Re: wood RSG

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "S & J Young by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <youngs-at-konnections-dot-net>

Greg,

I think you should use some GPO3 which is less expensive than the G10 many
use, withstands higher temperatures, and is plenty strong enough for most
RSGs (but not quite as strong as G10).  It also machines well with ordinary
tools.  You can order it from McMaster-Carr http://www.mcmaster-dot-com  in the
States.  There might be a good source for GPO3 in Austrailia as well.  3/8
thick 12 x 12 inch sheets cost under $10.  The G10 costs almost four times
as much for the
same size sheet.

I would personally would not use plywood (even though Terry says it is OK!).
Even if you get it dry enough to be a good
insulator and not eventually carbon track, the density variation throughout
the disk is likely to give you trouble balancing it so it doesn't shake and
vibrate excessively.  These density variations (e.g. knots, gaps inside)
also can cause your drill bit to wander off course some with resulting
misaligned electrodes.

Better yet, go for a triggered spark gap and eliminate the need for
potentially dangerous and troubling high speed rotating disks.
--Steve

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2001 6:17 PM
Subject: wood RSG


> Original poster: "Mr Gregory Peters by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <s371034-at-student.uq.edu.au>
>
> I am having difficulty finding some cheap epoxy/fibreglass sheet to use
> for a RSG. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried using well dried
> and prepared plywood? While it isn't the best insulator, I would
> imagine that a polyurethane coated disc of about 10-12" diameter would
> probably insulate well enough. Another plus is that high grade plywood
> can be very strong and is probably better at handling high temperatures
> than most plastics. It is also cheap and easy to work with. You could
> even impregnate the wood with polyurethane/acrylic/epoxy, etc using a
> vacuum. What do you think?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Greg Peters
> Department of Earth Sciences,
> University of Queensland, Australia
> Phone: 0402 841 677
> http://www.geocities-dot-com/gregjpeters
>
>
>
>
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