Big skew

[Jake Helmboldt]

For those of you with large skews (bigger than 1"); what do you use them for, and do you use them much?

I mostly use my 3/4 and I have an oval 7/8 that I don't use as much now that I have the 3/4. I don't usually turn big spindles, but I'm thinking about doing some bigger end-grain hollowing. I'm wondering if a big skew serves a purpose for that kind of work?

Any opinions? :rolleyes:

thanks, Jake

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I use a large Lacer for planing cuts....rounding spindles....1 1/4" IIRC.

I use a regular 3/4" Robert Larson....it's my oldest and favorite

I use a 5/8" Lacer.

[bob svoboda]

I stick mine in the wall and hang my turning smock off of it. :D

[Jack Mincey]

I use skew's from 1/2" to a monster I made that is 1 1/2" wide by 3/8" thick. I use the large one for planning cuts like ken as well as roughing out spindles using the peeling cut. The big one is also used to fine tune my end grain spheres using it flate on the rest as a neg. rack scraper. If sharp it leaves a good finish cut that requires little sanding on the outside of my end grain spheres. Some of my spheres are as large as 12" in dia. The large one would also make a great weapon if ever needed.:D
Jack

[John Hart]

I make small cuts with my skew, so the width doesn't matter much except for the heft and stability of it. The widest cut I make is about 1/8" at a time, and the rest of the width is for guidance. This way, I have good control, rarely catch, and don't need much sanding afterward.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have both of Lacer's skews, Raffan big skew and several others. I use my big Lacer skew for about anything from a finial's to a 1" by 3/4" wide top.

[David Woodruff]

I" plus skews make a very nice scraper for leveling the bottom of vessels prior to gluing a contrasting wood or attaching a waste block. I probably use a skew more for this than its original intent.

[Moshe Eshel]

That's for most cuts (planing, V's, rolling beads)
I have a 1" which I use on larger spindles, for all the above mentioned cuts - so for me it depends on the size of the turning mostly. The size of the skew means I need to do less travel with it. at least that is how it feels...

On the truly large turnings, I still don't dare to use the skew (I'm a very big coward :( - I also tend to not use my table saw on the same grounds, though the TS is much scarier to me).

[Greg Just]

I have 3 skews, a 1 1/4, 1/2 and a 5/8 oval that is only good for planting blubs in the garden. I used to hate the skew until I took a class last summer with Alan Lacer and learned the proper way to use it. I also re-ground the 1 1/4 inch to Alan's curved profile and that made the skew much easier to use. While I still get a catch once in a while, I use the larger skew for spindle work all the time. Like someone mentioned, a good finish cut eliminates the need for most sanding.

I never could figure out the oval skew - it doesn't make sense.

[Thom Sturgill]

I have three, a 1 1/4 ground similar to Lacer's and a 1/2" and a 3/4" that came in the HF set I started with. I still use the 1/2" for cutting dovetails for mounting a chuck and this weekend took a class on making ornaments. While the teacher mostly uses spindle gouges, I used the big skew for cutting the tiniest details on the finest (tiniest) finials or icicles I have ever made.

[Richard Madison]

Mine does an excellent job of keeping shavings out of that spot in the tool rack. Usually make skew-like planing cuts with one wing of a bowl gouge. Leaves very smooth surface.