Anyone ever rounded or rolled the short point side of a skew?

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Hi Creekers,

I have a question about rounding over the short-point side of a skew chisel. I have something of an odd dilemma. The LOML asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told her a Thompson 1/2" V-flute Bowl gouge. I still want that.

But over the last little while my Skew's handle went south. I started looking for alternatives/replacements and I found some but the cost is enough that it means one or other at the moment. (An unexpected Christmas trip to see the wife's mother for the holidays soaked up everything else.)

No I have never turned a handle before but I am willing to bet I could do it. The skew is holding up well enough to do so and then transfer the blade over to the new handle.

However I have really liked the look of some of the new skews I have seen. Rounded/rolled over short-point sides, radiused cutting edges and all. Well even with as much fun as I am having with the skew these days I would like to get that bowl gouge!

So I am wondering about turning my current Skew into something a little more... usable. A new handle is only the start. So I started scouring the web for instructions on rounding over the short point. I found a sample video from ExpertVillage I think on BrightCove and watched it. He made it look easy so I took one of my cheap crap "9 tools for $9" HF carbon steel tools to the grinder to test out rounding it down. What a waste. Not smooth not round and not usable. So that is out.

Then I pulled out my copy of Alan Lacer's first video. He talked about using a belt sander to do that and mentions that, as I found out, rounding it on a wheel grinder is a real challenge.

So before I wreck another tool and waste time and money going out and getting a belt sander, which is honestly just a fun tool to have, I have a question.

Has anyone done this? If so does it work out well enough? Shall I give it a whirl or should I just save my pennies and rocks and go out and buy a Raffan signature skew or a Lacer signature skew or one of the Hamlet or Crown ones that run about $50 these days.

I would love to finagle this one and not need to buy a new skew at this point.

Experiences? Comments? Advice? Help?

Thanks a Million!
Joshua

[Dean Thomas]

Hey Josh,

Right after you read this, would you edit your profile and put some sort of geographic locater in there for us, please? If we knew more about where you are, we might be able to make suggestions for people and places that might could help you directly for little or no cost. Heck, you might even find a Creeker in your back yard or your MIL's back yard. If you're flying to MIL, be sure to put the skew in the stowed luggage or you'll lose it to TSA inspections.

Belt sander works MUCH slower than does a grinder, so you have a situation that's a little more forgiving. And finer grit that will produce a nice polished product is slower still.

Several things comes to mind:


Visit a machinist's shop and ask how much he'd charge you to make the bottom of your skew have roundy edges instead of square ones. Make sure he knows which edges you want treated. :) and give him an idea of just how roundy you want them.
Visit a high school metal shop and ask for help. Cheap help, and if the teacher does it, might be pretty good. And if the metals teacher is also the wood shop teacher, you might make a valuable friend.
If you have a Rockler or Woodcraft near you, ask them if they'd take on the project.
If you have an AAW chapter near you GO THERE QUICKLY and see who's already had the experience. Buy him/her a beer and make a friend.

I'm guessing that one of these will get you the desired result. And at least two of the options are pretty darned cheap if not free.

[Bob Hallowell]

Josh,
I am not sure exactly what part of the skew you are talking about. But I took my hf 1" skew out of it's handle and fitted it with a much nicer one then rounded the bottom edges so it would slide smoothly. I did this by sliding it on the tool rest at the grinder and making a small 45deq along the blade and then used my ROS with 60grit thur 240 to finish rounding it over. Works great.

Bob

[Allen Neighbors]

Josh, if you're talking about putting a radius on the cutting edge, it's best to do that on a belt sander. I shaped one of mine using a 60 grit belt, then hit it with a 120 grit, and finished off with a hand sander, then a buffing wheel and rouge. I didn't like the radiused edge, so I kept it flat when sharpening it, and got it back to a straight edge finally.
Hope this helps.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Joshua,

My 3/4" straight skew. I put a 45º chamfer on it using my grinder. I would suggest trying what Bob suggested further refining us a belt sander or an ROS.

[Randy Klein]

Has anyone done this? If so does it work out well enough?

I did on my HF skew. Worked out fine.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I did my skew exactly like Alan Lacer showed and it works slick. I guess you could do it on a grinder but I never could get the round edge like on a belt sander. A machinist shop should be able to help you with that.

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Right after you read this, would you edit your profile and put some sort of geographic locater in there for us, please?
Ok I did it last night. Put some some profile stuff and even finished put up an avatar of myself. It is a wedding pic but it was the best I could do. I don't have many pictures of just myself. I tend to take them of the LOML rather than the other way around.


If you're flying to MIL, be sure to put the skew in the stowed luggage or you'll lose it to TSA inspections.
Ah an excellent point! That would really suck! Of course on the other hand it might be a great way to get that new one! Though CSUSA did just put a ton of tools on a pretty good sale! Hummm. Possibilities!


Belt sander works MUCH slower than does a grinder, so you have a situation that's a little more forgiving. And finer grit that will produce a nice polished product is slower still.
Yeah. I had expected that. After using some sandpaper to shrink down just a bit the steel of my new 6" tool post I expected it would go slower. But slow is fine for something like this. I don't need a perfect round over but I do believe that consistent would be very important for proper bead rolling and tool control.

Thanks for the great list. I hadn't thought about trying the local high school. It is not that far from my house. I will give them a whirl. I do have a local AAW chapter but I missed their meeting. It was 2 days ago. The next one is 2 weeks away. I will try harder to hit that one.


I'm guessing that one of these will get you the desired result. And at least two of the options are pretty darned cheap if not free.
Sure. And keeping things cheap right now is a nice idea. Thanks for the help!

Joshua

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Hi Bob!

Thanks for the reply!


I am not sure exactly what part of the skew you are talking about.
Sorry. I was trying to be clear in my message and clearly I wasn't. I am talking about the long length of the tool's blade on the side of short point. What I am looking to simulate is the rounding of that side, a la the Lacer Skew, so that rolling beads is much much easier. Right now I haven't even used a file or anything to break the corners. So it is the very "sharp" 90 degree corners that the manufacturers tend to put on. I can "break" the corners down the length on the long point side without much problem. But getting a smoother rounding for bead work and sliding on the rest is just a bit harder to get right.


But I took my hf 1" skew out of it's handle and fitted it with a much nicer one then rounded the bottom edges so it would slide smoothly.Yes indeed this is exactly what I am trying to do! Make a new handle and ferrule and round the bottom edges so it will slide more smoothly and roll beads easier.


I did this by sliding it on the tool rest at the grinder and making a small 45deq along the blade and then used my ROS with 60grit thur 240 to finish rounding it over. Works great.Ah!!! Now that I can see working quite nicely! Hummm... I will have to practice with another edge on one of the cheap tools I still have. :)

But here is where I prove my newbie status with wood working tools and tools in general. What is an ROS? I am guessing that S stands for Sander?!!? But I don't know what tool you are talking about.

Thanks!
Joshua

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Josh, if you're talking about putting a radius on the cutting edge, it's best to do that on a belt sander.
I was actually talking about the long side of the tool and not the cutting edge. It is so I can slide and roll beads more easily.

Thanks for the reply!
Joshua

[Joshua Dinerstein]

My 3/4" straight skew. I put a 45º chamfer on it using my grinder. I would suggest trying what Bob suggested further refining us a belt sander or an ROS.
See there it is again. ROS? Rotary Orbital Sander? :rolleyes:

Hehehe. I need more tools. Time to make a run to HF!

Joshua

[Joshua Dinerstein]

I did on my HF skew. Worked out fine.

Cool Randy. How did you do it? Did you start with the 45deg chamfer grind as mentioned by Bob and Ken or did you use a different technique?

Thanks,
Joshua

[Joshua Dinerstein]

I did my skew exactly like Alan Lacer showed and it works slick. I guess you could do it on a grinder but I never could get the round edge like on a belt sander. A machinist shop should be able to help you with that.

Bernie,

I am not sure what you mean. I looked at the Lacer video and he mentions only in passing that you could round it off with a belt sander and that he found it "dicey" do to it on a wheel grinder. So when you say to did it just like he "showed" can you point me to where it showed it being done? I would love to pull off doing it myself in case I ever need to do it again.

Is it in one of his other videos? I know he had several but I only have the Skew chisel one of his.

Thanks!
Joshua

[Scott Conners]

See there it is again. ROS? Rotary Orbital Sander? :rolleyes:

Random Orbit Sander, actually, but you were close :p

I knocked the corners off of my 1" skew with my grinder on a 150g wheel, but it needs touching up with a sander, it's not nice and even. I've since picked up a Thompson 1 1/8" skew, and it's a pleasure to use (I don't know why I didn't radius my cutting edge sooner!).

[Randy Klein]

Cool Randy. How did you do it? Did you start with the 45deg chamfer grind as mentioned by Bob and Ken or did you use a different technique?

Thanks,
Joshua

Nope, just started with it almost horizontal to the belt and rolled it up. Rinse repeat on both sides and the whole length until desired shape is reached. Not hard at all and I don't think it has to be perfect anyways.

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Nope, just started with it almost horizontal to the belt and rolled it up. Rinse repeat on both sides and the whole length until desired shape is reached. Not hard at all and I don't think it has to be perfect anyways.
Hehehe.... Naw not perfect. But I really should post up a pic of the mess I made of the other one trying the rolling by hand trying on my grinder. Eewwwww.... as my youngest niece would say. :)

Thanks for the explanation,
Joshua

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Random Orbit Sander, actually, but you were close :p

I knocked the corners off of my 1" skew with my grinder on a 150g wheel, but it needs touching up with a sander, it's not nice and even. I've since picked up a Thompson 1 1/8" skew, and it's a pleasure to use (I don't know why I didn't radius my cutting edge sooner!).

Oh... You know I actually already have one of those. From HF and still in the box. I am surprised it would work. The longer flatness of the belt was clear in my mind. I guess it just wasn't as obvious to me that it would work. But it would be a lot easier than trying to figure out how to get my belt sander, which is a hand unit, to lay flat on the table in such a way that I could work the skew blade on it.

Oh man I want the Thompson skew but they were all sold out. *sigh* I would love to pre-order one. ;)

Thanks for the explanation!
Joshua