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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchDo not try to burn fractal patterns into plywood with electricity. The Make project behind this title describes a Lichtenberg, or lightning-like, pattern made by sending high voltage through wood. The method is not a safe home-DIY technique: official workplace records document fatal electrocutions during fractal wood burning, and the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) advises against it entirely.
What the Make project describes
In Craig Couden’s June 10, 2015 Make article, a Backyard Scientist demonstration uses two microwave-oven transformers connected in parallel and applies a reported 2,000 volts to opposite corners of 5 mm plywood. A baking-soda-and-water mixture is spread over the surface to improve conductivity. The article says the resulting branching marks tend to follow the wood grain.
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Those details describe what the demonstration reportedly used; they are not a tested recipe, recommendation, or safe set of specifications. Make itself states: “This project is potentially very dangerous, so don’t try this without doing proper research and taking the proper safety precautions.” That warning should not be read as an assurance that the project can be made safe with ordinary precautions.
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Why this is a serious electrocution hazard
High voltage remains lethal even in a workshop
A homemade transformer setup can expose an operator to energized conductors, stored electrical energy, arcing, fire, and unexpected current paths through wet wood, tools, floors, or the body. Contact may be fatal before a person can release the conductor or disconnect power. The baking-soda solution described by Make increases surface conductivity; it does not make the process controlled or safe.
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Documented deaths during fractal wood burning
OSHA records a fatal electrocution on June 16, 2017, during fractal wood burning, a process that uses electricity. OSHA also records a January 16, 2019 workplace fatality in which an employee using homemade fractal Lichtenberg wood-burning equipment contacted an energized part.
On April 25, 2022, ESFI warned against the practice. ESFI President Brett Brenner said: “This form of wood burning is highly dangerous and should never be used as fires, injuries, and electrocution can easily occur.” The same ESFI warning reported that the American Association of Woodturners attributed at least 33 deaths since 2016 to fractal burning. That is a figure reported in 2022 and attributed to the Association; it is not a current total and was not published by OSHA.
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What the reported numbers do—and do not—mean
| Detail | What the source establishes | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| 2,000 volts | Make reports this voltage for the 2015 demonstration. | It is not a recommended or independently validated operating specification. |
| 5 mm plywood | Make identifies this thickness in the demonstration. | It does not make the electrical process safe. |
| 2017 and 2019 fatalities | OSHA records fatal electrocutions associated with fractal wood burning. | These records do not provide a safe design for recreating the process. |
| At least 33 deaths since 2016 | ESFI reported this 2022 figure and attributed it to the American Association of Woodturners. | It is not a present-day count or an OSHA statistic. |
What to do instead
If you want branching, lightning-like decoration on plywood, choose a non-electrical craft method and keep it separate from Lichtenberg burning. Paint, stain, ink, carving, pyrography performed with appropriate manufacturer guidance, or digitally designed and transferred artwork can create branching visuals without energizing the wood. Select a method whose equipment and safety requirements are clearly documented for the material and setting.
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Do not improvise with microwave transformers, homemade high-voltage supplies, exposed electrodes, conductive liquid, or modified appliances. Do not treat isolation, gloves, a circuit breaker, or working alone as sufficient protection against this hazard. If you already built such equipment, keep away from it and have a qualified electrical professional make it safe; do not energize it to test the pattern.
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Bottom line
The Make title refers to an electricity-based Lichtenberg pattern, not an ordinary plywood decoration. Its reported setup uses 2,000 volts and conductive liquid, and documented fatalities show that fractal wood burning can kill. The responsible answer to “How do you burn fractal patterns into plywood?” is: don’t perform this process yourself; use a non-electrical decorative technique instead.
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