as well if you are interested. ;-)

30mm punch

Since I use a lot of 1" sanding disks and I need more horsepower, I went in a different direction. I found a sanding pad like this but in 1" diameter and put that on my air die grinder. There are 1in sanding pads you can buy for it for ~$0.50/ea, but that's just crazy. I bought this arch punch and I can punch 13 pads from a standard 5in sanding pad and then design and print a holder for all the sanding pads.