At the time, Mr Raffan knew little about the craft and thought he would be able to decide whether he enjoyed the work “within a couple of weeks”.

Almost four decades later, Raffan is one of the world’s best-known woodturners.

On July 18 he will visit the Southern Highlands Woodies to help budding craftsmen on their way to becoming more efficient at their work.

“I’ll be showing them how to do what they are doing more efficiently,” he said.

From his Canberra home, Mr Raffan continues to ply his trade, selling pieces through a handful of trusted retailers.

He also teaches intermediate to advanced summer classes in woodturning at Sturt.

Mr Raffan enjoys the challenges of working with green wood from freshly -felled trees.

“Green timber yields far more useable material than seasoned, and its much more fun to turn,” he said.

Mr Raffan’s work is designed to have a “timeless” appeal, and he said it should “last for centuries”.

With influences including traditional Japanese, Korean and Middle Eastern ceramic works to contemporary Australian wood-turners such as Greg Collins, Mr Raffan’s work is varied and classic in its own right.

Mr Raffan is always happy to pass along his passion for woodturning to new students, and has been teaching summer classes at Sturt for the last four years, continuing an association with the wood school that began in 1977.

He challenges students to increase their efficiency and confidence and demonstrates a variety of techniques and pieces for his charges.

Mr Raffan’s students can expect to learn aspects of facework, endgrain hollowing, sharpening, and timber selection, among others.

Mr Raffan has also returned to the classroom as a student, taking both writing and metal casting classes at Sturt over the past few years.

It is the community feel of Sturt that draws him back year after year.

“I enjoy the energy and the mix of different disciplines and good feedback from artists working nearby who you don’t usually get to see,” he said.

There are some things Mr Raffan does not like about the profession.

“There is a preoccupation with woodworkers to be more interested in the wood than in the object,” he said.

“I disagree. Form is the most important thing.”

Sturt is special to Raffan. He said it a is unique environment to work and learn because of “the interaction between the community of artists.”