skew help

[Sam Starr]

:D hi everyone can some of you folks point me to a web site or two or three or four ..... you get the idea, on how to use a skew. I have one that is very shape yet I cant seem to get it to cut well.:(

[Jason Slutsky]

Sam,

There are plenty of good materials out there like Alan Lacer's videos ("Darkside and Sweetside" and "Son of Skew") but if you're like me then there's only so much that you can learn from watching. I would try to find a mentor in a local turning club if you have one nearby. Even spending a couple hours with someone can greatly improve your self-confidence.

I would not try to learn by watching Richard Raffan's videos. While his videos are good and he is a skew-master, I would not want to try to emulate how he moves that tool around.

Jason

[Burt Alcantara]

Jason,
I, like many, suffered from skewphobia until I bought Alan Lacer's "The Skew Chisel." Alan teaches how to overcome this fear using 2x4s for stock turned between "lose" centers. He will also teach you how to correctly sharpen the skew, both straight and radius.

This is not a tool you look at a book or video then pick it up and go to work. Catches on a skew are probably more damaging then other cutting tools with the exception of a chainsaw.

I've never seen any tutorials on the web. Your best bet is to lay out the money for the DVD, buy a couple of 8' 2x4s and practice until there's no wood left. Then go out and buy another pair and so on.

Burt

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree with Burt. Get the Lacer DVD, take some 2 X 4 material cut into 2 X 2's. Watch the DVD and go practice. If you do something wrong watch the video again. I have watched his DVD at least a dozen times and learn something every time. I can make a spinning top 3/4" long and 1/2" across with Lacer's 1 3/8" big skew just like he does on the DVD with a lot of practice. The key to a skew is practice, practice, practice, and then some more practice. Also keep it sharp. Then get Raffans video and learn it because after learning Lacers way then Raffans is a snap. My skew is my favorite tool.