I've been quietly following the legend that is Rich Raff for a while now and all the material is exquisite. He has graced us with the largest bank of pure, confident, aggressive and efficient turning demonstrations. But this hollowing job is some of the craziest shit I've ever seen.
For microwave drying I often have good results with this technique: place the bowl in a plastic bag that is closed but not sealed. Microwave and let cool. Pour out the condensed water. Repeat. Using this technique, it keeps the outer wood cella at a high moisture content ( bathed in steam ) while moisture is driven out of the inner material. The outer wood layer never actually dries until you remove it from the bag. By this time most of the moisture is gone. To keep track of the progress, a simple electronic kitchen scale will reveal when you aren't driving out significant moisture - also not much will be condensing in the bag during the cool down cycles. It's not a perfect method, but it's another technique to try. I find it reduces checking. Thanks Richard!
Excellent Bowl Richard....Your video is the first one for me to watch. I much try making the 3 feet----never did that before. Thanks, on to the August project. Sam
Richard, Thank you for not editing out the check issue. It may have been an elementary mistake, but it is knowledge that isn't always explained and seeing what it caused and how to fix it is the best thing to offer those getting started, and even those of us who have experience. Great piece, again thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I really look forward to these monthly projects. It is both interesting to see the different takes each of you has on the project and where you each use similar processes to execute the project. Really appreciate seeing where you each resolve problems as they occur during the projects. Sam wins the award for most honest assessment of a design error this month when he made the statement, "... actually, it was hideous ...". That one made me chuckle.
1st time Richard has needed a hairdryer in 40 years...... I'm teasing Richard! (I'm west Aussies, i feel it's my duty to stir up the eastern staters) Respectfully, my turning has improved immensely in the last month pretty much solely from your channel. What you can turn in a few minutes takes me hours though, I am a mere mortal..
Hi Richard Great entry for the four ways,and nice final warped shape after microwaving.must admit when you mentioned not to walk away while microwaving,that reminded me after falling asleep,waking to a room full of smoke and a burnt bowl.good advice ! Thanks for sharing,your expertise/talent Regards
Very nice Richard. Your embellishment is very good. Subtle. Like the feet too. Excellent entry in the 4 way challenge. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe. 🙂🙂
This four ways series is great! I’ve always wondered what sort of interactions and cross-pollinations you’ve had over the years with other professional turners and with people in other crafts, particularly before the internet. Thanks for your great work and excellent videos!
Thank you very much! I began turning in 1970 in Britain and was fortunate to get to know some very well-known potters, weavers, jewellers, and cabinetmakers who offered valuable critiques. There were no other studio turners until the late 1970s, so I didn't have too much competition as I got established. www.richardraffan.com.au/bio/
"You don't want to have... smoke" Yes. I thought it would be a good idea to put a little piece of cedar to set the bowl on. (yes , my microwave is that dirty). Turns out that the Cedar got quite dry over the course of about 5 90 second zappings, and then started to burn.
Thanks to you guys for the videos.. love watching.. best is while most folks are trying to decide if a bottom feeder this, or this or that grind is best on the bottom inside of a bowl.. you have done the job with a traditional scraper and already sanding. I just tried a square hard maple bowl, wet wood, in the microwave, I thought it would look good distorted but it never distorted is there some woods better for this microwave distortion technique?
Most of the popular cabinetmaking timbers are pretty stable and not likely to warp, which of course is why they're popular for cabinetmaking. Having said that, many timbers with strong medullary rays seem warp quite a bit so are ideal for this sort of work. In Australia casuarinas and banksias distort dramatically as do oaks in the genus Quercus. To test warpabilbiy, turn a 4-in diameter bowl then microwave it for 60-90 seconds on high to see what happens.
Finally managed to watch this. Interesting to see the different approaches you all take, as always. and, also as always a pleasure to watch you work, and to hear you explain the steps. A lovely bowl, will it be a set with the others, or is a series? As to crack repair, do you use different types of wood dust as filler depending on the 'base wood'? Many thanks for another video.
I fill all splits with a mix of African blackwood powder and 5-minute epoxy. It always seems to fit in well. A good substitute is black powder paint or coffee grains. As the wood darkens the black in the splits is less obvious and fits quite well with the medullary rays. As a bowl it's for sale on its own in amongst a dozen others turned the week before last.
The checks happened at the foot you left at the pith. May have been because the wood was thicker there. Might be interesting to try one (or fifty) with no foot at the pith.
At the beginning of the video you see the pith on top of the blank. This is the latest of several hundred similar tripod bowls and the only one in in this batch of 15 bowls where a foot split, probably because the bowl went through the microwave more times than usual and at higher temperatures. I've been microwaving and selling green-turned bowls for 40 years and have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing.
Wonderful bowl. Wondering if the indexing mechanism on the lathe would help layout the feet a little easier. Also thinking the splits unfilled might work in that style of bowl…a little more rugged looked or is there worry of further splitting over time?
Great job Richard, love tripod bowls.... Too bad for the cracks at the end but wood sometimes has mind of its own..... Is casurina some sort of oak family? Sure does look similar .. thank you for this awsome bowl..... Tomislav
Casuarinas are native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. There are a lot of casuarinas in Australia with names like sheoak, river oak, bull oak thanks to the strong medullary rays that reminded early settlers of English oak.
There's a good chance the splits would have occurred anyway, Mike, although I was very aggressive microwaving this batch of bowls as I needed to get them done quickly, one for 4-Ways, the others for a local sales opportunity. Following a suggestion from @boooshes in these responses, I shall try drying bowls in a plastic bag to see if that helps .
Hi Richard, nice job. I see you use a scraper on the inside. Some many years ago 2004, I purchased one of your Henry Taylor Signature Series scrapers that was on a special at the local Woodturner conferencelos. It is a heavy inside bowl scraper (35mm x 10mm x200mm) similar to the Sorby heavy inside scraper. The bevel as supplied was at some 45 degrees , any reason for such a grind, at first I thought it may be a curved skew but the bevel was one side only, and it wasn't very sharp. I have ground the end to some 75 degrees same as all my other scrapers and use it for finishing inside the bowl, at which it excels. What was your design criteria for the design and 45 deg bevel and flat top. Was it meant for another use entirely ? and how was it designed to be sharpened? Thanks Richard
The Raffan Signature scrapers, first marketed around 1984 by Craft Supplies USA, were the first asymmetric scrapers with a longer left wing, soon copied by other manufacturers. Sorby had a 'Raffan style' heavy scraper for a time but it wasn't a shape I'd ever have used. I don’t think gouges or scrapers have ever been ‘designed to be sharpened’ and few come sharp from the manufacturer. Until the fad for negative rake scrapers began around 2010, all scrapers were flat on top with a single bevel . I have yet to encounter any situation where a negative rake scraper does a better job than a traditional scraper. I’ve always put a 45° bevel on all my gouges and scrapers and then a secondary bevel in some situations, largely depending on the diameter of the grinding wheels. You can see me sharpening scrapers in ua-cam.com/video/X5CkrbPr_7s/v-deo.html
Lovely bowl Richard. What size drill do you use for the wormscrew, i vaguely remember reading the diameter changes for wet wood and the hardness of the wood. Thanks Geoff
I've been quietly following the legend that is Rich Raff for a while now and all the material is exquisite. He has graced us with the largest bank of pure, confident, aggressive and efficient turning demonstrations. But this hollowing job is some of the craziest shit I've ever seen.
The format of your videos is by far one of the best I’ve seen
For microwave drying I often have good results with this technique: place the bowl in a plastic bag that is closed but not sealed. Microwave and let cool. Pour out the condensed water. Repeat. Using this technique, it keeps the outer wood cella at a high moisture content ( bathed in steam ) while moisture is driven out of the inner material. The outer wood layer never actually dries until you remove it from the bag. By this time most of the moisture is gone. To keep track of the progress, a simple electronic kitchen scale will reveal when you aren't driving out significant moisture - also not much will be condensing in the bag during the cool down cycles. It's not a perfect method, but it's another technique to try. I find it reduces checking. Thanks Richard!
I never thought of that approach and will definitely give that a go.
That’s a GREAT idea
Agree … great idea! Maybe my wife will be a bit more receptive since bowl is bagged?
@@charlesisrael8717😂
Very good idea never used the bag but can see how this would possibly help me when I dry in my wife microwave (secretly of course)
First time I saw that for feet matter of fact first time I saw feet on a bowl. Ingenious !! Always enjoy your videos, keep it up.
Excellent Bowl Richard....Your video is the first one for me to watch. I much try making the 3 feet----never did that before. Thanks, on to the August project. Sam
Richard, Thank you for not editing out the check issue. It may have been an elementary mistake, but it is knowledge that isn't always explained and seeing what it caused and how to fix it is the best thing to offer those getting started, and even those of us who have experience. Great piece, again thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Love your “groovy” tool! That really makes fast work of getting evenly spaced grooves.
I always learn something from your videos. Thank you for being such a great teacher.
Everytime I watch you work I learn something new. Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge.
Thank you for sharing Richard. I like the use of your hairdryer. Great idea!
I really look forward to these monthly projects. It is both interesting to see the different takes each of you has on the project and where you each use similar processes to execute the project. Really appreciate seeing where you each resolve problems as they occur during the projects. Sam wins the award for most honest assessment of a design error this month when he made the statement, "... actually, it was hideous ...". That one made me chuckle.
Very nice design...I love the tool for making multiple beads at once!
1st time Richard has needed a hairdryer in 40 years...... I'm teasing Richard! (I'm west Aussies, i feel it's my duty to stir up the eastern staters) Respectfully, my turning has improved immensely in the last month pretty much solely from your channel. What you can turn in a few minutes takes me hours though, I am a mere mortal..
Not quite true. I've been using this dryer on bowls since the late nineties.
Very nice bowl Richard! I like the way you did the bottom and the embellishment is a nice addition. Thanks for sharing.
Take care, Dave
Hi Richard
Great entry for the four ways,and nice final warped shape after microwaving.must admit when you mentioned not to walk away while microwaving,that reminded me after falling asleep,waking to a room full of smoke and a burnt bowl.good advice !
Thanks for sharing,your expertise/talent
Regards
Your "feet making technique" was simple and effective. Nice job. Thank you, sir.
Beautiful bowl Richard.
Very nice Richard. Your embellishment is very good. Subtle. Like the feet too. Excellent entry in the 4 way challenge. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe. 🙂🙂
Beautiful bowl!
Excellent video I especially like your grooving tool thank you for sharing
This four ways series is great! I’ve always wondered what sort of interactions and cross-pollinations you’ve had over the years with other professional turners and with people in other crafts, particularly before the internet. Thanks for your great work and excellent videos!
Thank you very much! I began turning in 1970 in Britain and was fortunate to get to know some very well-known potters, weavers, jewellers, and cabinetmakers who offered valuable critiques. There were no other studio turners until the late 1970s, so I didn't have too much competition as I got established. www.richardraffan.com.au/bio/
Thanks for the link. Having no contemporaries sounds like both a blessing and a curse. Glad you were able to persevere and end up where you are today!
@@isaacfisher5615 This an overview of my career as a turner. ua-cam.com/video/T2jFD8UTKjw/v-deo.html
Very nice, Richard.
Nice work. Such a beautiful design.😄😄
"You don't want to have... smoke" Yes. I thought it would be a good idea to put a little piece of cedar to set the bowl on. (yes , my microwave is that dirty). Turns out that the Cedar got quite dry over the course of about 5 90 second zappings, and then started to burn.
Nice clear view of action and explanations. I think you need a bit more horsepower on that lathe. Seems too easy to slow down with roughing cuts.
Thanks to you guys for the videos.. love watching.. best is while most folks are trying to decide if a bottom feeder this, or this or that grind is best on the bottom inside of a bowl.. you have done the job with a traditional scraper and already sanding. I just tried a square hard maple bowl, wet wood, in the microwave, I thought it would look good distorted but it never distorted is there some woods better for this microwave distortion technique?
Most of the popular cabinetmaking timbers are pretty stable and not likely to warp, which of course is why they're popular for cabinetmaking. Having said that, many timbers with strong medullary rays seem warp quite a bit so are ideal for this sort of work. In Australia casuarinas and banksias distort dramatically as do oaks in the genus Quercus. To test warpabilbiy, turn a 4-in diameter bowl then microwave it for 60-90 seconds on high to see what happens.
Casuarinaceae (SheOak) Family. Learned two more things (home made beading tool) what looked like checking is ray-fleck.
Finally managed to watch this. Interesting to see the different approaches you all take, as always. and, also as always a pleasure to watch you work, and to hear you explain the steps. A lovely bowl, will it be a set with the others, or is a series? As to crack repair, do you use different types of wood dust as filler depending on the 'base wood'? Many thanks for another video.
I fill all splits with a mix of African blackwood powder and 5-minute epoxy. It always seems to fit in well. A good substitute is black powder paint or coffee grains. As the wood darkens the black in the splits is less obvious and fits quite well with the medullary rays. As a bowl it's for sale on its own in amongst a dozen others turned the week before last.
The checks happened at the foot you left at the pith. May have been because the wood was thicker there. Might be interesting to try one (or fifty) with no foot at the pith.
At the beginning of the video you see the pith on top of the blank. This is the latest of several hundred similar tripod bowls and the only one in in this batch of 15 bowls where a foot split, probably because the bowl went through the microwave more times than usual and at higher temperatures. I've been microwaving and selling green-turned bowls for 40 years and have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing.
Wonderful bowl. Wondering if the indexing mechanism on the lathe would help layout the feet a little easier. Also thinking the splits unfilled might work in that style of bowl…a little more rugged looked or is there worry of further splitting over time?
Great job Richard, love tripod bowls.... Too bad for the cracks at the end but wood sometimes has mind of its own.....
Is casurina some sort of oak family? Sure does look similar .. thank you for this awsome bowl.....
Tomislav
Casuarinas are native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. There are a lot of casuarinas in Australia with names like sheoak, river oak, bull oak thanks to the strong medullary rays that reminded early settlers of English oak.
Beautiful bowl. Love the feet. Do you think you would have gotten those splits had you air dryed in a box or cupboard?
There's a good chance the splits would have occurred anyway, Mike, although I was very aggressive microwaving this batch of bowls as I needed to get them done quickly, one for 4-Ways, the others for a local sales opportunity. Following a suggestion from @boooshes in these responses, I shall try drying bowls in a plastic bag to see if that helps .
Hi Richard, nice job. I see you use a scraper on the inside. Some many years ago 2004, I purchased one of your Henry Taylor Signature Series scrapers that was on a special at the local Woodturner conferencelos. It is a heavy inside bowl scraper (35mm x 10mm x200mm) similar to the Sorby heavy inside scraper. The bevel as supplied was at some 45 degrees , any reason for such a grind, at first I thought it may be a curved skew but the bevel was one side only, and it wasn't very sharp. I have ground the end to some 75 degrees same as all my other scrapers and use it for finishing inside the bowl, at which it excels.
What was your design criteria for the design and 45 deg bevel and flat top. Was it meant for another use entirely ? and how was it designed to be sharpened?
Thanks
Richard
The Raffan Signature scrapers, first marketed around 1984 by Craft Supplies USA, were the first asymmetric scrapers with a longer left wing, soon copied by other manufacturers. Sorby had a 'Raffan style' heavy scraper for a time but it wasn't a shape I'd ever have used. I don’t think gouges or scrapers have ever been ‘designed to be sharpened’ and few come sharp from the manufacturer. Until the fad for negative rake scrapers began around 2010, all scrapers were flat on top with a single bevel . I have yet to encounter any situation where a negative rake scraper does a better job than a traditional scraper.
I’ve always put a 45° bevel on all my gouges and scrapers and then a secondary bevel in some situations, largely depending on the diameter of the grinding wheels. You can see me sharpening scrapers in ua-cam.com/video/X5CkrbPr_7s/v-deo.html
@@RichardRaffanwoodturning thank you for the very prompt reply.
Lovely bowl Richard. What size drill do you use for the wormscrew, i vaguely remember reading the diameter changes for wet wood and the hardness of the wood. Thanks Geoff
I use a drill fractionally larger than the screw shank for everything except dense desert hardwoods like gidgee.
Nice work. Does your dust collector vent outside of your shop
It does. ua-cam.com/video/twuFE1-6qB0/v-deo.html The major downside is that in winter it removes any heated air.
Nice bowl Richard
Thanks for the time and effort.