Turning Bowls with Richard Raffan

I have been turning bowls for about three years now and decided it was high time to get some schooling and bought this book. Well written and organized it provided info that took me months to learn on my own in addition to those "why the F#$% is this happening" problems. It was comprehensive, well organized and a great learning tool. I want to buy Mr Raffans Design book but for the reservation that the print quality of this one turns me off. Truth be told; I like books and this one is digitally printed and lacks the quality of an offset print. The photos lack any depth and the color is terrible. I have other, albeit older publication from Taunton Press and have always respected them but this one, not so much.Bottom line, great info and great book but presentation is a C-

Being new to wood turning, I purchased this Kindle book for my Fire so I can research my eventual bowl turning exercise with a recently purchased lathe. My only criticism is that the conversion from print to Kindle book creates odd formatting issues. The pages do not flow well, with many photo captions being exactly as the text body, rendering many deja vu moments! I have no doubt that I will try several of the tricks / skills which Richard shares. I have also purchased a "newbie" ebook for learning the lathe machine inside and out, particularly which turning tool for which application. Richard's book is written was if we know many of the terms already - not best for a new entry to turning, but for a person who is skilled at turning, but is ready to turn a bowl or two.

I found this book very informative and learned a lot about what made some bowls more appealing than others and how to go about achieving that goal of making a better bowl. The instructions on tool usage and techniques gave me a better understanding of what went wrong in some of my turning and how to improve my technique. A great book chocked full of great information.

I keep reading all I can to improve my new hobby. I read through this book many times during my first year of turning and it still keeps teaching me a few new things each time I look through it. I would recommend this book especially to beginners, but also for those still wanting to learn something new about turning.

Very informative; enjoyed it so much; learned a lot.

Excellent book that goes into a lot of details. Raffan goes into details into how he turns bowls, selection of tools, how to hold them, how to cut, etc. It is as if watching one of his videos as he narrates what he is doing.

This is a great book for beginners and more advanced wood turners. As a beginner, I followed the clear instructions and beautiful illustrations and now am turning some beautiful bowls. Richard Raffan is a master turner and teacher.

Just an excellent resource for turners interested in bowl making. I like the way Mr. Raffan writes - even though he is obviously "the master", he doesn't across as preachy or anything like that, but more genuinely instructive. As someone just starting out in woodturning, I appreciate this whenever I open this book and read it.

Recieved this in the mail yesterday, not managed to put it down, in fact i ended up being late for work as i got so into reading it in the morning whilst having breakfast. I'm an experianced wood turner but found this such an informative read that i cant wait to get on my lathe to try out some of the tecniques described and possibly even re-turn some old bowls.I highly reccomend this for any one experianced or complete novice.

turning bowls gets 100 per-cent from me .the filming was spot on and also the explanation of the use of each tool used had my full attention from start to finish ------ turning bowls was my second purchase turning wood being my first ........many thanx to Richard Raffan . I now feel more comfortable being a beginner.

My husband is really pleased with this book, it is just what ha wanted, and at a very good price

This is my husband's new hobby and he is thrilled with the clear demonstration. Very well filmed so you can actually see what you are trying to achieve. This man shares his enthusiasm. Husband delighted - brownie points to me!

Man, Richard... you are a gifted dude!Love this book and the info contained within