Customer Reviews

Turning Wood with Richard Raffan (Fine Woodworking Book)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have some experience in turning wood. I am getting back into it and wanted to freshen up on some safety items. I was having a hard time finding what speed to start turning a piece of wood I had preparted. After reviewing several book on a book store shelf, this book was the only one that actually has a chart for wood sizes and speeds to match. I think this is very, very important. For this reason alone I would give this book a 5 star rating; valuable information that other authors left out.

Raffan's book is excellent! There is also a video that is available that gives footnotes to pages in the book. I have been turning for a year and a half and I was given a copy of the video and I later purchased the book. It has helped me greatly as I study it. He covers sharpening, turning spindles, bowls, boxes and making other round things.

As a brand new wood lather owner, I wanted a book that would give me some basic instruction, some exercises and a simple project or two. I was not disappointed in Turning Wood by Richard Raffan. Mr. Raffan writes with humor although what he is saying is not to be taken lightly. He cautions again the things that can harm a new turner and even one who has worked on a lathe for years such as wrapping a rag around your fingers when applying oil to a project or an even better one: "Don't work when you are tired".

Turning Wood begins with an explanation of the parts of the machine and continues with the extras one could buy to enhance/make your turning easier. He discusses chucks, drives, faceplates and adhesives. There is even a chapter on sharpening the tools which is very important as a dull tool can get you hurt. He also recommends getting The Complete Guide to Sharpening by Leonard Lee which I plan on purchasing. He does speak to safety many, many times and I have to agree that this is one area that cannot be over emphasized.

The projects offered were a Pencil Pot, a Vase and even a Lidded Box. He does recommend "wasting" wood so you become familiar with the best way to make grooves, coves- turn your square blank to a cylinder, create your grooves, coves and bead and turn it back to a cylinder again and keep repeating until there is nothing left. Simply stated PRACTICE, PRACTICE and more PRACTICE! As in all woodworking, dust and wood chips are a constant. Mr. Raffan describes how to make a Handmade Vacuum System.

I did find several proofing errors in the book like the one on page 62: "Over the years I've had four lots of stitches mending my face and forehead..." and a photo reference on page 14 that refers to page 65 (the actual graphic is on 67). I also found a sentence split by the Vase project which took me a bit to figure out where the end of the sentence was. It was four pages over.

I thought a glossary of terms would have been useful to the novice turner. And it would have been nice if the book were ring/wire bound as it would stay flat on my workbench so I could reference the exercises and projects as I used the lathe.

All in all, this is one book that every beginning turner should invest in. If you do nothing other than look at the photos and read their captions, you will get a small part of what this book is all about. It is packed-full of all the do's and don'ts of turning wood.

Great book. Very useful for a novice, particularly with regard to tool selection & use.

I ordered this book following rave reviews on other sites. I have to say I am not disappointed. The way Raffan teaches is simple and to the point. This book should be considered a bible for woodturners.

I very likely own every book and DVD Richard Raffan has put out. I admire his work, with its pure and flowing form. And I'm often astonished, when watching him, with his displays of technique that makes things I still find challenging look easy. I do have one problem with most of the books and a few of the DVDs - while there is considerable information in them the overall level is a bit beyond complete beginner. It helps a good deal, for example, if one has actually attempted several boxes under someone's tutelage before attempting to make one straight from Raffan's instructions. I don't believe that this is Raffan's fault, but rather a problem of photographing or drawing the dynamic actions of the turner. I find that I get the most out of these resources when I already understand the basics. Truth would have it, there are very few books that will turn a beginner into a turner. This is a hobby where apprenticeship really pays off.

Turning Wood is the exception to this rule. Not only is the text quite clear, but there are countless photographs and drawings that actually capture the techniques and approaches. Raffin focuses on technique, which is fine, but I wish he had spent even more time discussing design. For that I suggest you take a look at Turning Boxes, another of his best books. But from a how to viewpoint, there is not better book.

I would suggest making a point of acquiring this book. It will help you develop good habits early instead of having to unmake bad ones. From here you can branch out in any direction of the myriad the lathe has to offer and know that you have what it takes to accomplish what you want. Next to having a teacher this will be your best resource.

165 pages. 16 page color gallery. A technique book, not many projects, a lot of instruction on tool usage. Projects include: Box, Scoop, Light Pull Knob, Bowl, tool handle. Contents: The Lathe; Fixings: Drives, Faceplates & Chucks; Cutting Tools; General Approach; Measuring; Centerwork; Facework; Notes on Finishing; Gallery; Appendices: Troubleshooting; Selecting Timbers; Make a tool handle; Make a screw faceplate.

An excellent book for the beginner to the art of woodturning. It is an invaluable item to have alongside the lathe

This book covers basics of setting up as a beginning woodturner, emphasizing use of and practice with the most common tools and techniques. Many pictures of Raffan's projects, to illustrate where the craft/skills can take you. An excellent companion DVD is available, and I recommend the combination, so you can see the techniques applied, both at his usual production speed (very fast and fluid), and slowed down so you can capture the detail of turning practices. The DVD is cross-referenced to the book.

Ii found this book very helpful and picked up a lot of tips. I recommend it along with with Barry Gross's book "Learn to Turn".