Turning Wood with Richard Raffan [Paperback]

Richard Raffan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

The appeal of woodturning is simple: with only a few hand tools and a lathe, remarkable results can be quickly achieved, including beautiful bowls, boxes in the round, lamp bases, and furniture parts. And for over 20 years, woodturners have been turning to Richard Raffan for expert advice and inspiration. Revised and updated to embrace the increase and improvement in turning tools and lathes now on the market, this updated and expanded edition of his 1985 classic covers everything from the lathe -- how it works and how to choose the right model -- to fixings, cutting tools, safety, measuring, centerwork, and more. Raffan also includes a brand new chapter on crafting hollow vessels.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Raffan is an internationally respected woodturning artisan and teacher. Collectors prize Raffan's gallery-quality production pieces, and he is the author of Turning Wood, Turning Boxes, and The Complete Illustrated Guide to Turning.

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press; 3 Upd Exp edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156158956X
• ISBN-13: 978-1561589562
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watching this Video will make you run to the shop and do it., January 16, 2001

By 

Steven Woodward (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Turning Wood [VHS] (VHS Tape)

As a skilled amateur cabinetmaker I assumed that lathe work would be easy to add to my skill set. I bought a good lathe and set of chisels a few years ago, for a specific project, but put it away after that because it was just too difficult, scary, unpredictable, and unsatisfying. I knew the problem was with me because the tools were good. I needed a good teacher. I looked at several books but they were of little help. Then I discovered Richard Raffan through a Fine Woodworking magazine article and now suddenly I have a new confidence and have made some useful things in a short time. What caused this change ? Watching Richard Raffan on video, doing real work at normal speed, close up shots, with his constant explanation of what he is doing. Most of my woodworking I learned from books (Tage Frid is very good for cabinetwork). My conclusion is that lathe work is different from most other woodworking skills. Body and tool motion are key, you can't learn much by reading, you have to watch someone in person, or on video. The Richard Raffan book is the best I have seen as far as books go. The video shows the page number of the book, where you get an expansion on the topic being shown.

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Turning Wood with Richard Raffan, March 8, 2000

By 

James B. Ziegler (Collingswood High School, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turning Wood [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Mr. Raffan is an excellent teacher of the art of wood turning. My high school technology classes watched his excellent techniques with enthusiasm and could not wait to go out to the shop to turn a bowl or other project on the lathe. I also learned several new techniques as the camera shots were outstanding with close ups, perfect sound, perfect lighting contrasting various cuts into the wood, and other enhancements such as overdubbed narration to keep the flow of information perfectly timed. He also saved me hours with how to properly sharpen tools the quickest way. Even the students feel confident about doing the job themselves. Although this is excellent material for a high school shop, it is by no means too simple for the veteran turner! I was amazed that Richard was able to condense years of skill and technique into such a well done video. I am certain that, no matter what you know about wood turning, you will enjoy Richard's fresh presentation of almost 2 hours divided into several easy to digest segments.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!!, September 15, 2003

By 

Michael W Hale (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turning Wood [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I was directed to this video by a salesperson at a woodworking specialty shop I was visiting, who put the video on for me to watch there at the the store. I was immediately mesmerized by the simplicity and yet extreme skill of Mr. Raffan's work. I was at the woodworking shop picking up chisels and basics tools to go with my recently acquired lathe, prepared to jump right in and pick up this skill like I had other woodworking skills; just jumping in and making a ton of mistakes. Instead, I walked out of that store with a copy of the video in my shopping bag.

I have watched the video 8 times now, and it seems that every time I pick up some new nuance as I watch Mr. Raffan work. I have successfully made several small projects on the lathe, thanks to this video, and am absolutely enthralled with the process. I recommend this video to anyone picking up lathe work. My wife calls it my "video" much like she calls the kids favorite cartoon tape their "video". I imagine I will wear it out eventually.