Richard Raffan turns a breakfast bowl in real time

You see a slightly warped roughed-out bowl completed in real time including sanding and finishing with beeswax.

[@twoodfrd]

The thing that I appreciate after watching Mr. Raffan turn for 30-odd years, is the unpretentious quality of his output when it comes to tableware. It's quick, it's simple and it's designed to be used. The speed of production backed by his skill born of repetition, produces forms that function aesthetically as well as they do physically. It's right out of Soetsu Yanagi. There IS something profound in all of this.

[@BettyHruska]

Thank you Richard for all your wonderful videos. I have learned so much from watching and would love to see your process on drying rough turned bowls.

[@bobh5616]

I’m in awe of the skill that makes this seem effortless! Always great to learn from an expert. Thank you Richard.

[@tomcoker9882]

Thanks for another informative video. The real time video of the process helps a lot. I think I’ll need a few more years, rather decades, to get as good a finished piece as quickly. Cheers, Tom

[@randycosgrove3608]

Every time I watch you work I pick up a little bit more about how to do things. Thanks so much for your teaching.

[@andymilligan7525]

Richard, I have enjoyed your books, VHS tapes, and now KZbin. I would love to have a word or two when you feel the surface to know what you are feeling to better understand your next action. Thanks for all you share.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I'm feeling for bumps and dips in the curve and checking how wall thickness feels. On bowls like this, I want the wall slightly thinner then the rim halfway down the curve then thickening again towards the base. This generally makes for a better balanced bowl come to handling it.

[@johnnyb95678]

Thank you for another great video from beginning to end on turning. I continue to learn so much from each video. And a really pretty bowl. Thank you.

[@nigelspencer6546]

Nice work. I like the little bead - an idea I will certainly borrow!

[@pbpleased7936]

I must say that you have some of the best socks of anyone I know! Thank you for graciously sharing your lifetime of experience.

[@mickwall8]

Thanks, easy to follow, and helpful.

[@mikelarlham6764]

Thanks for sharing this. How you took off the jaw marks on the foot was most helpful 👍

[@patricksmith8346]

Richard I have only been turning a few months but really enjoying your videos. I would like to learn more about the chuck that you are using in this video and several others. Thanks for putting these out, they really help teach a beginner in the US.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I use Vicmarc chucks, mostly VM100s. Standard jaws have been replaced with Shark Jaws because the longer jaws offer a better grip for endgrain blanks and the abliity to grip small details on bowl an dother projects.

[@carlspringle9342]

Beautiful Bowl Sir.

[@DiemenDesign]

Thanks for sharing RIchard, super simple clean fun.

[@Cygnwolf]

so the idea of leaving a shoulder inside the rough turned bowl to engage the chuck so you can true up the tenon after drying is something I haven't seen before and is kinda brilliant.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I've been teaching this for at least 40 years.

[@glencrandall7051]

Very well done Richard. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@444woodworks]

Thanks Richard, I really appreciate being able to see your process

[@glennnord2605]

Nice job,Every time I show your videos there is new I learn .

[@jackthompson5092]

Thanks for the lesson Richard.

[@MarklTucson]

Very nice piece and really appreciate seeing how you added the bead. The Claret Ash seems to be a much tighter grained wood than the Ash we have here in the US. Our ash is much more open grain than this piece appears to be. The Claret Ash seems to be much better suited for bowls like this.

[@samriddle3591]

You sir are the master

[@jakegevorgian]

Beautiful!

[@seamusday1964]

The master at work...

[@LewisKauffman]

Thank you!

[@josephpotterf9459]

Thanks Richard.

[@woodwoman9130]

Nice!

[@liveoak4124]

Thank you

[@edwardchapman1914]

You always seem to pull off a long, continuous, push cuts on the inside walls of a bowl when the wall thickness is nearly there. No matter what left hand back pressure I use, I almost alway pickup chatter doing this taking a smooth wall to a rough road. thanks for taking the time with these videos..

[@boooshes]

Lovely

[@jbrinkman8671]

A suggestion. I use split PVC to put around the tenon when I put the piece in the chuck. The chuck won’t mar the tenon. It would save a step also. I look forward to your videos, thanks so much😊

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Generally I make a bowl foot the correct size for the chuck so there are no chuck marks to remove. There's a video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoeVhWmlf8x2n5Y

[@jimsullivan8649]

I have learned so much and haven’t turned an item only because I’m still building my retirement wood shop, obviously very anxious. Anyways, I’m looking to buy a 8” grinder and plan on using CBN wheels. The grinder you have doesn’t appear to be a low speed but would you suggest going with a low speed grinder. Seems to be different opinions out there. Thanks.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I find low-speed grinders frustratingly slow. I use tools straight off an 80 grit CBN wheel and have a coarser firable wheel for shaping.

[@pedearruda]

I wanna put a colector sistem in my lathe.. but watching your videos.. just realise that you only use colector when sanding.. is it like that?

[@GeraldJensen]

Forgive me if this has been asked before, but do you hone your scrapers or take them to the grinder to raise the burr?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Both. And for some very hard woods I remove the burr.

[@peterhackett8883]

Hi Richard Thanks for another educational video Your dust collector seems very effective and rather quiet. Both very desirable characteristics. Do you think it would work as well on a much larger piece? Could you tell us how many CFM? And is it located behind a wall? Best wishes from Vancouver Island.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

It's 1200 cfm and you see it in the lathe and dust video kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqjYd3hnYpukeJI

[@burnleyize]

Aha!

[@bprades]

Bonjour , toujours à la recherche de votre Racloir Richard Raffan ..indisponible chez SLA Diffusion depuis 2 ans et introuvable sur d autres sites , savez vous où je peux le trouver en Europe ? J aime beaucoup votre travail ! Bien cordialement

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Si vous ne trouvez pas la forme de grattoir souhaitée, remodelez l'extrémité d'un outil ayant les dimensions requises. Les grattoirs Henry Taylor devraient être largement disponibles. maisondutournage.com/425-racloirs

[@bprades]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning ok ..en essayant de ne pas me tromper sur les angles …Merci

[@kenvasko2285]

My local tool store has a supply chain issue with red socks, will navy blue socks be a suitable substitute?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Only if made of the finest mongoose fur.....

[@kenvasko2285]

​@@RichardRaffanwoodturningNow I understand the supply chain issue!

[@milasiroky3301]

Richard, is the tool you use at the beginning also Gurtool? Thank you. For those of us who don't speak English, it's a shame that there are no subtitles again 😞

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Both gouges are Gurtool.

[@karlio3368]

I've noticed you let your roughed out bowls dry for significantly less time than many others. I've always been told 1 year per inch in thickness, plus a year.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I've found that removing the centre of a blank relieves a lot of internal stresses, so that old rule of thumb doesn't apply as it does to solid boards. Six months is usually enough time to stabilise roughed bowls.

[@joeydupre6153]

For everyday use, does the beeswax have to be reapplied periodically? Is it ok to use the bowl completely unfinished? Since finding your videos, I've started using ( and enjoying) some of my old turning projects every day.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

The advantage of a beeswax finish is that when utilitarian bowls are washed the finish comes off, after which a patina develops with use as it does on a wooden chopping or serving board, wooden plate, or wooden salad bowl. On pieces that won’t get wet, beeswax is a good base for ongoing care and regular polishing. My observation is that hard finishes and sealers eventually crack, look terrible, and need refurbishing, whereas my bowls tend to look better with age and use.

[@joeydupre6153]

Thank you so much. @@RichardRaffanwoodturning

[@derekroberts5984]

Hi Richard, I've found with some woods that an oil or wax finish can have raised grain after washing. Is there a way to prevent or reduce that for bowls that are intended to be used rather than displayed? Thank you!

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Cutting the wood cleanly in the first place is the goal, but when heavy sanding is required, sanding in reverse is a great help. As a production turner making repeat orders for retailers I mostly worked only a few timbers known for their stability and workability. I can't recall any problems with hot water raising patches of grain, but that might well be down, in part, to the timber.

[@derekroberts5984]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Getting wood cut cleanly is a goal for me. I often have to 'erase my tracks' with sandpaper though I've had a lot more luck with scrapers recently. I ran a bit of a water test this weekend, my Walnut oil finished maple and cherry both had raised grain issues when I hit them with a bit of H2O. I'm now thinking, okay raise the grain purposefully, gently knock it back, repeat. With a finished bowl, should raised grain be a bit of a break in problem? Knock 'em back a few times and it'll quiet down? Thanks, Richard. I'm constantly in awe of how much you give to the turning community.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

@@derekroberts5984 Raising the grain purposfully is a common approach which I found a bit time consuming until I started sanding with oil. The advantage then is that there's no dust, whilst the disadvantage for many people is that you are limited to oil-based finishes. Sanding with oil is messy as it sprays off the spinning wood. Especially it messes clothing so you need to remember not to stand in line-of-fire. Once a bowl is in use it becomes ever smoother as it's abraded by cleaning pads, oatmeal, lettuce, and such.