A simple way to learn that darned Skew

[Bill Bolen]

My relationship with the skew has been “ I really want to use it but every time I do I ruin something”! In the last 10 days or so I have finally gotten to the point that I reach for it almost every time I am at the lathe. It is quickly becoming a favorite. The way I finally managed to learn was from watching a short video about the Bedan and its uses. I’m not much interested in using the Bedan but while watching this video I noticed something Stu was doing. He had a small piece mounted to the lathe using his live tailstock center and a drive center that was nothing more than a pointed rod. A bulb went off for me (rather dim, but it still went off). I rooted around in my Shopsmith parts box and found a 20 year old cup dead center. I mounted this into the drive end of my jet 1442 and a live center in the tailstock and started trying to learn the skew. In the past each time I had one of those heart stopping spiral catches the skew went back into the drawer not to be seen again for months. Now with that old dead center driving the work when a catch happened instead of tearing things up and making my heart stop the wood just stopped turning. I could see why the catch happened or at least the position of the blade in the wood. To get the wood spinning again just crank up the tailstock pressure a bit and you are good to go again and again. Can’t recommend using an old dead center to drive your work while learning this humbling tool. If interested in the video the link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TEeHoZM9Vk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TEeHoZM9Vk). Once again, Thanks Stu, you really helped me out!
Bill

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bill,

Yup.......it took some practice on my part but when I'm doing spindle work, I seldom use my roughing gouge and the skew is definitely one of if not my favorite tool!

Congrats! and the finish it leaves.....sanding often degrades it!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ditto what Ken said. The skew is my favorite tool. If you get it down very little sanding is needed. I generally start at 220 or 320.

[Ben Gastfriend]

Wow! Good idea. A little perusing has told me that that's one of the positive things about Sorby's Stebcenter, when you catch, the work stops spinning; but why pay $79.00!

Good idea! I'll have to try it- thanks!

[Dan Forman]

I'm working on becoming conversant with the skew as well. Reminds me of the little girl with the curl on her forehead---When she was good, she was very very good, and when she was bad...

Dan

[Alex Elias]

That is a pretty good tip. I'll get one of those and practice like that. Also I have the 10MM bedan so I can see a new use for the tool. Thanks again for the good tip

[Bill Fleming]

That is exactly what Alan Lacer recommends in his video series on the skew. He demonstrates and uses the Oneway Safety Center. I have one of these and now use it all the time - works great, don't remember if how price compares to Sorbey.

Cheers - Bill

[Dean Thomas]

The "Safe Drive" from Oneway is like $40. They have #1 & #2 Morse tapers plus one for the Shopsmith.

Oneway's "Safe Drive" is very different from the Steb Center. Because there are no teeth, one does not tear/saw an ever-deepening circle in the end of the piece! Tension changes are with a small fraction of a twist of the tailstock quill

The Safe Drive also differs slightly from simply using a dead center because the point in the middle on the Safe Drive is spring loaded and is no longer merely a wedge.

In his teaching on this thing, Lacer emphasizes that when a catch occurs using the safe drive, before you start it back up, you can stop and see exactly what you did wrong to avoid a repeat. It's a good teacher and great for kids learning turning period.