Turning
Wood
Updated and Expanded Third Edition
with Richard
Raffan
Softcover
215 x 275mm
218pp
Published by The Taunton Press, Connecticut, USA.
R.R.P.$29.90
ISBN 978-1-56158-956-2
Completely revised and updated, this classic now includes an all-new chapter on hollow vessel turning.
As reviewed in The Australian Woodworker Issue 106
Richard Raffan is an outstanding woodturner and when he puts out a new book, turners throughout the world sit up and take notice. As with Turning Wood with Richard Raffan, written in the 1980s, this revised edition won't disappoint. It chronicles what Raffan calls 'fresh insights' into woodturning, gained on the international woodturning circuit where he has been teaching and demonstrating over the last eighteen years. He describes Turning Wood with Richard Raffan - Completely Revised and Updated, as a 'manual of hand techniques' aimed at explaining 'how to cut any internal or external surface' and the pitfalls involved.
These pitfalls are many, and Raffan clearly identifies the things to watch out for in each of the eight chapters, highlighting special quotes for emphasis.
Turning the pages, you will find an introduction to the business end of the lathe, how it works, lathe fixings, their applications and various projects.
Selecting the right cutting tools and how to sharpen and hone them are detailed. This is followed by the all important safety aspects of tool handling and cutting. These include those easily overlooked workshop practices, such as reminding yourself as you approach any machine, that it is potentially dangerous and to 'advance with care from the right direction'.
You will find chapters on Measuring, Centrework, Facework and Finishing. An added bonus is that measurements are given in both Imperial and Metric, which makes the material easily accessible to woodturners worldwide.
What makes this book stand out is that Raffan seems to be directly talking to the reader and demonstrating (using detailed photographs) what he is doing. One example of this can be seen in the section on Cutting Tools. Raffan demonstrates how to grind a round-nose scraper by swinging it from side to side for the nose and then pitching it up to 'grind the steep, long left side'.
This is a must-have addition to Raffan's first edition and suitable for woodturners of all levels.
Photos: Colour
Contents
Introduction
The
Lathe:
How It Works
The Headstock
The Tailstock
Centers
The Bed and Stand
Switches and Motors
Speeds
Center Height
Tool Rests
Choosing a Lathe
Fixings:
Drives
Faceplates
Chucks
Adhesives
Cutting
Tools:
Selection
Sharpening
Honing
Afterword
Safety,
Tool Handling & Cutting:
Overall Safety
Tool Handling
Cutting
Measuring:
Centering Blanks
Marking Out Spindles
Outside Diameters
Inside Diameters
Diameters on a Face
Inside Depths
Wall Thickness
Shortcuts
Centerwork:
External Shaping
Hollowing
Facework:
External Shaping
Hollowing
Pushing Your Limits
Decoration
Hollow
Vessels :
Blanks and Fixings
Hollowing Tools
Hollowing Rigs
Making
a Vessel
Measuring Wall Thickness
Finishing:
Abrasives
Oil-and-Wax Finishes
Afterword
Appendix A: Troubleshooting
Appendix B: Selecting and Seasoning Wood
Index