Search query: «richard raffan»

Re: Best Beginner Woodturning Book

JL

Too wide reaching a question (IMO).

What sort of turning would you like to do?

Bowl? Spindle? Furniture?

I like Richard Raffan's books - his "Complete Illustrated Guide to Turning" is good.

But frankly, experience is the best teacher. Take a turning class or three.

You will get a lot more out of it (stance, how to hold tools, etc.) than any book.

Re:  llama chute?

John K Jordan

Bill,

Probably far more than you wanted to know,,,

The llama restraint chute was the first thing I built with the welding room in my new shop. It's purpose is to restrain llamas and alpacas for shearing, toe trimming and medical procedures. Camelids are notoriously difficult to work with since they do not tolerate being touched, especially on the legs. Our biggest weighs over 350 lbs, incredibly strong and could be impossible to work with and even accidentally quite dangerous if unrestrained.

This chute is patterned roughly after a commercial chute but with many enhancements. It has swing-out or removable side panels to provide access as needed. Padded neck bars squeeze in front of the shoulders so the animal can't move forward. Straps connect to the halter so he can't backup, jump up, or lay down. There are other straps and restraints for a particularly uncooperative animal. Detachable wheels let me roll it around as needed. My livestock scale fits inside for animal weights. The whole thing will unbolt for transport if needed but rides ok in a pickup bed as is.

I made it from square steel tubing with plywood door panels and floor. All of these are coated with BLO on all sides. While this is stored outside under a roof it does sit out occasionally and gets wet otherwise. It has held up well. I used it this evening to shear the brown llama with the black face in the last photo.

Making this chute saved me perhaps $1500-2000 minus a bit of steel, much of which was already in my stock. (I love my new shop. Wood (flat and turning) with cyclone DC, welding, machining, vehicle maintenance, electronics, fiber processing, bee stuff, and office with microscopes, dvd, and wifi. And the most important thing for a feeble elderly guy: heat and air!)

Come visit! I think last time I saw you was at the Richard Raffan demo in Crossville.

JKJ

Re: demonstrating hollow form turning

don stephan

In his bowl turning dvd Richard Raffan lopped off perhaps 20% on one side. If I remember correctly, that was enough to allow some visualization of the inside of the form as it was spinning on the lathe.

Re: What finish would you use on a cutting board?

ThomD

Walnut oil is polymerizing, and will dry hard. One simply has to avoid getting the stuff with added vitamin E, or anything else that will be an anti-oxidizer. Sadly the health kick with oils for consumption has affected the availability of drying oils. You can also use tung oil. Just be sure it is pure polymerizing TO.

I have had positive results using mineral oil topped with wax. Richard Raffan makes gallery pieces that way, one of which I have, and the surface has held up over the years. But it does depend on doing it correctly, and on the right woods, looks yellow on maple. And it helps to do it at lathe speeds, and it doesn't hold up to washing.