Skew Chisel Fustration

Paul, I've followed this thread with interest since the skew is my favorite tool. Using the skew is like shaving with a straight razor, the blade glides across the skin on its bevel and you do the same with the skew on the wood. With the lathe off, hold the skew against the wood and rotate the piece to see how and where the skew is cutting; understanding this helps a lot.

Good Luck Ruth

I recall a post I made some time back bemoaning the skew. IIRC you were one of the turners that gently corrected me, and I went back to the lathe and spent some time learning to use the tool.

I never did express my thanks for that correction. I quite enjoy using the skew now.

Thanks.

djb

This may help some:

Bill, I have to respectfully disagree with you. As Allan Batty, the master of the skew chisel says, it is not the tip of the long point that causes the catch. The tip is what makes that spiral you see, but that's because the tip is the last thing that was drawn into the wood when the long straight edge became unsupported and dug into the wood. Like any other woodturning tool, when you lift the bevel off the wood the edge is unsupported and it can dig in. It's not the point that causes the catch, it's the unsupported edge. That said, a skew with more mass such as Alan Lacer uses is much friendlier than a small oval skew such as the Sorby. Try making a skew out of a 3/8 thick square scraper, easing the corners a bit, and you will be amazed at how much more friendly it becomes.

-Jim Gott- San Jose, CA

I think there's a point being missed over and over again about the skew, and that is what Jim is saying. If you use it anywhere below the very top of your turning, the open edge can be drawn into the cut _by the rotation of the piece_ as you begin any downward motion of the edge, regardless the bevel. It's for precisely that reason that people grind convex profiles on their skews to give them a little bit more clearance, or use a gouge, which clears in two directions. Think about the geometry of it. The heel is never farther from center than the extended portion , so rotating the tool to cut inward may bring the extended portion _further_ into the cut than the edge you're trying to control, resulting in a catch.

Can't do this with a short square chisel - one point of tangency possible only, anywhere above centerline. Think that's why the bodgers used 'em to cut beads - a skew would have caught

I guess if that works for you then great, but it would be very awkward to cut on the top of the turning for me. I usually set the rest so that my skew is cutting between 10 and 11 o:clock (so to speak) with the long point up. What you have to pay attention to is that you cut on the

*bottom* half of the edge if the long point's up. That will leave the top half up in the air, away from the wood, hence no catch.

When rolling a bead I find that it's easiest to roll it about half way,cutting w/the heel then turn the tool over and finish the cut w/the long point. YMMV.

Note that some (for instance Raffan) like to take take planing cuts with the long pont down. In that case the rest is about center line, the skew nearly verticle and the long point is cutting roughly along the centerline. This cut is best for roughing out an out of round piece to get it true...

...Kevin

It's actually pretty neat. You curl your off hand around the turning, fingers straight down to avoid stubbing, and put your thumb on the skew. Don't need a steady.

I can see how that would work for taking a cylinder down to a smaller size, but I don't think I'd try to cut any beads or coves that way.

Actually, it sounds to me like one of those "I'm a trained professional kids, don't try this at home" sort of things. Unless we're talking a little half inch diameter or thereabouts. I've done that before...

...Kevin

Frank Pain, bodger extraordinaire. If you have to have one book to learn to turn - not what to turn, of them there are hundreds - get _The Practical Woodturner_ if you can find it in print.

One thing I honestly have to say about the way I turn is that I have taught it to kids from 11 to 18 years old. It's definitely not professional.