Ok, not exactly a weekend project but you could build this in about three of them. The results would be an impressive addition to any mad scientist’s lab.
While ‘Bigger (sparks) Is Better" has been the guiding axiom behind most of my coiling activities, I’ve always wanted to build a table-top sized coil that I can just plug and play without breaking my back to move it, set it up, clearing out the garage, disconnecting the garage door openers, etc. There’s been nothing preventing me from building such a coil, it’s just that working on my big coil has turned out to be a never ending endeavor. Nothing wrong with that, I just needed to get a "round tuit" to start my small coil.
Well, I finally did, and the results are gratifying. To a grounded target, I get continuous 9" streamers, frequent 11" streamers, and most recently, occasional 14" strikes. All much louder than I would have expected!