Original poster: "Barton B. Anderson" <bartb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Hi Vinnie,Lexan, delrin, or even hard readily available acrylic can be used for the supports (standoffs not required). I also use a hand drill (a nice Dewalt. Maybe next Christmas, a drill press?). Some of the harder materials such as acrylic are more difficult to machine. For primary's, something between 1/4" to 3/8" thick makes drilling less fragile. The drill bit itself is the key. You want a bit with a shallow angle (between 60 and 90 degrees). The standard 120 degree angle for metal work is designed to bite into the metal. This 120 degree angle will often chip or crack acrylic. With a shallow bit angle, the work done "scrapes" a nice hole without chipping and cracking.
Cutting the acrylic is more of a challenge than drilling. The first basic cut is easy. But after the holes are drilled, you'll need to mark a line to cut through the drilled holes slightly above center so that there is enough material to keep the primary snapped in place. When you cut that particular line, do it as precise as possible. I've done it with a hacksaw, but it's not easy to keep precision with a hand tool like that. Best to use a bandsaw with a guide edge preset into position. Then try snapping a length of tubing into it. Do you need more or less cut towards the center? Experiment is the key to finding what "you" feel is the right feel for the snap action.
I recommend practicing first on a slab of material before cutting the intended runners. Like anything else, the art must be practiced to get comfortable with your own method and see if it what you set up works as you intended. It doesn't take long to realize the hole depth you like and to get good at the art. If you've ever worked with wood, this will be simple for you. If not, it may be a challenge. Much depends on the persons naturally born skills and the thing inside that drives him to build Tesla Coils.
Take care, Bart Tesla list wrote:
Original poster: "Vinnie" <teslatech@xxxxxxxxxxx> HelloI'm in the process of rebuilding my flat primary and I want make or purchase somestand off spacers. Does anyone have an tips on constuction and materials?I see alot of use of lexan and polyethylene. I want to stay away from the PVC pipe unless there is a way to make it look nice without several wire ties to afix the copper tubing. I'm kinda limited on tools. I don't have access to a drill press but I have the standard power drill and router. I'm concerned about the speed of the tools actually meltingthe plastic as well. Any help would be apprieciated. Thanks for your time. Vinnie