How sharp is your skew?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I've often stated how much I like using my skew. It's rapidly become one of, if not, my favorite turning tool. This afternoon while practicing turning knobs I found out how sharp mine is.......I very lightly brushed the business end of it with the forefinger on my left hand.....My skew is extremely sharp. One bandaid and some antibiotic cream later...wearing a leather glove I'm back turning. Yes....I still like my sharp skew!:o

[Tom Sherman]

Ken I have found that some tools just won't perform properly till they taste blood. Glad it was a minor injury, keep on strokin got to get those knobs done ya know.

[Raymond Overman]

Ken,

You probably need a tetnus shot too. :eek:

Was it your turning hand? Luckily, I'm amphibious [sic] so I can turn with either hand, albeit badly. :eek:

Heal quickly.

[Johnathan Bussom]

Ouch Ken, I won't say that either of my skews are as sharp as yours since I have been fortunate enough not to get cut, but I have been able to mostly get away from having catches since studying the Raffan CD and use them probably more than any of my other tools, hoping for it to be one of my favorites!

John

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ken mine gets sharpened on the grinder and then with a diamond hone. Most times I can shave the hair on my arm. Lacer says thats when you know it will cut good.

[Travis Stinson]

Mine's pretty doggone dull from bouncing off the concrete when I throw it into the corner. :rolleyes:

[Curt Fuller]

Mine's pretty doggone dull from bouncing off the concrete when I throw it into the corner. :rolleyes:

I know what you mean Travis. I was going to go dig mine out of the wall and check how sharp it is.

[Jim Becker]

I don't know...I haven't touched it in a few years outside of when I move the tool rack recently to the other side of the lathe... :)

[John Hart]

I try to keep mine sharp all the time. I don't hone it though. But I agree....My worst catches are when I forget to give it a quick touch on the grinder.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Guys.....I grind mine and hone it with a diamond "credit card" sharpener. When it happened today it wasn't a catch....I decided to use it....raised it by the handle.....wasn't looking at the tool ...was watching the project ....reached with my left hand to grasp the blade before putting it on the tool rest.....my left forefinger just kissed the blade....no blood but I'd felt the kiss.....layed it down....using my right thumb and forefinger...spread the cut on the left forefinger...I've got to remember to look at the tool.....

[Richard Madison]

Gadzook! It's a "Sharp Tool Gloat". And well done too. Very subtle. Glad the injury was minor.

[Bill Boehme]

..... Luckily, I'm amphibious [sic] so I can turn with either hand ........

I thought that meant that you could grow another hand when you cut one off.

Bill

[Gary DeWitt]

SPREAD the cut, Ken?! I tend to want to close 'em up ASAP! Main thing I learned about cuts was to wear closed shoes rather than sandals, no matter how hot it is. Just too easy to drop a skew, and they allways seem to land point down.
I hone mine a few times between grinding on a credit card sized diamond hone from one of the pros, name escapes me right now. Sharp enough to shave, so I usually have a clean shaven back of my left hand...

You folks who throw your skews ought to try it again. There is no other tool that leaves as clean a cut right off the tool. You can frequently start sanding at 320 or greater, if at all. I used to throw mine too, but eventually found it worth it to get it under control.

[Liem Tran]

I think mine's pretty darn sharp. I had a bad catch once and it somehow slipped into my left palm. That left a 2 1/2" beveled gash! :eek: Of course that kept me away from the lathe for awhile.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Mine is sharp enough to save with, power strop, and an new MDF edge strop.........

57029

Love my skews, but I'm really finding I use the Bedan a LOT

57030

You use this tool bevel up!

Cheers!

[John Hart]

Hiya Stu!!:)

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Hey John, how is the horse farming going? :D

[John Hart]

I found some little horses over at the neighbors...so I dug a hole and planted them. Nuthin's sprouted yet. Must be too cold.:)

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I found some little horses over at the neighbors...so I dug a hole and planted them. Nuthin's sprouted yet. Must be too cold.:)
Not too skew this thread too far off topic.........:rolleyes:

Don't you know nothing about horse farming....?

You are not supposed to plant the horses, you are supposed to plant the seeds the horses "drop" :D

I hear "hand planting" is the way to go......

BTW, the guys who use a Diamond hone on their skews, which ones do you use, what "grit" and what size?

I have one small one, a medium grit, that I use on various things, but I want to get a larger one, more on the size of a normal stone (3" x 8"..?)

Cheers!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Man! Don't you just hate when that happens? Hope you heal quickly!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Stu....that's what I have... a small credit card....medium grit IIRC.......I grind mine on the grinder using the Wolverine skew jig....then touch it up a few times on each side with the diamond cc hone.....

It's kinda funny....I knew it was sharp....turning some practice knobs I could part down to about a 1/8 before the wood got too thin and it would snap. I then was able to cleanly cut the nubbin' off using the skew. It didn't take much force.....so I knew it was sharp....it wasn't until I accidentally brushed the tip with my forefinger that I realized just how sharp that skew was.

[Hilel Salomon]

Hi Stu,

As usual I bought a tool and didn't use it until... I bought the bedan and have been using it bevel down with not so marvelous results? How do you use it? How do you sharpen it. PS, I bought-based on your advice- an Eli Avisera bowl gouge (Hamlet) and like it, but I don't get anything like the results you got on your fantastic little video.
Regards, Hilel Salomon

[Dennis Peacock]

Ken,

I like a fairly sharp skew....when I need one. But turning the bowls with a skew is "iffy" at best. :p :D

[Bonnie Campbell]

My skew is super sharp too. Only because it is the easiest chisel for me to hand sharpen :o

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Ken, my diamond stone is about half the size of a credit card..... need a bigger one I guess :rolleyes:

Hilel, the Bedan is a very neat tool, very popular in France, for some reason, a couple of points in use.

Use it like a skew, cut at a 45, and be careful, as it can be even more "Catchy" than a skew.

When doing a round over, say a bead, then you actually cut with the corner, the very edge of the corner sort of leads the way....... if that make sense...?

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/lathe/jfe_demo/jfe_2min_egg.jpg
Done completly with a Bedan....... :eek:

Make sure you round over the edges of the square stock of the Bedan, or they just dig into the tool rest.

Sharp...? yeah, mine is as sharp as my skew, you can shave with it, and I can slice endgrain with it like a bench chisel.

Maybe if I get some time next week, I'll try to take a short video of the Bedan in action, it is a REALLY cool tool!

It can also be uses as a big fat parting tool! :D

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/lathe/jfe_demo/jfe_bedan_pating_tool.jpg

[Bernie Weishapl]

By the way Howdy Stu. Stu I use a medium grit on my diamond hone. It is the one Lacer uses. It is 2" X 6" and 600 grit. Works slick.

[Gary DeWitt]

Hi, Stu, glad to see you here.
I use Alan Lacer's diamond hone as well, bought one off him at a demo at our club. A bit pricey, but seems worth it, diamonds don't seem to wear off.
Here's a link (no affiliation):
http://www.alanlacer.com/products.html
Seems to me you'd get a sharper edge with your mdf wheel anyway, why do you want a diamond hone?

Looking forward to that video, I've never seen a bedan used.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Thanks Bernie.

Gary, the MDF is just for that final little bit, if you go at it too much, it will round the edge over, so the hone is for keeping things flat, and straight.

Cheers!

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I watched Alan's second vid, Son of Skew, boy can that dude turn :eek:

Picked up a LOT of points :D

latest spindle work...........

57285

57286

57287
I only did the concave bits with the spindle gouges, everything else with the mighty Skew :rolleyes:

I have a photo shoot for the DIY mag on Sunday :eek:

More practice is needed!!

[Kurt Forbes]

I am really a fan of old cheap carbon steel skews. Hone them razor sharp and watch the chips fly. I use my crappy carbon steel skews more than I do my HHS ones. One of my favorite tools.

[James Duxbury]

Ken,

Sure hope your cut heals up quickly. These things have to be sharp to work.

I sharpen my skew on an oil stone. It's a mess but gets it sharp. Also I use the old carbon steel skew for the last cuts if working on hard woods or the whole thing if it is soft wood. The edge doesn't last very long but is a much sharper than HSS. Tools are cheap too.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

James....it's already healed! Today I've been working without a bandaid. I can barely tell where the cut was. Thanks!

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

James....it's already healed! Today I've been working without a bandaid. I can barely tell where the cut was. Thanks!

One of the advantages of being cut by a "Sharp" blade, they heal faster and nicer too!

I hate working with band aides, ruins the feel at the end of your fingers, but I guess it beats bleeding all over your turnings :D

Cheers