Richard Raffan converts the end of a green elm log to woodturning blanks.
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- See how I cut the end of an elm log into six defect-free blanks for woodturning. At the end of the video you see the eight finished bowls, pots, and tubes that resulted.
Many years ago, Richard taught us that cutting circles out of a nice board was great; but not to discard the odd shaped offcuts. Those offcuts then make small items such as his scoops & it is they which actually pay for the board. The lovely bowl blanks can actually end up being free of charge. Obviously, this remains true to this day. I would urge viewers to read his books, not least "The art of turned bowls".
You have taught me more about turning over these long years than anyone else. Starting with the first of your books long ago and continuing through your UA-cam videos. I so much appreciate you masterful instruction. Thank you from Sumner County, Tennessee, USA.
I'm glad to have been of some help and many thanks for your support.
I am constantly amazed by your ability to recognize the potential of a lump of wood. What looks like a single bowl or platter to me, you turn into 6 or 8 smaller pieces. Sometimes I think I would rather watch you bandsaw out blanks than to watch the turning itself. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂
I agree with Glenn. Seeing what you envision from within a slab is enlightening to me.
Thanks for all that you share Richard! I loved that you showed the completed turnings at the end!!
You inspired me to start working with green wood back in October. It has brought my woodturning experience to a whole new level. I find that cutting into each piece of wood is like a treasure hunt.
Thank you for all that you do for the turning community and sharing your expertise.
So very helpful to be shown the potential that exists in a large, green slab and how to go about cutting it up!
I do love seeing you cut so many blanks that become beautiful things from a slab. Very educational I look forward to seeing those turned. Many thanks!
I do enjoy your videos it is nice of you to share your work. I worked in a sawmill for 5 years and many of the guys I worked with who had been there longer were missing fingers from industrial accidents. I was really quite nervous for you watching your cavalier methods on the bandsaw. Im not going to the lengths of a H&S tickbox worksheet but oh my - please go canny they cut flesh an bone quicker than you can react to it.
I always look forward to your videos I always seem to learn something new
Regards
Steve UK London
Mate your style and experience is amazing and a resource I value a great deal. You have the skill honed from many years of practice that I am sure all of your followers look up to. Keep on keeping on… cheers!
Very nice, looking forward to seeing each piece made. Thank you.
Thanks Richard those all turned out great
Nice work dude. Beautiful piece of wood 😍😍
I have a few questions for you, Richard. When if ever, do you use a fence on your bandsaw? I know my spindle blanks got a lot straigter when I got a larger BS with a fence. Also, lots of woodturners seem to use a 3/8" 3tpi blade. Why the preference for a 1/2"?
Please consider doing a UA-cam video on the process of making a lid box. I believe making lid boxes is just about the most fun thing you can do on a lathe. I have your book and video on box making, and they’re incredibly good.
There are several videos on endgrain boxes in the Boxes playlist including ua-cam.com/video/-P12CjMe0as/v-deo.html, ua-cam.com/video/ef_jXqvc5bg/v-deo.html, and ua-cam.com/video/H641_l_5kn4/v-deo.html
Thank you, Richard. I have now gone back and looked at those previous videos of end grain boxes, and I learned something every time I watch them. Ned.
Thanks for sharing 👍
It is really instructive watching how you work through the candidate projects that a log will provide. That elm has some very attractive figure. When breaking down green wood like this, even after you remove the splits, do other splits develop in the smaller blanks as drying continues?
As you'll see in some of the follow-up videos, there was further splitting which is partly why there are eight pieces from six blanks. Once blanks are turned to an even wall thickness you can expect them to warp rather than split further.
Do you actually dry your wood stumps after sealing them Mr Raffan? or do you just go ahead and cut them into pieces and then put them aside to dry, or just straight up turn them while theyre green? I ask coz ive run into a truck load of stumps the local council threw out and have no idea how to stop them from splitting and keep them useful for turning down the line and not have them end up as firewood.... any advice?
It's impossible to deliver advice that covers all timbers because some trees/logs are more prone to splitting than others. You'll find over 30 videos in the Cutting Blanks playlist ua-cam.com/play/PLBAvwOB0lJTSIwNPfjT8n5Zl1T3h-fzgy.html that pretty well cover my approach to cutting green logs to very well-seasoned boards. It pays to get green logs into billets, cutting or splitting the logs along the major splits, then seal then ends.
@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Thank you, ive pretty much watched the whole 'cutting blacks' playlist. Im fine with processing the wood when i need it, however im kind of lost on pre-processing and post processing the wood - how to avoid cracks when you get your hands on a stump until you process it. And also how to avoid cracks after processing the wood into blanks. I processed some blanks out of acacia and apple (green wood both maybe 2 month since cutting) - both end up with cracks even after taking out the pith (apple moreso than the acacia). Was hoping there was some trick here im unaware of?
@@DigitalNative01 Sadly no tricks that I've come across. Apple is notorious for splitting as are many timbers. You won't find those commercially available given that few woodworkers are interested in paying good money for a split board. Over the centuries woodworkers have learnt which timbers work well and it's those you find readily available commercially. However even amongst those commonly available timbers you'll find occasional boards that can be difficult to work and learn to avoid them. Seasoned boards without a few splits at each end are rare.
@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Hmmm food for thought. Unfortunately the timber yards where im located stock mostly pine or poplar, not the most useful of woods when turned into kitchen utensils or bowls besides looking pretty. Any other species of wood is nigh impossible to come across unless its on the side of the road or being cut down from a garden. Guess its going to be a case of trial and error as many things often are. Thank you for sharing your experience on here - ive learnt quite alot. Much appreciated.
backing out of a cut "under power" is asking for trouble. I always turn the machine off and wait for the blade to stop before backing out of a cut. It wont hurt you, but a kinked blade after it comes off the drive wheel is an unnecessary expense.
Okay, it's a bad professional habit and not to be recommended, but I get away with it 99 times out of 100, or more likely 499 our of 500.
Any details on the bandsaw you are using anywhere?
Its a laguna 14". Pretty sure he talks about it in another of his videos. What do you want to know about it though?
The bandsaw is a Laguna 14/12 on which I use ½-in and ¾-in 3tpi blades.