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Re: Arcs off the fingers and getting killed in the process...



Hi All,
           I agree that workshop safety is probably one of the major risks
in tesla coiling.  There are many good books on the subject.
Even when using something incocent like a drill press wear gloves and
goggles, I've spent 4 hours in casualty after getting a splinter of brass in
my eye from a drill press *with* a guard and a dust extraction system (in
the end the splinter fell out before I got treated, so much for state
healthcare :-).  Table saws are among the most dangerous pieces of equipment
in the average machine shop, the  saw at school regularly spits bits of wood
through the door behind it (not through the open door *through* the door,
without openning it first).  Never lean over the table to feed the work,
always use the guides to do it from the side.  Also do not cut plexi on your
home table saw, unless you have a proper dust extraction system - cutting at
high speed the fumes can build up to nasty levels.  It doesn't take much
skill to cut a straigh(ish) line with a jigsaw and it's a whole lot safer
than a table saw on anything that might shatter.

Regards
Nick Field
> I cut plastics aluminum and other non-wood materials all the time for
Tesla
> coils and such.  People are always encouraging me just to cut theses
> materials in my table saw.  However, after seeing that direct drive
monster
> effortlessly throw big chunks of wood clean "through" a wall (ended up in
> the neighbor's driveway), I can't imagine how bad such a mishaps would be
> with a big sheet of Plexiglas or aluminum.  Like high voltage, I always
> just figured the people that did this knew something I didn't...  I never
> really wanted to go through the trial and error learning curve ;-))  The
> variable speed saber saw is slow and jagged, but not much can go wrong...
>