Re: tesla coil

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

Original poster: "Kelly & Phillipa Williams by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <kellyw-at-ihug.co.nz>


Hi All,


<snip>

>Ed
>
> P.S. Don't recommend using a powered lathe, as you can't stop the chuck
> fast enough when something goes wrong, as it always will.  Turning the
> chuck by hand is about equivalent to what I do; my coils are small and I
> thought the simple winder was the easiest way to go since my lathe.
> although 11" swing, only has 30" span between centers.

I have wound an 9" dia. 45" long secondary coil using a large
powered metalworking lathe. One person held the wire taut with both hands
(in gloves) while holding the wire in such a way so that it went on in nice
tight turns without any overlaps or even any gaps! One person held the lathe
controls, and a third person held the reel on an axle, applying a brake. We
wound the entire 9" secondary in about 20mins!!!

It's good if the person holding the wire is fairly dextrous, but I think
this is the best way to wind a secondary coil, provided you have access to a
lathe!
I have now wound two coils in this manner, and both are flawless.

Regards,

Alan Williams