Weekend with Raffan

[Mike Golka]

I spent this past weekend with Richard Raffan. Well sort of, I took a three day course with him at a wood store in Calgary. The man certainly knows his way around the lathe:eek:. I have probably forgotten half of what he imparted on the group:confused:. So much to learn--- so few brain cells:o. It was a fantastic experience, Richard is a great teacher and I would highly recommend any chance to take a course with him. Here are a few of the things I made on the last day. No finish on them yet. Cherry boxes and maple bowl.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow - great looking turnings! Nothing like taking a course from a Master! Congrats on that!

Really like the lidded boxes! Great looking form on the bowl! Beautiful grain!

[John Keeton]

Mike, that had to have been a blast!! You ended up with some neat turnings, as well as a boatload of knowledge. They certainly appear classic Raffan.

I have watched his earlier DVDs, and have one of his books. He truly is a master!

[Mike Willeson]

Love the cherry wood. Very nice turnings Mike.

[Joe Adams]

Lucky dog!

[Baxter Smith]

Very nice turnings. Must have been a great experience!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Great looking boxes and bowl. I met Richard at the Symposium and he is really great to talk to. Watched his demo and just was amazed.

[David E Keller]

Great gloat and great looking turnings as well.

[Moshe Eshel]

And these turnings are certainly a credit to your ability and his teaching abilities...

His (Raffan) were the first turning books I ever bought or read - and I still enjoy re-reading them (it took awhile until I understood some of his points)!

[Tony De Masi]

Great gloat and turnings as well. He is a true master indeed. Glad you had this opportunity.

Tony

[bob svoboda]

Wow! Nice work and great gloat. I just finished watching Raffan's "Turning Wood" and "Turning Projects" videos and was very impressed with both his turning abilities and his teaching style.

[Mike Golka]

Thank you all for your kind words. Richard certainly is a master turner. He makes everything look so easy but does not hesitate to personaly guide you through any trouble you may be having. He is very personable and easy to talk to as well, a real gentlemen.

[Andrew Derhammer]

Nice work, I know what you mean when you say you probably took in only half the information. David Ellsworth just presented at our past meeting of our club and I was just in awe at how he has it down to a science.

[Ryan Baker]

Richard is one of the great turners. It's a lot of fun to sit back and watch him go to town with a skew at the speed of light. But man does he move fast. That's the beauty of watching his DVDs -- you can put it on slow-motion! (and rewind) Those boxes certainly do have a Raffan flair to them.

[Dave Carey]

I "met" him at the Richmond AAW symposium a couple of years ago. I was in the back of his first presentation so showed up early for the one after lunch to get a seat in the front. I was so early it was just him and me. I asked him about one of the techniques he had shown in the morning that I couldn't quite see. He said let's throw something on the lathe and proceedied to do so, roughing out a bowl in a couple of minutes, showing me the technique and handing me the tool to try it. I looked up and there were about 20 people clustered around us. All I could think was please, no catch! Bottom line - the guy could not have been nicer. I envy you the weekend course!