the skew

[jeff oldham]

I'm a newbie here but I have been watching videos on the skew and it is amazing what it can actually do;;;; providing you are not scared of it as I am;;;does anyone know of any good videos on this;;thank you

[carl mesaros]

I'm a newbie here but I have been watching videos on the skew and it is amazing what it can actually do;;;; providing you are not scared of it as I am;;;does anyone know of any good videos on this;;thank you

Jeff I just viewed a video by Dave from D-way tools that I found very informative.

[Thom Sturgill]

Alan Lacer's DVDs are pretty standard fair, and are available from his website.
Alan Batty has a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfeLAHQSbqk) put up by Craft Supply that is quite good also.
Brendan Stemp's 'The Skew Made Easy' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMIwqFDMIhA) is also good.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Lacer's Video...The Skew Chisel......The Dark Side...The Sweet Side....helped me immensely! Of all the turning tools, in my experience, the skew chisel requires the most practice to become comfortable to use.

I hadn't done any turning for some time until recently. A neighbor asked me to turn a spindle for a chair he was rehabbing for his 80 year old FIL. Of course, the skew was a logical tool of choice. Though I hadn't used it for a while, it didn't take long. Then as fate would have it, a window contractor bidding on some new windows hit me up to turn a spindle for him. Then another friend hit me up for a turning project.

I have 4 skews....2 of them are Alan Lacer skews which have more mass than most skews and a rounded short side. I dearly enjoy using my 2 Lacer skews and the skew I learned with which is a slightly modified (rounded shorted side) Robert Larson skew.

It takes practice but it's definitely a major part of my arsenal when I turn.

[Michael Mills]

Here is another by Richard Raffan which may cover some other ideas or the same from a different approach.
The first half is about the skew.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOvF5f1phhY

[Geoff Whaling]

I'm a newbie here but I have been watching videos on the skew and it is amazing what it can actually do;;;; providing you are not scared of it as I am;;;does anyone know of any good videos on this;;thank you


Jeff,

I use skews a lot. The best advice I can give you if you are starting off on your own with out a tutor is to get yourself a ring drive center similar to the one on the far right side in this image http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LCENT4.html . The ring drive center will act like a clutch and any catch will allow the blank to spin on the drive center and not reef the skew chisel out of your hands. Get yourself a face shield and safety spectacles.



Start off with a roundish blank about 1.5" to 2" dia, rough it down to round with a spindle roughing gouge first (before you pick up the skew).
Once it is round and relatively smooth, reset your tool rest parallel to the blank marginally above center and less than 1/2" away from the blank.
with the lathe turned off, test the position of the skew with the flat of the skew resting fully on the tool rest & in the planing cut bevel rubbing mode and get a feel for the "cutting position" of the skew.
Start the lathe and slightly back off the tail stock pressure so that when you place a hand on the spinning blank it will stop spinning (i.e. a clutch & don't try this with the standard 4 prong drive.)
Present the skew to the wood in the normal planing cut presentation but with the handle low and the cutting edge behind the blank so the skew shaft is running on the body of the blank and not engaging the cutting edge.
now draw the skew handle slowly backwards and lift your back hand at the same time until the cutting edge picks up the cut. Don't be concerned - if the skew catches the blank will stop spinning.
as you feel more comfortable repeating this method the skews cutting edge will pick up the cut and start cutting.
Gradually put more pressure on the tail stock untill you can easily engage the cutting edge.


The same method can be used to practice peeling cuts, V cuts, pommel cuts, and rolling beads with the skew. I would suggest starting off with a plain (not oval) skew as it will have less "things" to control. Look up Jon Siegel on the internet he also has some very good tips & his "a-better-way-to-practice.pdf" http://www.bigtreetools.com/articles/a-better-way-to-practice.pdf

[Stan Smith]

I learnied from this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjnTt_3AXtA

Practice helps a lot.

[John K Jordan]

Jeff, when I started plunging sharp things into spinning wood everyone I talked to told me to keep away from the evil skew, it will scare you, it will hurt you, it will destroy wood. Use it as a scraper, to open paint cans, to mark out wood.

But when I read the books all the experts like Raffan, Darlow, etc. were using the skew for much of their turning. I decided I would learn to use the skew if it killed me. Following the books (which, BTW, I find far better than videos) it actually didn't take long before the skew was my favorite spindle tool. I use it a lot for long thin tapers, tight detail, deep v grooves, and a variety of end grain cuts. I keep a bunch of skews, some just so I can switch to a new tool immediately instead of stopping to sharpen. I don't worry a bit about catches - in fact it is sometimes hard to even get it to catch to demonstrate!

Note that I don't consider myself an expert and I'm certainly not a production turner - I'm way too slow. But I find nothing better or easier for things like tapering a 14" conductor's baton in holly to 1/8" diameter with a tool finish that hardly ever needs coarser than 600 grit paper (or maybe 400 if I'm sloppy).

I have had people come to my shop just to learn the skew, and I try to include it every time I do a demo. When teaching one-on-one I usually start out with the skew, turning the wood by hand at first. Once you understand the dynamics of the simple skew, all other "cutting tools" are easy. In fact many tools not considered skews can be used exactly like a skew, such as the flat wings of a deep roughing gouge. Just this evening I was using an 1/8" skew in a tight space - it was actually a parting off tool but it will plane the point of a finial exactly like a tiny skew!

There are some very important parameters that must be learned to know when to use which skew in what circumstance. Things like sharpening angles, skew angles, width, thickness, edge curvature, and the angle the skew is presented to the work can make a huge difference in how forgiving or challenging the skew is for a particular size and type of wood and how cleanly it cuts. I don't know how to learn this except by experimenting.

John Lucas once did a great skew demo at our club. He demonstrated lots of skew and skew-like tools, even using a huge axe to plane a cylinder. Good clean fun!

JKJ

[robert baccus]

An instrument of the devil designed to injure and humiliate mankind.

[Reed Gray]

Here is another skew clip by Allan Batty. He was an excellent teacher. If you don't know, he had a stroke several years back and can no longer turn. He quipped that the pedestrians over there would be feeling a lot safer because he couldn't drive any more either.. He has another one up on hand chasing threads on boxes, also excellent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfeLAHQSbqk

robo hippy

[John K Jordan]

An instrument of the devil designed to injure and humiliate mankind.

A common sentiment.

I imagine the satan himself laughs out loud as he walks to and fro on the earth perpetrating this misconception, fostering fear, destroying confidence, and draining joy from the souls of woodturners by denying them a true instrument of the angels. Ha, get thee behind the dust collector, satan.

JKJ

[John Grace]

I 'fool around' with a couple of cheap skews every now and then just for practicing. Question...what other applications, if any, does a skew serve if one never does spindle work?

[Dave Cullen]

I 'fool around' with a couple of cheap skews every now and then just for practicing. Question...what other applications, if any, does a skew serve if one never does spindle work?

Grooves. And it also makes a negative rake scraper.

[Doug Ladendorf]

I'm amazed what the skew can do in experienced hands. Really useful tool that I'm determined to learn. Just the other day I found a video of an English chap in monk garb rockin' the skew. Lots of very quick work.

[Stan Smith]

An instrument of the devil designed to injure and humiliate mankind.

I pretty much had this attitude for a lot of years. I didn't use my skews except as scrapers. Then, I had gotten a lot of wenge pen blanks ready to turn and it was sort of splintering as I used a carbide square tool. I got some tips on the IAP forum to use a skew and after watching Capt. Eddies video, going slowly, and being careful, it wasn't very difficult after all. Just don't let the tip get buried. The skew produces a very nice and slick surface. It works very well with the problem wood that I try sometimes.

[Jeff Gilfor]

My skews still scare the hell out of me! I use them anyway. Say a little prayer each time.

[Geoff Whaling]

I 'fool around' with a couple of cheap skews every now and then just for practicing. Question...what other applications, if any, does a skew serve if one never does spindle work?


Opening paint cans ;-)

[Thom Sturgill]

I 'fool around' with a couple of cheap skews every now and then just for practicing. Question...what other applications, if any, does a skew serve if one never does spindle work?

It makes an excellent dovetail scraper for the tenon.

[John K Jordan]

I 'fool around' with a couple of cheap skews every now and then just for practicing. Question...what other applications, if any, does a skew serve if one never does spindle work?

As mentioned, you can use a skew for grooves, especially in end grain used as a scraper/point tool. And it works as a flat scraper for delicate surfacing - but since the skew is usually sharpened at a 25-40 deg, a razor-sharp edge doesn't last long as a scraper. However I find other tools better for both of these things.

For those who are primarily bowl turners with limited spindle experience, consider what some experts say - two told me recently that mastering spindle turning will teach tool-handling control that can very much improve face turning. It evidently doesn't work the other way. In a class making a lidded bowl with dry ash and maple, Jimmy Clewes watched me for a moment and asked if I was a spindle turner. He said he thought so by my technique. He encouraged the class of mostly bowl-turners to take up spindle turning, said if you are good at spindles you can turn anything. Frank Penta told me essentially the same thing - he always teaches spindle turning first to a beginner, not because it is easier (in general it is not) but because it teaches control.

I personally find turning spindles more fun and satisfying than bowls, and I've turned a bunch of both. I especially like turning small things. In fact, I sometimes cut up big chunks of exotics on hand, like cocobolo and bloodwood, into small spindle blanks. (This makes some people cry) I can make 20-30 people happy with hand bell ornaments with the wood that will make one bowl!

JKJ

[Doug Ladendorf]

Love those bells John. Do you have a thread/video on making them?

At my turning club meeting last night there were three different demos going on that we could wander between. One was on the skew and I got a bit of hands on with guidance. Very helpful to correct those little things that can make a big difference.

Doug

[Geoff Whaling]

In a class making a lidded bowl with dry ash and maple, Jimmy Clewes watched me for a moment and asked if I was a spindle turner. He said he thought so by my technique. He encouraged the class of mostly bowl-turners to take up spindle turning, said if you are good at spindles you can turn anything. Frank Penta told me essentially the same thing - he always teaches spindle turning first to a beginner, not because it is easier (in general it is not) but because it teaches control.

JKJ

I agree. With spindle turning you are forced to "work with the grain" and you learn to accommodate all sorts of grain issues relatively quickly. Spindle turning techniques must cater for cross and along the grain cuts and every possible permutation in between. It also teaches fine bevel control as you will find out very quickly using a skew. I love the skew, mine are Hamlet rolled edge skews and Thompson's that I had modified to be rolled edge on both long an short point sides.

Very nice spindle work John.

[John K Jordan]

Love those bells John. Do you have a thread/video on making them?


Doug, thank you! I love making them. I have no video but I could probably put together a tutorial when things slow down. (This is the busiest time of the year here on the farm - beehive work today, shearing llamas this week, building a second barn this month.) I did a club demo on these last year. I made diagrams and notes for the demo - I can see if they are available in our club newsletter. If you ever find yourself near Knoxville TN come visit and we can make some!

I've made dozens of these to give away and I have never had anyone turn one down. :-) I've gotten pretty quick at making the bell but the clapper is more tedious. Some people make bell ornaments without clappers and people even pay good money for them, but I think it's more fun to have one that makes a noise. I'd rather make these than hollowed ornaments - they are less common and very light weight even from lignum vitae since they are so thin.

I haven't taken any new photos for years, but attached is a quick and unprofessional cell phone photo I took a few minutes ago. I cut one in half to show the wall shape. (made of tulipwood) I make them thin at the edge and thicker where joined to the handle. (fyi, I don't take the time to make the inside surface as good as the outside since you usually can't see much of it) Good clean fun!

If you are interested, I have a few more photos of mostly spindle things on a facebook photp album, nothing recent. (Assuming the link works!)

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.101238256567388.2825.100000436434935&type=1&l=7913a23da6

JKJ

[Guy Belleman]

I found "The Taming of the Skew" dvd helpful years ago. Of course, the title alone amongst the elders is amusing.

As my eyes have worsened, I found that for final smoothing of pen blanks, I tend to use the skew more than the gouge.