Learning to turn.

[Joe Hillmann]

I have had a lathe for years and use it for everything but regular wood turning. What little wood turning I have done has been with scrapers and metal turning tools.

I have recently wanted to try more traditional turning and have tried using a skew chisel. I can remove wood with it but sure isn't easy, I have looked online and seen videos of people using skews and they have full control over them and leave a nice smooth finish.

I don't know what my problem is. I have tried using the skew right off the grinder with the burr still on it, I have honed it sharp enough to shave with and I have tried different angles but I always end up having very little control over where it cuts and getting a smooth surface is out of the question at the moment.

If you were in my position what would you do to try to learn to turn with skews and gouges. There is a turning club about an hour south of me that I had thought of trying to get in touch with.

[Reed Gray]

Get in touch with the club. It might be a bit of a drive, and you may not want to go to all the meetings, but they most likely have club members much closer to you, and most welcome shop visits.

robo hippy

[Mel Fulks]

The deal with the skew is the angle .There is scraping and there is cutting .When I have tried cutting I have gotten some frights and had to go find the skew ...after feeling my head to check if it was there. I've been told that its easier to learn on a slower speed lathe.

[art pfenn]

Try to get a hold of the video "Sweet and dark side of the skew" by Alan Lacer
http://www.woodcentral.com/videos/lacer_skew.shtml

[bob svoboda]

1+ on Alan Lacer's video. I will add that even with the best instruction, it will take an investment of time to learn the skew.

[Chip Sutherland]

I would seek out the club and it's members because as good as Alan Lacer's video is mentoring will get you up the learning curve faster and with less frustration. You can't beat hand's on interaction. You didn't mention what you want to turn. If you really are into spindle work (eg. furniture legs, lamps, pens, etc. ) then the skew is great to master. If you want to do bowls and vases, then you need to learn how to turn with gouges. For learning gouges, I would still recommend the club and it's members for the same reasons.