Another slide down a greasy pole

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I can see this turning thing getting real expensive. I have a combination of tool love sickness and a new fascination with flying wood shavings. I made the mistake of buying Alan Lacers skew chisel DVD and have been watching it and running out to practice. Well, you know the "only" reason he makes it look so easy has nothing to do with his talent or many years of full time practice, it has only to do with those two magnificent 3/8" thick skew chisels he uses. How will my paltry low tech run of the mill tools ever produce the perfect shiny beads like his ? Simple answer, buy the Alan Lacer signature tools. Wow, sticker shock. It's must be expensive to get good. I was once a golfer and as everyone knows, if you can afford the same clubs Jack plays (I would have mentioned the current really great guy but he is temporarily out of favor) you can play as well as Tig..... I mean Jack. I must have gotten faulty clubs since they didn't produce any shots even slightly comparable to Jack or "What's his name". Now I'm afraid to buy such great turning tools because I may find the same results. Will I really have to practice with them??
Meanwhile, in my search for the retailer who would allow me the lowest price, henceforth the least guilt and disappointment when I find I am not Alan Lacer, I found a huge discrepancy between them. Alan's 5/8" X 3/8" skew retails for 68 bucks at WC, and 57 at RKLR. I've been a loyal customer of the former forever and never really shopped prices much. Don't they realize the increased pressure on us mere mortals to be as good as the price of our tools demands. I am forced to the less expensive retailer just so I won't have to expect so much of myself with the same tool that costs less.
fmr

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Faust,

I have both the Lacer 5/8" and 1 1/4" skews. I really like them. The mass due to the thickness makes them very stable and free of vibration.

If you have never freehand sharpened, you are about to learn how to do it.

That said, if on a budget, Lacer shows in his first video how to convert a standard straight skew and in fact, recommends that is what all beginning skewers should use. Pun intended, BTW!:rolleyes:

The skew was one of my favorite tools before I found Lacers videos and his skews. The video and the Lacer skews just cemented the relationship!

Keep working. The skew takes a lot of practice but it is certainly worth it in my book!

[Cathy Schaewe]

Oh great. Another tool I just HAVE to have!:rolleyes:

[Bernie Weishapl]

Like Ken I have both of Lacer's skews. I haven't seen them much cheaper than $68 for the small one and $114 for the big one. The skew is my favorite tool. So I have 7 of them from 1/4" round up to Lacer's big 1 1/4" X 3/8". If you watch his DVD you can make small things as easy with the big one as you can with the small ones.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I haven't yet seen a tool I had the will power to resist. I am sure The 5/8" skew will join it's larger kin in my shop very soon. Right now, I have to go in the shop and search for the lathe. It's under a pile of practice shavings. Thanks for the support.
fmr

[Bob Bergstrom]

Here's my cheap way to a stout skew. I bought a 5/16" thick x 1" wide scrapper at Woodcraft on sale with an additional coupon and paid about $35 for a Crown Powder Metallurgy Scrapper. I reground the it to a skew shape, rounded the bottom edge, and lastly tapered the long sides for about an inch back on a 80 grit belt sander. I now have a very stout 1" skew that tapers down to a thinner blade at the business end (better for getting in to areas a thick skew has problems). Great strength, yet thin and versatile, that stays sharp for long time. I have also made small skews out old planner blades (great source high speed steel).
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/bbergst/IMG_2830.jpg
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/bbergst/IMG_2832.jpg

[Thom Sturgill]

Packard sells a round edged skew here (http://www.packardwoodworks.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=packard&Category_Code=tools-pkrd-resc)that can be reground. I bought a Hamlet round edged skew and reground it. I understand that Hamlet makes the Lacer signature skews.

[Karl Card]

my first set of tools that came with the used lathe were cheap... not inexpensive but downright cheap... I used them and sharpened them and finally one day I said there had to be more to life than sharpening cheap tools 2 or 3 times just to make a pen....

So I started looking and I still have an inexpensive set of tools now but they will cut the hair off your arms with no problem or trying... this made my bowl turning much easier and more fun. I also realized what a good tool is worth and also had to rethink my turning techniques... I used to have to push on the skew so hard that sometimes I took chunks out of wood blanks... with the new set I tried pushing it and it simply sliced thru the wood, very clean cut and nice clean cut wood went flying everywhere...

I spent 223 bucks on an 8 piece set and I do know that is no where near what I would consider an expensive set... I also have one tool that I gave 126 bucks for and would do it again if I had to.

I guess in the end I went from tearing wood and tearing knots out to cutting and slicing and making long threads of wood come off... so much nicer and some of the walnut I have has very large knots in it and it cuts them like butter... so yes an expensive skew or any other cutting tool is most defintiely worth it and I would have to venture to say buy all you can afford, you will not be sorry..