Richard Raffan on identifying fiddleback grain, then cutting blanks and rough-turning two bowls.

[@Mortalis2]

Hehe, love the humor... 'Lost this bit and then found it in the garden!' 'Date this so that when it gets lost in the box and I find it three years later I know when it was turned!' This is so true of most of us turners.

[@robertprobert7236]

All ways. Good to. Watch and. Learn. A lot😊

[@jackthompson5092]

I can’t wait to see them finished Richard.

[@petermarsh4993]

Dear Richard, my penny’s worth would offer another name for your wood: Melaleuca styphelioides or prickly paperbark. Large trees of this shed sheaves of beautiful corky bark that you can use in the garden to pack into baskets and wall plantings. Thanks for your woodworking video.

[@James-mb6jt]

Knowledge is wealth

[@stevenhansen8641]

Thanks for the time and effort Richard. I enjoy your videos very much.

[@tf484]

Richard, love your channel, I have learned a lot from you. I'm 99% sure that is Melaleuca nervosa, which this Yankee in South Africa has turned a bit of. In fact, I'm slowly working on a branch with similar fiddle back. The drying process for this wood is difficult, as I find it wants to crack and tear itself apart. Good luck with it.

[@josephpotterf9459]

Thanks Richard

[@waynemartin4737]

Looks like melaleuca amaryllis to me. Often seen in the middle of the Hume hey south of campbelltown.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Thank you. We seem to be homing in on some sort of melaleuca.

[@jonh1808]

Richard, if you ever get the inclination, would you mind turning one of your Citadel boxes please. They are by some margin my favourite style of box I’ve ever seen anyone turn. Thanks, Jon

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

The problem is finding dry lumps of burl with suitable fissures and other defects. I'll see what I can do with what I have.

[@jonh1808]

Sorry, I didn’t realise it was burl you made them from.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

@@jonh1808 reddish or yellowish burl with splits is ideal and have a go with a pretty solid old redgum post. I'll get at them tomorrow so they'll be up early July.

[@milasiroky3301]

I would be quite interested in what kind of wood it is. He looks nice. Thank you.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I'd like to know too. I need to do some research.

[@jimmit77]

Could be the fairly common melaleuca quinquinerva

[@jorisdemoel3821]

That is a lovely grain. Amazing what you can find when you keep an eye out for it. And amazing what people consider to be firewood. You mentioned that you didn't want to microwave the rough bowls because of the nice grain, how does microwaving affect that? Does it warp, or fade, or possibly crack? Thanks for another instructive and amusing video.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Mostly I was worried about splitting. I've a few more figured pieces so will finish a few green and see what happens. After three days these bowls are looking stable.

[@johnmitchell1614]

Good morning from a dreich Scotland Richard. Is the fiddleback figure caused by the weight of the tree's branches squashing or stretching a particular area of the wood? Trust you're doing well, best regards.

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Usually in stressed areas, yes.This is probably melaleuca.