Richard Raffan turns two of his signature salt scoops

In the 1970s I sold hundreds of these each year, usually with a small bowl. They are easier to make using slightly geen blanks and a bright light to gauge wall thickness. These blanks are 40 years old and bone dry. Blanks need to be 20-25% moisture content for the light trick to work. These were gauged by sound.

[@Tim_Pollock]

Richard I could watch your videos all day long. I too am a turner but watching you turn is truly mesmerizing. Thank you for the gift of your instruction through your videos, they are priceless and will help thousands of turners for many years to come.

[@aam50]

Wow. Next-level turning that makes me want to go back to the battle that is "learning to use a skew chisel". Absolutely beautiful.

[@imapseudonym1403]

I've tried numerous times over the past 5 years to use a skew the way Richard does. Never been a time where I don't get a catch. So, it's a scraper now, and probably always will be.

[@joaobatistagomesdeoliveira4516]

Muito boa a prática excelente ainda vou aprender o controle do cinzel, parabéns. ...

[@johnnyb95678]

Thank you for a master class in turning salt scoops. I learn something new every time I watch one of your videos. Thank you!

[@godfreymillinson3672]

Richard. Seeing you making those scoops, took me way back to 1976, when we happened to meet in your workshop in Tedburn St.Mary, ! I was making enquiries for the company constructing the new bypass. When you showed me what you had made recently it was these scoops , I still have the three different sizes I got from you . Which I have kept , all are as the same good one you made the night before in your video ! Marvellous, thank you again.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Those scoops would have been made when I was in my prime as a scoop turner. Thanks for posting.

[@michaelquataert]

What great timing! Yesterday I started making some small scoops again, and I was a little (!) rusty. This video had a few new learning points for me: repurposing a joiner's chisel for a scraper; folding the sandpaper over before applying the stick on the inside of the scoop. Watching the ease and speed with which you work is both motivational and informative, as always. Someday I hope to be half as good as you are with the skew. Thanks very much, Richard.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

And thank you very much for the donation. Much appreciated.

[@WhoGnu08]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning You are welcome, but I do not regard it as a donation; it's a class fee.

[@TimRobertsonWoodturning]

It’s always a pleasure watching you turn. I like the scoops.

[@carlspringle9342]

I'm new but I really like the salt scoops you made. Thank you for sharing sir.

[@stevefromlondon9175]

Richard you make it look so easy you are truly a master at turning thank you for sharing your video's Regards Steve UK London

[@MarklTucson]

It is so enjoyable to watch your turning videos. These look like a great project to refine skew skills and a really good way to use smaller pieces of stock. Definitely inspired to have a go at some of these.

[@glencrandall7051]

You make this look so easy. I can see how you were able to make so many.🙂🙂

[@jackthompson5092]

Beautiful little scoops Richard.

[@bobh5616]

Fantastic, as always. Thank you Richard

[@tomislavtomasicwoodturning]

Awsome, got one of those from you.... It sit nicely with your other work in my collection ☺️

[@TheCanadianJon]

Love these, I'm looking forward to trying these out!

[@annievoindrot8795]

Tout à l air tellement facile quand je on le vois faire chapeau MR RAFFAN

[@tonycox6715]

That's a really cute project.

[@pjseiber2774]

You make it look so easy. Enjoyed as usual. ❤

[@valeriehenschel1590]

As usual, you make it look so easy!

[@jorisdemoel3821]

I'm not sure to feel proud or guitly for making you use these 40 year old blanks... And making a new tool, too... I am very grateful and look forward to using them for a long time. I am going to presume ash of some sort? Many thanks for sharing your insight and skill again.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Not any sort of ash, Joris, but celery-top pine from Tasmania.

[@jorisdemoel3821]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Well, like so many antipodean woods I had to look that one up... Also shows that looking at things on KZbin is not the same as Real Experience (TM)

[@bernardfutter5327]

Really interesting, Richard, thanks. I learned a couple of tricks. In my very early turning days I bought a couple of cup chucks, but being largely self taught beyond school days thought I needed to taper the blank to fit. Somewhat laborious, so I did it rarely. Didn't think to just whack it in, but then would have been concerned about the spindle bearings. Shall certainly consider that now. Also, I have often cut window sills with coarse grit sand paper, but never thought to use the technique on goblet mouths. 50-60 a day, wow! Bernard.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

On larger blanks I did turn a taper as you see in kzbin.info/www/bejne/emTdn3ptYtCmf9k

[@bernardfutter5327]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Thanks for your reply, Richard; and I've watched the video. Retrieved my cup chucks and expect to use one soon. I have suitable jobs lined up. Bernard.

[@oldgeezer1746]

Good video, scoop is on my list to turn. Really like the thinness of the later one.

[@richardgeorge9750]

1:25 Please consider making a video showing us how you made the small scraper from a chisel.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

The square end of the chisel was shaped very much as I shaped the larger version in kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmamnKWYhdeSbdU. I'd prefer a chisel with a rectangular cross-section rather than one that's bevelled, but that's the only chisel I had the width I needed.

[@CrimeVid]

nice to see you make these, I’ve seen them in your book many times, not seen you make them before. I make coffee spoons, took me a while to get the chuck right, and it took a while to learn to keep out of the way of the handle !

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

There are two other scoop videos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/amepaHSkjp18b6M and kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIKkg2qJnNN1ndE

[@josephpotterf9459]

Thanks Richard i'll be making some or trying to anyway.

[@LewisKauffman]

Thank You!

[@borukagan4543]

Eline sağlık amca helal olsun sana.👍

[@PeterJohn-xn7bf]

Thank you Richard once again. What brand of cloth backed sandpaper do you use? The colour coding makes it very efficient for you when sanding.

[@robertocoiante1981]

Ciao Richard, come dosatori di spezie sono eccezionali. Grazie per aver condiviso il tuo lavoro.

[@imapseudonym1403]

Amazing how you use the skew like that. Not a single catch. I've been woodturning for 5 years now and tried it countless times, every single time, a catch. So, my skew is used as a scraper. It's the only way I don't get a catch.

[@rodneybethel3282]

Was that a spindle gouge you cut the center with? Your videos have help me become pretty comfortable using the skew . Thank You

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I drilled the depth using a ⅛-in shallow fingernail gouge, that could be used as a spindle gouge but which I used as a depth gauge. You could use a standard twist drill, but a small gouge is easier and less likely to catch on entry..

[@marioduchesne1564]

Y'r good

[@SirBenJamin_]

I've often wondered why woodturning lathes don't have the functionality of metal turning lathes, where you can pass the blank all the way through the spindle and out the other side. I can only do it on my lathe for diameters up to about 15mm, which isn't very useful. I think you can fit 25mm inside a M33 thread. This would allow you to have say a 600mm long blank, which you can cut down as you make each new piece. Granted it would only work for small diameter spindle pieces, but for a production turner, would be much quicker, no?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Probably not quicker. In production mode it's as fast to knock the waste out and knock another blank in as it is to feed a blank through a chuck. It used to take me about six seconds, three of which were absorbed by bringing the lathe to a stop. These 22mm square were cut for #3 morse taper and a shade large for this 25mm chuck. Same with the 50mm blanks.

[@vidarreiersen4820]

Nise ! 😄

[@kenvasko2285]

Nice video. Do you try to achieve even wall thickness or do you find it is really not that important in the end? I noticed the ones you made earlier were more consistent and you liked them better.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I aim for an even wall thickness but that's difficult when the tolerances are so fine. Turning these without a strong light and relying on sound increases the difficulty. A lot of people, even turners, think these scoops are easy to make, but they're not.

[@kenvasko2285]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Appreciate the closeup of the scoops at the end of the video. Didn't look like you forgot how to turn them, muscle memory is a powerful thing.

[@haroldsworld]

Going to make me get the skew out again. Very nice. Is that a special fixture for holding them or just the inside of the headstock

[@MichaelKimber]

It is a cup chuck, 25mm inside diameter. They come in varying sizes. Richard has done a previous video on the topic.

[@bonitagoodwin5086]

❤ Too 😎 cool ❤

[@davejohnson8684]

Hello Richard. The tool you use to start hollowing out (at about 1 : 12) you called a 'depth drill'. Is that just a spindle gouge with a very long beveL? TIA

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

you're correct. It's a re-purposed ⅛-in carving shallow carving gouge with a bevel about 30° and fingernail grind. The edge on the wings need to be convex.

[@davejohnson8684]

Thank you.@@RichardRaffanwoodturning

[@luvwud]

Very nice Richard, what do you consider acceptable wall thickness?. Cheers Geoff

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I've never measured one but 1mm is probably a fraction this 2mm starts to look chunky like the three to the right at 12:40. With a bit of sanding on the inner rim I can make those appear thinner. When turning 50-60 a day they tend come out more even than those you see here.

[@patrickgibbons9179]

How wide is the converted joiner’s chisel? It looks to about 3/8” or 1/2”.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

More ¼-in to ⅜-in.

[@DS12-42]

No, it is not as easy as Richard makes it appear. I made a few with “severed” scoops before fine-tuning my technique.

[@DeathMetalMusic-SavedMe]

G'day Richard, I'm a beginner and was informed to look you up. I was wondering if you have a place that you have all your videos, and do any contain beginner stuff, such as what tool does what, sharpening, or a series such as a beginner turners that teach what each tool does. Apologies if you have, I'm not real techy and haven't found it yet, could even been in front of me and I missed it as unfortunately brain injury affects more than memory, and among many life altering injuries and illnesses one is a brain injury and my memory is affected, so if you have a page or sire love to know. You were mentioned as I live in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia 🇦🇺 and I follow a beginners site and a turning site vis Facebook thus I was referred to a Aussie. Cheers Matt and and hope what I rode made sense Cheers 🍻 Matt

[@Tim_Pollock]

Matt, click on his name just below this video. That will open up his KZbin page. At the top of the page you will see several tabs, click on the one that says videos. That will open the page showing you all the videos Richard has uploaded to KZbin. I too live with a serious brain injury and understand your struggles.

[@DeathMetalMusic-SavedMe]

​@@Tim_Pollock G'day thank you for your help, it is greatly appreciated. So far from the beginner's woodturners Facebook page and another Woodturning Facebook page and this referral I have only come across 1 negative person out of all the people that have helped. So I find turners seem to be one of the most helpful and more importantly understanding of my questions and several brain issues like memory, not understanding even a simple sentence sometimes as to me it looks like it's written in Latin and literally makes no sense, same as when I right stuff it sounds and looks good yet makes no sense and people have to let me know that it made no sense. So I deeply appreciate for help and your valuable time in helping also it is received with much thankfulness. I sincerely hope you have an absolutely fantastic weekend and once again I greatly appreciate your help. I hope you have many successful shaving sessions and produce some awesome projects. With much thanks have an absolutely blast of a weekend, hope your headaches/ head pain is good for you this week, Matt 👋👋👋👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🤘🤘🤘🤘🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺😎😎😎😎⚘⚘⚘⚘🇦🇺🇦🇺🤠.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

There's my For Novice Turners Playlist with videos showing some woodturning basics. kzbin.info/aero/PLBAvwOB0lJTS1BKp14ZYb1MBVImnDOY1K I notice there's a woodturning and woodworking club in Maryborough who'll help you get going - maryboroughpark.ourfrasercoast.com.au/events/event/664/maryborough-woodturners-woodcraftsmen-guild

[@Tim_Pollock]

@@DeathMetalMusic-SavedMe You're very welcome Matt. If I can be of any further help just let me know. Most woodturners tend to be a great group of people.

[@uviewer9993]

How much would you sell them for?

[@markb8954]

The question really is, how much would you pay?

[@uviewer9993]

@@markb8954 Sorry, this wasn't very clear. I meant when he was mass producing these in the past. I'm quite interested in the prices of crafts in the past.

[@armus550b]

I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy. He's just..... How?

[@cattleNhay]

Hello ahh Richard ahh thanks ahh for ahh, ahh sharing….ahh

[@ashleyhoward8926]

Quite unnecessary , Many of us find we can learn a lot from this gentleman & I for one have followed his teachings for many years now. Not only did he lead the world in book & video training many years before the internet existed, but he is a most articulate, well spoken & indeed well mannered gentleman. Constructive criticism, yes. Childish negativity, no. Please remember "manners maketh the man" there is still time.