Hout Bowl Skew

It does what those of us who use forged or continental gouges are used to. Difference is that the lower portion of the gouge, which is normally not in contact with the piece anyway, is missing altogether. What it doesn't allow, from what pictures I've seen, is the degree of skew that you can employ with a forged gouge. That skew not only helps slice cleanly, but also helps minimize ridging by bridging a bit greater width when guiding the bevel.

but wonder if it's a "gimmick"?

Hello George,

I've has a pair of them for about a year now. They are flat on the bottom, but have a curved cutting edge because of the somewhat shallow flute. They are used flat on the tool rest and sive a sort of shear scrape producing tiny fine shavings to clean up the inside and outside of bowls. They work better than a scraper for this final clean up. I did a review on them several months ago in More Woodturning. I don't offhand remember which issue. They are a finishing tool and not a turning tool; i.e., use your bowl gouge to do all of the turning and then the Hout Bowl Skew to clean up the little ridges left by the gouge.

Fred Holder