Suggested sizes for single or two skews

[Chris Barnett]

Purchasing a skew, a minimum of one if one is adequate for most turners, or a maximum of two, one now, one later when DW regains consciousness from amount I anticipate paying :eek:.
If only one, what size...1 1/4 or 1 inch. If two, 1 1 /4 and maybe 3/4 or maybe 1 and 1/2 inch? What do you guys who use skews think is needed for primirily bowls, but perhaps a few pens and spindles, handles etc? Is a 1 1/4 size excessive?

[Bill Bolen]

I sure would not use a skew on a bowl! I use the 1 1/4 and the 1/2 sizes for spindle work, pens ect...Bill..

[David Walser]

...What do you guys who use skews think is needed for primirily bowls, but perhaps a few pens and spindles, handles etc? Is a 1 1/4 size excessive?

Chris,

I seldom use my skew for bowls. (I might use it for some details, such as turning a dovetail tenon for chucking or making "V" groove for burning a line, but that's all.) For spindles, such as pens, I use my skew all the time. It's one of my favorite tools. If I were limited to just one, it would be a 1/2" skew. The smaller skew fits into spots where my larger skew (1 1/8") cannot. Having said that, I like using the larger skew whenever I can. It just feels more stable in my hand and I am more confident using it. YMMV.

[Jon Lanier]

I have two skews. 1/2" and 1". The 1/2 " is straight and use it primarily with pens. The 1" inch I've put a Lancer curve on it and use it for just about anything. Yes, even bowls but ONLY on the out side for refining and smoothing out the curve.

[David Walser]

...The 1" inch I've put a Lancer curve on it and use it for just about anything. Yes, even bowls but ONLY on the out side for refining and smoothing out the curve.

Jon,

When you use your skew on the outside of a bowl, are you using as a skew or as a scraper?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

David,

I use 3 skews. My most used is a 3/4" regular skew that I have rounded the short point corners so that it catches less on the tool rest.


I also have a 5/8" and 1 1/4" Lacer skews. I use them a lot. They are thicker and have more mass than my other skew. They work beautifully for planing cuts....I've turned pens with my 1 1/4" skew. I use nothing but a skew on most pens. The skew is my favorite tool for spindle work.

You can use a skew as a cutting tool or a scraping tool on bowls. I typically use mine for "V" groove cutting and sometimes for shaping the tenon.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have the two Lacer skews 5/8" and 1 1/4" plus Richard Raffans big skew. I never use a skew to turn a bowl. Only for spindle work. Primarily for bowls use a bowl gouge. I use a Thompson bowl gouge with a swept back grind for cutting, shear cuts and shear scraping. I have used the skew to put decorative lines on a bowl but that is it.

[Curt Fuller]

I have a 1", a 1/2", and a 1/4". I use the 1" for very light final cut on the outside of bowls, hf's, etc to reduce the amount of sanding. But the tool I've come to love is the homemade 1/4" I made from a piece of 1/4" round drill rod ground to a skew. It's perfect for small finials, ornaments, etc.

[Chris Barnett]

I have seen videos showing the skew used on the outside of a bowl, probably cleanup. Seems that with a wider radiused arc that the curved skew has, there would be a wider cutting region, thus more completely eliminating the lines caused from a gouge.

Local input is not to ever use a skew, that they will only cause problems. Seems skews cause love-hate relationships.

So a 1 1/4 might be too large for both bowl cleanup and maybe pens, but pens and other spindle stuff is expected to be the infrequent usage, and could be done with a much less expensive smaller skew later. Maybe a 1 inch would be a better choice.

Thanks, this is where I have had the input to help do what I can in support of our economy. Amazing how much cheaper one can eat when more tools are at steak...(oops, pure Freudian).