Richard Raffan turns a gidgee bowl

This bowl as going to have a square rim, but defects in the blank dictated otherwise.

[@burnleyize]

I also appreciate that you plainly explain not only HOW TO DO IT, but also, WHY A CATCH HAPPENED.

[@haroldsworld]

Nothing better than a Raffan turning and Sunday morning breakfast. That little bowl seemed to work you over but you won in the end. I just wish I could sand like you do and not get line. Video quality was excellent too. Thanks you Harold Mills

[@JimDillon]

Thanks for all these videos. I think anyone who has turned even a little bit can glean a lot from them. I have not turned in several months, but have a small pile of bowl wood waiting for me. This whets my appetite!

[@craigpennifold3498]

Great work Richard. I always learn something when I watch you turn. The little split is character.❤

[@MD-en3zm]

Those really hard / dense woods take an incredible shine - really beautiful.

[@raydriver7300]

It’s beautiful. I love the way the oil brings out the deep colour 🌞

[@jamescarter8813]

Beautiful bowl Richard. Gidgee is the third hardest wood in the world, and one I am trying to get to complete my turning of the top 10 hardest. It was nice to see how it works. What a beautiful piece.

[@michaelheyward7668]

Beautiful color with the shine!

[@terrysharp908]

Excellent as always. Thanks

[@Paddyza1403rwd]

Another fantastic video

[@billy19461]

Beautiful little bowl. I don’t like the super glue or resin either but it does save me from having to throw a beautiful piece of wood away.

[@hfbowerndesigns810]

Nice project Richard. Mother nature's signature inside, a wee crack Take care Cheers Harold

[@glencrandall7051]

What a lovely little bowl. The color and figure are outstanding. And a great finish. 👍👍It's a shame you lost the corners. 😒If I might make a suggestion. The camera position near the tailstock allows your hands to obscure the tool. I think it might be better if the camera were to be raised a bit and moved back some. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe. 🙂🙂

[@rossmannburo]

Thanks for sharing!

[@marcelsimun6282]

Pekná práca 👍👍👍 good job maistro...

[@matthewjohnston1400]

Thanks for sharing.

[@WoodenItBeNice]

Very nice little bowl Richard and a shame about the split. I have just subscribed to you and hit the bell. I honestly thought I had already subscribed to you. Take care Richard. Cheers, Huw

[@markthompson6860]

great job

[@alanmckeown6462]

Very nice

[@LewisKauffman]

Thanks!

[@josephpotterf9459]

Thanks

[@mattrichardson9012]

I Jst carnt get enough of ur advice

[@randycosgrove3608]

Thanks Richard. As usual I enjoy seeing the precision with which you work and recover from small errors. Can I ask your opinion of using curved tool rests, either inside or outside, for use on larger bowls 12" or so in diameter? Is it worth the investment or not? Thanks for your input.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I never found curved rests useful with my style of turning and often dangerous used to support scrapers. Scrapers pitched down on a curved rest wobble. Pitched up they are inclined to catch. My advice has long been not to bother with them.

[@davidstolzberg6296]

This newbie turner loves learning from your videos. 2 questions. 1- what oil is used? 2 - is the bowl able to safely to be used for cereal with milk? Thank you!

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

This finish is boiled linseed oil mixed with pure beeswax. I've never encountered a wood that can't be used with food although many are more suited to use than others. The bowls I use day-to-day have contained everything from curry to breakfast cereal. They're washed up in hot water with detergent and left to drain and dry. Any wood going straight into use should be washed first, as you might a wooden chopping board.

[@robhoward9504]

Excellent work. What angle is your scraper? Do you ever use a negative rake scraper?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I've yet to find anything a negative rake scraper can do that I cannot do with my regular scrapers. But there are several situations, inside endgrain boxes for instance, where I consider regular scrapers are far superior.

[@schmfr1950]

Tx Richard as always for you very instructive and inspiring video. Have brief question regarding the color coded sanding papers: which brand is this? Couldn‘t find it here in Europe ( but have friends in Australia who could get it for me). Franz

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

It's Colour Coded Grit manufactured for and distributed by www.veneerinlay.com.au/product-category/sandpaper/emery/.

[@schmfr1950]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Thanks for the quick reply. Wonderful. Waiting for your next video.

[@DennisSuitters]

A lovely little bowl, even with its imperfections. I'm with you on the Epoxy or Resin filled stuff, I'd much rather see the natural inclusions.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

With that split it's not a saleable bowl as far as I'm concerned, at least not with a signature.

[@DennisSuitters]

haha, yes, some of them can be not fit for sale or need to be sold before she who must be obeyed eyes it and decides it's not saleable, lol.

[@burnleyize]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning : I’ll BUY IT!!!!

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

@@burnleyize In which case you'd best email or message me.

[@burnleyize]

It seems through most of your videos that you make a lot of usage of the spindle gouge. Do you find any real advantage over the bowl version or is it simply as you say: it’s a less expensive tool?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Shavings can jam in a deep flute if your hand is over the top deflecting shavings whereas they always get away using a shallow fluted gouge. And if you're cutting close to the rest, why waste expensive steel using a d/f bowl gouge if you don't have to.

[@eriklierman4714]

can you give me the thickness of the scraper (with corner off) - thank you

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

6mm. It's a 1-in x ¼-in. shear scraper from Henry Taylor.

[@Phil_Cleaver]

Hi Richard, Do you display your work anywhere locally?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

No is the short answer, but you can come to the house and view what I have. You can message me or come through www.richardraffan.com.au/contact/. I'm no longer up to production, but as few galleries now want to purchase outright I see no point in cranking out bowls. I never consigned work and don't intend to start now.

[@canterburyfishingadventures]

Hi Richard, very nice work. Could I have a couple of questions answered please. 1/ What was on the oily rag? 2/ Can you remember what speed you were turning? Thanks Aaron

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Boiled linseed oil is on the rag. Speed about 1600-1700rpm.

[@canterburyfishingadventures]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Thanks Richard

[@ArchEdge]

Great Video Richard. I noticed in alot of your videos, that the bowl blanks your using have a very reasonable price written on them - where are you sourcing them from? Im in Melbourne.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

The blanks I'm using were mostly priced-to-sell several years ago for my downsizing sale. I've not done any serious turning or timber buying for over ten years. The few blanks I buy now are from the ACT Woodcraft Guild.

[@garyjanes2358]

How fast are you running the lathe to sand? Much controversy. Is it at about the same speed as turning the bowl?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Usually about the the same speed. People tend to forget that peripheral speed slows the nearer you get to centre, so usually you don't gain much by dropping the rpm to sand. When sanding I want to feel the abrasive gripping the wood, not skating across it. If the abrasive isn't gripping, it's time to it throw away.

[@terryvance9390]

Great video sir. Can you tell me what type oil and wax is in your rag?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Thank you. It's boiled linseed oil and natural beeswax.

[@terryvance9390]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning could you do a short video on how you make and store the mixture. Thanks

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

@@terryvance9390 There's no regular mixture in a bottle. In most of my videos you'll see me slop boiled linseed oil on to the wood, then hold a block of beeswax to the spinning wood to build up a sticky layer. To that I apply a rag, and that mixes the oil and wax with the surplus staying in the rag. When the rag becomes full of wax and oily, as here, I can simply apply the rag. I usually have two rags on the go, one very waxy and one cleaner to buff the wood. The buffing rag in turn absorbs wax and oil and eventually replace the preceeding rag.

[@terryvance9390]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning thank you. I am concerned about keeping the oily rag as blo has been known to spontaneously combust. So I thought you might have a special container to store the rag.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

@@terryvance9390 I do have a tin for oily rags. Rags damp with boiled linseed oil tend to harden over 24 hours so are thrown out being too stiff to use.

[@scottshafer1872]

If you could adjust the bass down a bit and increase the treble, it would be easier to understand you. As usual, I enjoy your work ever so much.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

It sounds like me, so I fear it's my diction or accent rather than Dave's recording or editing.

[@jackthompson5092]

Beautiful little bowl Richard. I have no idea what “gidgee” means.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Acacia cambagei, commonly known as gidgee.

[@richstewart1]

I notice you sand at a pretty high RPM. I was told to turn fast, sand slow. Was I told wrong or does it matter? I started turning with your books back around '04? I think. Pretty far back.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

No, no! Far back is 1985 when Turning Wood was first published. Sanding: I learnt to sand without variable speed and not enough time to change pulleys. These days if I don't feel the wood gripping the abrasive I"ll drop 200-300 rpm or reach for fresh abrasive. Turn fast could be bad advice. With electronic speed control always start a project on slow.

[@richstewart1]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Thank you. I first became interested in 2004 on a trip to Taiwan. There was an old man with a pretty home made looking lathe at a market and I watched him make a small snowman looking trinket out of a piece of vine-like wood. I still have it. I came home and started experimenting with lathes I bought online. My first was 59.99. I had a blast on that thing.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

@@richstewart1 That would have been a cheap lathe in 1970 when I started. I hope you upgraded.

[@richstewart1]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning I got a Jet mini variable speed and have had it ever since. I don't have much room and it does what I want to do. I'm not a big belt changing kind of guy either. I've made tons of boxes based on your book. Several Seattle Space Needles.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

@@richstewart1 Good little lathes!