Richard Raffan turns a claret ash ball

Here you see how I turn a sphere - in this case a ball to go with the skittles you see in • Richard Raffan on turn... .

[@martingayle5376]

Awesome demonstration! I really appreciate that you show the whole process in real time in your videos.

[@Penqueen2010]

What Richard Raffan is able to turn on his Lathe is nothing short of excellent and extraordinary.

[@patrickgibbons9179]

We asked, you answered. Making the ball seems harder than making the pin. Thank you for elucidating the process.

[@johnnyb95678]

Thank you for taking the time to walk us through the entire process.

[@Penqueen2010]

I have just sent this demonstration to my son, who lives in Townsville. He needs to show it to Beau, his younger son who loves to turn timber over the weekends.

[@sunpowerrules]

You make it look simple. Now I have to have a go of it! Practice and more practice. Thanks, Richard!

[@AlienLeader4]

Wow just amazing. I really like how you provide information on the processes in your videos. Keep up the amazing work. 👽

[@glencrandall7051]

Nicely done Richard. Your method is similar to the one that Alan Stratton uses. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@jakegevorgian]

I was on my toes the whole time of this video. It came out perfectly!

[@nickjan67]

My Xmas present for my grandchildren has been decided. Thank you much!

[@cobberpete1]

Made a 75mm a couple of days ago, and now need to make 12 x 25mm spheres over the next few days. A neighbour wants a Solar system mobile for a grand child. Thanks Richard. I will try your quartering technique next time I make larger balls.

[@peterrobertson3632]

Amazing hands 😮 and eye...looks so simple when you do it.

[@williamhector6863]

I would just like to take this time Richard and thank you for your educational videos. I’ve been wood turning for a number of years. However, I can truly say your videos of help me to hon my skills and to improve ones and even develop new ones so I do appreciate what you are teaching and just wanted to thank you at this point safe turning and thank you once again regards william

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

I'm delighted to know I'm able to provide a few insights. We can always improve.

[@Penqueen2010]

Richard Raffan, I have sent your video to my son Robert, who lives in Townsville. He will show it to Beau, my grandson who loves to turn timber over the weekends.

[@jackthompson5092]

Great lesson Richard.

[@annaredd2422]

Thank you for another great informative video, I love your content and just about the only one I enjoy watching turn these days.

[@soomcire]

Cool timing, just made my first few spheres last week!

[@colinchalmers1099]

Nice one Richard,thanks for sharing,cheers Colin.

[@seamusday1964]

Going to try this method. Thanks for posting

[@tonysmith3143]

Beautiful bowl

[@canterburyfishingadventures]

Excellent work, if I tried that it would end up shaped like an egg,

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Give it a go - you might surprise yourself.

[@johnwhitteron5296]

You make the impossible look possible. 😂

[@josephpotterf9459]

Thanks Richard i have made a few spheres with various outcomes none great for sure thanks agin

[@MarklTucson]

Really appreciate seeing this in real time; it's helpful seeing all of the details and what happens at each step.

[@marcusfairly2688]

I have been intending to make a sphere for ages, but never got round to it :-).

[@Trashed20659]

Kinda looks like the planet Jupiter too.

[@joescarborough1]

That is roughly the same method I use, though I take mine down one more facet to a hexadecagon. An eye injury in 1970 effectively destroyed my depth perception so the extra facet gets me closer to round to start with. At least that's my justification. 😉

[@DavidBird-uu8km]

Very Nice.

[@woodwoman9130]

Brilliant!

[@kenvasko2285]

When a woodturner can turn a sphere, they have arrived. I noticed you had moments of silence while you shaped the piece. I liked that. It showed concentration, not turning on auto-pilot. I liked the one line technique. Are your ash trees being attacked like the ash trees in the US?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Claret ash trees suffer some dieback in the crown but my understanding is that the cause is as yet unknown.

[@kenvasko2285]

@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is an invasive, wood-boring beetle that kills ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) by eating the tissues under the bark. Native to northeastern Asia, emerald ash borer (EAB) was first detected in the United States in 2002 and is thought to have been introduced from China via the wood from shipping crates.

[@brianhawes3115]

My first few spheres were made this way, but I had trouble making the jamb chuck, so I thought up a new way that doesn’t use them and had such great success, thinking I had just re- invented the way their made only to discover that woodturner 21 had already used it!! 😂

[@davidmawer859]

What’s your method, please?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

​@@davidmawer859 Another way is similar but between cup centres. The key is aligning the original centreline along the lathe axis between cup centres.

[@brianhawes3115]

@@davidmawer859 hey , it’s on the woodturner 21 KZbin, but it uses two cup chucks one on the head and the other on the tail and they help you shave off the ghost image

[@woodturner21]

@@davidmawer859if it’s as mine like Mike says here was a very quick video I made Hand woodturning a sphere kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXe2nYR_i6eVgJY

[@I_M_Nonno]

Why do we not see you using your signature curved skew chisel?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

You see it here. These days I use an edge that is 15°-20° off square with only a slight radius.

[@mikepullen8028]

Richard for my first bowl gouge what size would you recommend

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

For turning diameters less than 200mm / 8-in, a ⅜-in / 10mm. For larger, a ½-in.

[@mikepullen8028]

Thank you Richard thats very helpful cheers mike

[@TheUnseenWaffle]

@RichardRaffan what live center are you using for the drive?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

Standard 4-spur drive.

[@ericmoorehead1100]

Does it matter how far into the jam chucks the sphere go in?

[@RichardRaffanwoodturning]

If they go too far into the chuck it's difficult to remove the waste, a problem I was having.