Richard Raffan cuts and turns two bowls from a half log.

You see how I go about cutting two bowl blanks from a half log; then you see how I rough-turn the bowls and what hapens when things don't go quite as planned.

[@dewaynestephensen4600]

I’ve attended a number of your in-person presentations and have many of your books. Even after 15 years of woodturning, I still learn something new. Thank you.

[@MarklTucson]

I always learn something from your videos and really appreciate the details that you show regarding tool position, presentation and how you move it through the cut. These videos have definitely helped me improve my technique

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I'm delighted to be of assistance. Many thanks for the feedback.

[@markwalsh9883]

W stands for Wolfram which is German for tungsten and is designated W on the periodic table. Just in case anyone is interested!

[@emgiwoodworks]

So that was Australian Ash? Quite a coincidence: today I finish-turned a Dutch Ash bowl which was rough turned early in 2022. Thanks to your videos and also Tom's (plus a few others) it turned out pretty nice. One day I might even get the hang of it. What I will never achieve though is the speed with which you go through a project. A joy to watch! However, since I'm less self assured I always measure my tenons. 😎

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Possibly desert ash, maybe claret ash. It's part of a dumped log.

[@NBCRGraphicDesign]

Fantastic play-by-play action! I recently did my 2nd turning on a sassafras bowl blank that I roughed out in 1978. It was dry enough!! LOL. I have a smaller cherry blank to return, as well. Thanks for letting us stand on your shoulders as you work through the process.

[@christopherharrison6724]

I was just thinking to myself how does he hollow out without getting any skips and then you got one .If I could get to the stage when I only got 1 skip that would be a great achievement for me thanks for the info ,you always have such great information in your videos.

[@mikepullen8028]

Always look forward to a new video from you , thanks Richard

[@alun7006]

A pleasure to watch your speed and efficiency of movement. One day i might be half as quick as you!

[@im4dabirds]

that "lever it off" tip is great, thanks

[@janejones4944]

I’m mesmerised by the ribbons 😊

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

And it's always enjoyable producing them...

[@joeydupre6153]

Seeing long ribbons of wood coming off of the tool is so satisfying. Have you ever used Japanese-style hook tools?

[@MASI_forging]

What an beautiful design. 👏👏

[@Cancun771]

Whoa. The first time I've seen this lathe nearly stopped.

[@josephpotterf9459]

Thanks Richard good information as always

[@DancingFox6]

It seems to be a Murphy’s Law of woodturning that whatever size foot I turn it will be too large/small for the jaws I have on the lathe.

[@jorisdemoel3821]

W stands for Wolfram, which Anglo-Saxons call Tungsten (which had already been stated below). Looks like an awesome tool. Always good to see how to get from log to rough. How long do you think these need to dry before finishing? And what are your reasons for coring or not? Also I'd be very interested to see you do a coring session, even though you have referred us to a master corer in an earlier video. And it looks like it was just one of those days where things just didn't go quite as you7'd like them. Thanks for another instructional and interesting videos.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I sold my McNaughton coring system when I downsized but I do occasionally use a slicer as you see in the Simple Coring video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmO7gmuKiL6Bg9k

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

And thanks for the W stands for Wolfram. This log was was less than a month felled so was green. It's winter and the tree was dying so the moisture content wasn't as high as it would have been in spring or summer. I expect to have the bowls back on the lathe in 4-6 months, seasoned enough to be stable. The rule of thumb for seasoning is a year per inch (25mm) of thickness plus a year. However I find most bowls like these are stable after six months, partly because roughing releases many of the stresses with in the wood.

[@jaydub7069]

Richard, I noticed that you cut quite a bit of wet wood on your bandsaw. Do you do anything special to keep the residue off the blade before you cut or how do you prevent the buildup. Maybe you can’t prevent the buildup but I’m at a loss as to how to stop this. What is the best way to remove this build up from the Blade, rollers, and the rubber on the wheels? Thank you in advance for responding and always look forward to new videos from you.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I remove all the gunk using an old chisel kept for that purpose. I was told recently that soaking a blade in cleaning vinegar with 8% acicity does an excellent job but I've yet to try that. I've never cleaned the wheels and the gunk doesn't seem to accumulate on the guides.

[@DigitalNative01]

If you're cutting alot of pine you get resin on just about everything, ive found isopropyl alcohol does a pretty good job of breaking the resin down so i can wipe it off...

[@DancingFox6]

@@DigitalNative01citrus solvent is also good and smells lovely

[@northernhumidor5615]

Amazing looking scraper!

[@matthewwright57]

For the step jaw chucks, is the tenon supposed to bottom out in the chuck? The depth of the tenon is very small if the corner of the step jaws is supposed to meet on the inside like a normal set of dovetail jaws. I just bought my first set of step jaws and was very surprised by short size of the step depth.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

A tenon never has to bottom out in a chuck but it helps if the jaw rim seats in a corner or against a shoulder for endgrain. This video shows what you can do with dovetail jaws whilst not marking the wood. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoeVhWmlf8x2n5Y

[@terryarnold7545]

What size is the band saw you use as it looks like you work it pretty hard?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

The bandsaw is a Laguna 14/12. I use 13mm and 20mm 3tpi Flexback blades. I don't feel I'm working it hard. It's well-made does what it was designed to do.

[@nickkempthorne9452]

Thanks Richard. Are there any wood that are with better turned green or, conversely, should be avoided turning green. I hate going through this effort and then have a split open up while drying.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

As a production bowl turner I generally used timbers prized for their stability. When in England in the 1970s I used mostly teak and olive ash, whilst in Australia I've turned jarrah, redgum, Tasmanian myrtle and a few minor species. A roughed bowl with an even wall thickness and grain density will usually warp but not split. When I can lay hands on timber known to warp and twist dramatically as it dries, like banksia or one of the casuarinas, I finish bowls green and let them warp.

[@nickkempthorne9452]

Thanks. Do you do anything differently when sanding green wood? I’ve found it difficult to get a nice finish

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

​@@nickkempthorne9452 Essentially nothing different but it does take a bit longer. The trick is to get the surface dry, either by heavy sanding with coarser grits or hot air. I use a blow dryer. There's a video coming up turning and sanding green wood.

[@rodrigovm88]

Hi Richard, do you have by chance the name of person who sent you the scraper? I live near Czech Republic and I've been looking to buy one. Thanks!

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I do have a name but have no contact so won't put it out without permission. The name on the tool is truhlarime.cz . This scraper is 38x11mm which makes for a very heavy tool after the 9mm thick Henry Taylors I've used for 40 years.

[@rodrigovm88]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning thank you Richard. :)

[@fredhermann9717]

What size hole do you drill for the screw and does it vary depending on hard or soft wood and green or dry

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

The drilled hole is slightly larger than the chuck screw shank. For something like gidgee or mulga I might need a drill slightly smaller than the overall thread diameter. I've had these screw chucks for decades and long forgotten their exact size, but the manufacturers will be able to tell you.

[@ericmoorehead1100]

W. Tungsten

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Is this a question or statement..... it doesn''t mean anything to me.

[@ericmoorehead1100]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning you said you didn’t know what 14% W meant on your new scraper that was gifted to you

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

@@ericmoorehead1100 Ah! Thank you. I made this a few days ago adn have already fogotten what's in the video.

[@joepapalia-xs1ds]

Every time I watch you or Tomislav, I learn something new that helps me. Thank you.

[@charlesisrael8717]

Another great video & added humor! Watching your blank cutting reminds me of watching you bandsaw blade sharpening video. Instead of using the grinder (I use a smaller blade), an Oregon 3/16” sharpening stone in a Dremel tool works GREAT. Never thought of sharpening a blade until seeing your presentation.

[@joeydupre6153]

Richard, I just love to see shavings of green wood flying off of the bowls you turn. In your heavy production days, you must have had truckloads of shavings to dispose of.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Yep! Something like 6-8 wheat bags a day, or two wool sacks. In Britain shavings went into a Fulgora stove and kept me warm, in Australia they go on gardens as mulch.

[@paulplager9498]

Beautiful new scraper. Could be a new go too tool. Nice work Sir. I appreciate you and your knowledge that you share with us. Please keep teaching. I have learned a lot from you and your videos. Thank you.

[@glennnord2511]

Thank You for sharing your process and talking though it , I always find a little nugget of information on your vedio .

[@cudamank]

Appreciate you showing having to go back to the screw chuck. Guess it can happen to all of us.

[@Mckmake]

Every day is a school day and every one of your videos is a very informative and a joy to watch

[@jackthompson5092]

Great lesson Richard.

[@Dericheau]

Mr. Raffan, Just wanted to thank you for your very informative videos. I'm interested in your asyemtric gouges. Would you do a short video on shaping gouges with your asyemtric design?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Already made: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5WlXq1sYpJ5d9U. Also kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZ-xc3WMZp6Mgtk

[@glencrandall7051]

Another interesting and educational video from the Raffan shop. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Thanks, Glen.

[@georgewallace5727]

The W stands for tungsten.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Thank you.

[@downsouthwoodturning]

How do you keep your bandsaw blades clean when cutting green wood

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I've always scraped chiselled off the build-up of sap using a small chisel, but have recently been told cleaning-vinegar does a quicker and better job, so I'll be trying that.

[@downsouthwoodturning]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Sounds interesting I’ll try that out too thanks

[@downsouthwoodturning]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Down South WoodTurning and your from down under. Just realized that. 🙂

[@sach918]

How long has that log dried? I’ve seen you cut so many large blanks that I try to replicate the adventure but my logs Aren’t dry enough to turn without serious cracking. How long are you blanks/logs dried prior to you using them?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

This log was was less than a month felled so was green. It's winter and the tree was dying so the moisture content wasn't as high as it would have been in spring or summer. The roughed bowls should season satisfactorily other than a few splits around the knots. I expect to have the bowls back on the lathe in 4-6 months, seasoned enough to be stable. The rule of thumb for seasoning is a year per inch (25mm) of thickness plus a year. However I find most bowls like these are stable after six months, partly because roughing releases many of the stresses with in the wood.

[@raydriver7300]

So interesting. I always pick up something from you and thank you for sharing 🌞

[@STMwoodturning]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning do you coat the roughed out bowls with a sealer such as Anchorseal or paint before putting away to dry?

[@robertakick7392]

I was going to ask the same question. Also,do you dry turning blanks, or rough out all your timber?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

@@STMwoodturning I never found sealing endgrain on bowls did anything other than slow down the inevitable. If a roughed bowl wants to split, it will. However I do paint then ends of short boards to limit end-checking.

[@jimphilpott902]

It's the royal "we"!

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

...and clearly subliminal delusions of grandure...

[@jimphilpott902]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning 😁

[@STMwoodturning]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning 😂😂