Drumsticks

[John K Jordan]

This young musician finished her first pair of drumsticks. This is her first "real" project after some spindle turning lessons and practice with the skew.

For these she picked lignum vitae. She wants to make the next pair from bloodwood.

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JKJ

[Ted Calver]

Very cool! Making something like these sticks is a great project...and they look very well done.

[John K Jordan]

Very cool! Making something like these sticks is a great project...and they look very well done.

She was excited. The weights are less than one gram difference. Her dad couldn't believe how she got them to look exactly the same. :)

[Dick Mahany]

She did a great job. Getting the two to look identical and weigh the same is way more difficult than one would think. For a first pair that's quite an accomplishment.

[John K Jordan]

She did a great job. Getting the two to look identical and weigh the same is way more difficult than one would think. For a first pair that's quite an accomplishment.

After rounding I had her use a parting tool and calipers to make lots of sizing grooves down the length! The first sizing was a bit over size to allow for getting used to making a straight cylinder from the lignum vitae. After that, more sizing grooves with a much closer tolerance. Finally, more sizing grooves on the end to make the taper match the first one. Then it was simply cutting down to the grooves and a bit of sanding. I had started her first lessons with the skew chisel as usual so the shaping itself was not a stressful challenge. (However, disclosure - coarse sandpaper was used at first - don't spread it around! :)) Sanded to 800 grit.

Finish - nothing needed with lignum vitae. Beale buffed for shine.

JKJ

[Dick Mahany]

Snip... I had started her first lessons with the skew chisel as usual so the shaping itself was not a stressful challenge. (However, disclosure - coarse sandpaper was used at first - don't spread it around! :)) Sanded to 800 grit.

Finish - nothing needed with lignum vitae. Beale buffed for shine.

JKJ

Skew !! What a great way to start someone new to turning. For a LONG time I cursed the skew, however once I discovered Alan Lacer's take on the curved skew it suddenly became much easier (for me ) to understand and use. To this day, the skew (curved or straight) has become my favorite go to tool for so many operations, but it took a long time to get there.

It amazes me how the younger generation is so quick to learn and apply their newly learned experiences with confidence and success. I have read so many negative comments regarding using the skew that it was discouraging at first. The younger ones aren't burdened by those biases, as those drum sticks have showed. Very cool in a number of ways :)

[John K Jordan]

Snip... I had started her first lessons with the skew chisel as usual so the shaping itself was not a stressful challenge. (However, disclosure - coarse sandpaper was used at first - don't spread it around! :)) Sanded to 800 grit.
JKJSkew !! What a great way to start someone new to turning. For a LONG time I cursed the skew, however once I discovered Alan Lacer's take on the curved skew it suddenly became much easier (for me ) to understand and use. To this day, the skew (curved or straight) has become my favorite go to tool for so many operations, but it took a long time to get there.

It amazes me how the younger generation is so quick to learn and apply their newly learned experiences with confidence and success. I have read so many negative comments regarding using the skew that it was discouraging at first. The younger ones aren't burdened by those biases, as those drum sticks have showed. Very cool in a number of ways :)

Thanks for your comments!

When I started turning everyone told me to stay away from the evil skew: "It will bite you; it will hurt you; it will destroy your work!" Even demonstrators joked about it being good for opening paint cans. But when I read the books (Raffan, Darlow, etc), the experts were all using the skew! I decided if they could do it, so could I. So I said "a pox upon you naysayers" and determined to learn.

When I teach new students, even if they've never seen a lathe before, the first tool in their hand is the skew. I've refined my methods and they have so far been successful - I have NEVER had a student get a catch. They universally take to the skew almost immediately and are making planing cuts in just a few minutes. And this is not just young people, but also old guys too who have been afraid of the skew for years have come by for a lesson! The skew with the straight edge is arguably the simplest cutting tool in the kit.

My method:

I turn a blank round so their 1st experience is not with the noisy and potentially intimidating roughing gouge against square corners. I think this is especially important with younger kids. I start with a relatively soft wood such as soft maple, cherry, or cedar.
Usually about a 1-1/2" round, 12" or so long, a fairly large skew (1" to 1-1/4"), a relatively forgiving straight grind, 38-45-deg.
I show them how to hold the skew, the angle against the wood, and to cut in the lower half of the edge (I use a marker to show where not to cut).
I explain how to hold the tool firmly against the rest and start with the heel of the bevel rubbing, then lift the handle to move the cutting edge to the wood.
Then I turn the lathe by hand, very slowly. I let them experiment and feel for what it takes to make a fine shaving.
I explain the secret method to keep the cut in the right place on the edge - a simple clockwise twist of the handle raises the cut, counterclockwise lowers.
After they can make a fine shaving consistently, I explain stance and movement and let them try to make spiral shavings from right to left, moving the tool as slowly as possible. I watch every movement and make corrections and suggestions as needed.
After they make a pass down the blank, I stop, turn the lathe on and make it perfectly smooth again so they don't have to deal with a bumpy blank.
We practice until they can consistently make a fine shaving, truing the blank again as needed.
Then I turn the lathe on at it's lowest speed and let them make planing cuts under power.
As they begin to feel comfortable I inch the speed up slowly until they are turning at a fair RPM, still watching and correcting tool presentation, movement, stance.
I continue to up the speed, truing the blank again as needed until they can keep it pretty smooth with the skew.

All this may take from 5 to 15 minutes depending on the person. It doesn't take long before they are making planing cuts at 2000 RPM.
Then they practice a bit. After a while I'll have them try a skew with a curved edge, one with a smaller combined angle, a 3/4" or 1/2" skew. I show how easy it is to use a 1/4" round skew for lots of things.

To illustrate the angles and tool clearance needed to avoid a catch, I demonstrate "V" cuts with a 3" wide wooden skew model and a 4" diameter spindle with a deep v-groove cut into it. You might be able to see this mounted on the mini lathe on the workbench:

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We practice v-grooves for a while. For fun we make some shallow Vs and use a wire to burn a line.

At some point I demonstrate how easy it is to sharpen and hone the skew. (I hone on a thin piece of resawn MDF with polishing compound rubbed into the rough side.)

After this introductory skew lesson, we learn to round a square blank with the roughing gouge, how to shape with the roughing gouge, then start on coves with the spindle gouge, then beads. Almost always they tell me how easy the skew is compared to the spindle gouge! One girl said later her favorite tool was that pointy one. :)

I try to have them make something to take home after the first spindle lesson. One girl here made a dibble and the other a whacking stick (since she has older brothers!)

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After spindles, we might have an intro to face turning and make a simple bowl to take home. These two girls had just one day on a school break for their first lathe lesson so we did the skew and spindles in the morning and face turning/bowls in the afternoon after a lunch break - that was a little unusual but they were both quick to learn.

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I often teach my thin spindle techniques during a later lesson. Both of these girls made excellent thin magic wands for their second spindle project. This was significant since due to the demands of the university it was two years before they could come back and neither had access to a lathe outside of my shop. A quick refresher on spindle turning and they made these:

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Depending on time and interest, we might then learn to make lidded boxes, ring keepers, and other interesting things. We learn negative rake scrapers. At some point I introduce them to the Hunter tools and how they can be used as either a gouge or a scraper.

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Fortunately, I have space to keep two lathes which makes things easier to have two students at the same time. And I'm retired. And I have lots of wood My fee is a good story or a good joke.

Good clean fun!

(I hope this didn't bore you - I've posted all of these pictures and most of my methods before but it was probably a few years ago)

JKJ

[Dick Mahany]

Thanks for your comments!

SNIP...

Fortunately, I have space to keep two lathes which makes things easier to have two students at the same time. And I'm retired. And I have lots of wood My fee is a good story or a good joke.

Good clean fun!

(I hope this didn't bore you - I've posted all of these pictures and most of my methods before but it was probably a few years ago)

JKJ

Not boring at all, actually a really fun read. Having recently retired myself and downsizing / relocating I have not been as active here as I'd have liked for a few years, so most of this post is new (to me) and appreciated. Unfortunately here in the desert there is little wood period, let alone free haha. Thank you for sharing.

[John K Jordan]

....Unfortunately here in the desert there is little wood period, let alone free haha.

Reminds me of when the late Carol Reed (the "router lady") came to visit me here in the hardwood paradise of the USA. She lived in a western desert without useful trees. I have a sawmill and far more wood goes to waste in this part of the country than gets used. When she left for the long drive back, her station wagon was loaded down so much with slabs, boards, and turning stock of walnut, cherry, persimmon, maple, etc that the rear springs on the car were fully compressed!

In this part of the country we are so spoiled by available and inexpensive or free wood and forget how scarce it is in some other places.

I don't take down trees on my property for the wood, but just yesterday I cleared around a two big cherry tree I need to remove since they have dropped a few branches near the llama pasture (wilted black cherry leaves can be dangerous or fatal to livestock.) The largest tree looks to be at least 80' tall and maybe 18" in diameter. I'll probably cut some turning blanks and saw some slabs but there will be so much cherry I'll probably have trouble getting rid of it without a bonfire. I don't want to saw too many boards since I still have a lot in the barn from years ago. What a terrible problem to have - please send sympathy. :D

JKJ

[Don Stephan]

John

With so many people having trouble, or scared to death of, a very useful tool, I wish you would write a detailed article with pictures describing and showing your teaching technique. Such an article would empower people like me to offer to introduce people to the skew. Whew!

[John K Jordan]

John

With so many people having trouble, or scared to death of, a very useful tool, I wish you would write a detailed article with pictures describing and showing your teaching technique. Such an article would empower people like me to offer to introduce people to the skew. Whew!

I'll be teaching this in a private group session at Arrowmont in a couple of months. A gentleman organizing the event came to the visit today and in talking about teaching the skew we decided to do the whole lesson while he was there. Before the lesson, he said he was afraid of the skew and like me when I started turning, everyone told him to keep away from it. He didn't even have a skew. When he left he was ready to buy one and put it to use. We started with a 2" cylinder which was much thinner after his practice session! Not one catch. Maybe another convert?

Take a road trip a few hours south one day and you can go home a certified professor for "Introduction to the Skew!" :)

I'm not sure still pictures would be that much better than the description. Maybe a video? The biggest thing is to watch every move and constantly correct and make suggestions while the "student" proceeds. I have several "detailed articles" requested. Unfortunately, I barely have enough time prepare lessons for the kindergartners and to care for the animals. I'm imagining a 1st class article would take me a couple of weeks of work.

BTW, I have another chicken in the "hospital" in the back of my shop. I am happy to report that the one I did emergency repair on after being sliced open during the hawk attack has fully recovered and running around the chicken yard like it never happened!

JKJ

[Mel Fulks]

John, you are marvel of enthusiasm, and it's contagious. Your writing goes its own speed; one has to read it fast
before it zooms by ! And you have a really lucky chicken.

[John K Jordan]

.. And you have a really lucky chicken.

Ha, thanks! I just hate to see anything suffer. I've also and sutured and superglued and bandaged and doctored cats and peacocks and horses and alpacas and snakes. Horses are fun to convince them to stand perfectly still in a bucket of epsom salts for 15 minutes every day to treat an foot abscess. It's nice to have friends that are vets and vet students to call for advice.

I hate to see old woodturners suffer too - life at the lathe can only improve with every increment of knowledge and expertise! I have a waiting list for bandsaw instruction with another class this coming week on "Processing green log sections into useful turning blanks on a shop bandsaw while keeping all your fingers." This has been surprisingly popular, every class full with a waiting list. Good clean fun!

JKJ