The skew chisel.

[Gene Gabriel]

I wanted a one inch skew. All the pundits on YouTube use a skew. They make it look easy and useful for a variety of uses. I’ve tried a few times using it with the factory edge and I wasn’t overly impressed nor efficient with it. I enjoy watching Tomislav’s videos on sharpening. I like his “don’t worry about the angle” approach to sharpening. So I put a curved edge on the skew. This may seem trivial to the experienced turners, but what a difference. It was definitely a “this is how it is supposed to work” moment.
Anyway, thank you for letting me share.

 

[Fred Hargis]

As a beginner I struggle a lot with the skew, but the curved edge did help me quite a bit. I still struggle using it effectively (especially as effectively as Tomislav) but I improved with the curved edge.

 

[Doug Freeman]

The skew became easier for me to use when I changed to an Alan Lacer curved grind. One of my biggest issues is I don’t do a lot of spindle turning, and skew skills get rusty.

 

[John Whitley]

My top woodturners for skew instruction are (no specific order):

• Alan Lacer
• Matt Monaco
• Eric Lofstrom

A theme hidden in the above presents a bit of a bias I've also fallen into: the curved edge style of skew favored by these turners. I've tried some of the other skew tool shapes (e.g. oval cross section) and edge profiles and just vastly prefer the curved edge style.

I have Lacer's DVDs and have studied some of his demos available online. I've also done in-person workshops with both Lofstrom and Monaco, and they're both great instructors and woodturners. I'd unreservedly recommend any/all of them as resources to help refine your skew work. Some specific video recommendations available online:

• Matt Monaco at the Rocky Mountain Woodturners (YouTube)
• Alan Lacer at the Rocky Mountain Woodturners (YouTube)
• Eric Lofstrom's Enhancing Your Stance With The Skew videos (also YouTube)

I also specifically recommend Eric's approach to honing above all others. It's at least as effective, easier to master and safer than any other approach I've encountered (esp. compared to Alan Lacer's earlier method in his older videos, which has your free hand moving toward/away from the edge... ). Eric's certainly the best instructor all around that I've encountered for teaching and use (especially for some of his turning series) of honed edges, skews and gouges, though the most of it relayed via his in-person workshops. Do you need to hone? No, obviously not. Is efficient, easy honing a great tool to have in your arsenal? Heck, yeah.

If you want to be blown away by a turner dancing with the skew, then look for some of Matt Monaco's videos (YouTube, and esp. on his Instagram) where he's just playing around turning a demo piece at full speed/fluency.

 

[Steve Tiedman]

The curved edge effectively lengthens the edge, helping keep the tips away from the wood. A straight skew with an actual 1" long edge (tip to tip, or heel to toe as it were), reground to a curve, effectively becomes maybe 1-3/16" or 1-1/4" long.

Skews are one of those tools where practice, practice, practice will make you it's master. Practice the exact same cut 50 times in a row, tweaking and adjusting every few cuts, and pay attention to when a sweet cut is made. What did you do? How did you present it? What was the grain doing? Etc... When a cut feels poor, stop and walk yourself through it, compare what happened in that poor cut vs. what happened in the sweet cut. Pay attention, and practice. You and the skew are dance partners, the spinning wood is your ballroom floor. Then make 50 different cuts. Straight/flat cuts. Tapers. Beads and vees. Watch your videos, but practice, that is the only thing that will really get you to tame that tool.

Most importantly, have fun with it. Don't let it spoil your morale. You'll know you've arrived when sweet cuts are made by muscle memory because you've practiced the skill and the dance, and poor cuts are just the occasional whoopsie that happens to everyone, even those seasoned pros.

 

[Dean Center]

I wanted a one inch skew. All the pundits on YouTube use a skew. They make it look easy and useful for a variety of uses. I’ve tried a few times using it with the factory edge and I wasn’t overly impressed nor efficient with it. I enjoy watching Tomislav’s videos on sharpening. I like his “don’t worry about the angle” approach to sharpening. So I put a curved edge on the skew. This may seem trivial to the experienced turners, but what a difference. It was definitely a “this is how it is supposed to work” moment.
Anyway, thank you for letting me share.

The factory grind is rarely ideal, so your regrinding was probably very helpful. I'm an advocate of the curved or radius skew, as it definitely seems easier for beginning users, perhaps because the curve presents a smaller amount of edge to the wood. Glad you've found success.

 

[John K Jordan]

I wanted a one inch skew. ...So I put a curved edge on the skew. This may seem trivial to the experienced turners, but what a difference. It was definitely a “this is how it is supposed to work” moment.

It's not trivial! But there are certain advantages to the curved skew and some to the straight edge (even some good reasons for a skew ground straight across with no angle!) Lots of variables on the included angle too.

I keep some skews with straight and curved grinds in various widths, from 1.5" down to 1/4". Since I like to turn thin spindles I have several 1/2" wide.

My favorites are Thompson steel. I never use his skew grind as shipped!

You may have already seen it, but if not, this video is good for showing some tradeoffs for a few different skew grinds. I grind some like shown and some differently.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuEVVSkDtE


And don't worry, it WILL get easier with experience! I'm a believer in learning the skew first (then the spindle gouge). That's the first tool I put n a beginner's hands even if they have never seen a lathe before, and have taught remedial lessons to some old turners who got afraid of it and gave it up! I developed a way to teach it that so far has always worked - I've never had a student get a catch.

JKJ

 

[Kirk Amidon]

I had a bunch of older and low end skews when I started. Used most of the videos mentioned above, and tried all sorts of grinds/shapes - straight, fully curved, and Lacer curved. Found that for larger skews, the Lacer works best for me. For 1/2" skews, my preference is straighter. Earlier this year, I got a Lacer 1 3/4" which has been great, and more recently I got a Thompson. I used the Thompson as shipped for a few projects, and went back and forth with the Lacer. Ended up grinding a Lacer profile on it, too. I do still have a straight 1" in the quiver, should I ever need a comparison again.

One thing that I picked up over this time is to sharpen the skew so that the length of the bevel is approximately 1.5x the thickness of the skew chisel. This provides a sweet spot. Mine are hollow ground on an 8" wheel, and touched up with diamond hones during use.

The more the skew is used, the better you get at it...

 

[Roger Wiegand]

A great piece of advice Alan Lacer gave us in his skew class was to always practice and warm up before getting to work, just as you would before almost any athletic event. That could be turning a quick series of beads and pommels in a piece of firewood, or my favorite, make an egg. The work goes much better if you reset the muscle memory before you start. Plus, if the egg is successful, you have a nice thing to give people or sell-- folks seem to love wooden eggs,

 

[Dean Center]

A great piece of advice Alan Lacer gave us in his skew class was to always practice and warm up before getting to work, just as you would before almost any athletic event. That could be turning a quick series of beads and pommels in a piece of firewood, or my favorite, make an egg. The work goes much better if you reset the muscle memory before you start. Plus, if the egg is successful, you have a nice thing to give people or sell-- folks seem to love wooden eggs,

The first Pro demo I ever saw was Alan Lacer with his skew. It was shocking to see this very famous and skilled guy 'warming up' by making a few tops. If anybody wouldn't need the practice, it would be him. Good reminder, Roger.

 

[John K Jordan]

Plus, if the egg is successful, you have a nice thing to give people or sell-- folks seem to love wooden eggs,

Ain't THAT the truth! When I visited Graeme Priddle and Melissa once he took me over to the gallery where he had a number of pieces, some with large (and expected) price tags.

In the door, he made a beeline to a bowl of wooden eggs to see how many had sold!

I've made a bunch, some as decoy eggs to put in guinea and peafowl nests to encourage the birds to lay more. I have a problem here with crows watching where guineas put their nests then steeling the eggs and dripping them on the driveway to break so they can eat the insides. One crow picked up a wood decoy egg. I found it on the driveway, obviously dropped many times - the darn thing must have really frustrated the crow!

One think I discovered about turned eggs it it can be hard to get the shape right - sometimes too pointy, too round. Eggs do come in different shapes, but chicken eggs are usually pretty consistent (although guinea, peacock, and goose eggs are far different than chicken eggs).

I got a number of eggs from our hens, picket my favorite "average" egg, and traced the outline with the help of a point-source LED light mounted on the ceiling above the work bench. I measured key points down the length and when turning, use a diamond point parting tool to make sizing grooves before turning the outline. I made a "egg" chuck to hold it when reversing to clean up the other end. Made it from soft cedar for flexible fingers, threaded a dogwood insert for mounting on the lathe.

For someone making eggs to sell, this can make the process much quicker!

One turned, after parting off and cleaning up end. I usually make two out of one blank.




Size and shape difference between chicken, guinea, and peafowl eggs.


And just for fun, a short video of a peacock hatching. Took hours of tries over several years to get a good shot with good lighting at the right time. On about day 28 they use special neck muscles to crack around the shell with their beak until they can push it open with muscles in their legs. Baby bird are hatched with a built-in food and water supply good for several days. (What's left from the egg yoke after using part for growth) The pull the yoke inside their bodies - the reason birds have "navels". There, not on only completely off topic but far more than most people ever wanted to know!
I've incubated thousands of eggs over the years, almost 300 just this year.

View: https://youtu.be/gdDtx0vyqfQ


JKJ

 

[Steve Tiedman]

John, what becomes of the peacocks?

 

[John K Jordan]

The first Pro demo I ever saw was Alan Lacer with his skew. It was shocking to see this very famous and skilled guy 'warming up' by making a few tops. If anybody wouldn't need the practice, it would be him. Good reminder, Roger.

Makes me wonder if he was warming up because he needed it or if it was to teach the audience.
I found that after years of skew the only warm up I usually do is rough the blank and round the cylinder, maybe make a practice facing cut. After a while, skew placement is almost automatic. But I probably don't use it with the same skill or for as much variety as Alan.

Might check out his store:

HOME | ALAN LACER WOODTURNING

Home page for Alan Lacer Woodturning

www.alanlacer.info

I do think his set of 5 DVDs is worth having on hand.

DVD Bundle

woodturning tools and woodturning dvd's

stores.alanswoodturningstore.com

I really like his diamond slipstone (now back in stock), better than others I have, and without the Glaser screw chucks he sells I'd probably give up woodturning .

Any questions - he has always been great to answer the phone or return a call, pleasant and so, so knowledgeable!
Twice he sent me a stack of his catalogues to give out.

JKJ

 

[John K Jordan]

John, what becomes of the peacocks?

Some I've raised for breeding stock - unlike in the wild, I separate family lines for genetic soundness. I've crossed some white with Indian Blues for beautiful pied colors. This is Susie, a female pied (the bird, not the girl!), very tame since she had no companion when hatched so I handled her every day. I took her once to a vet friend's graduation party.



Most are sold - it's amazing what they will fetch. Can easily get $300-$500 for a single bird or a pair. I don't do it for the money but it's nice to help with the rising cost of feed - a balanced blend of grains, birdseed, chicken feed, sunflower hearts, and peanuts for the adults. Young birds are very cheap from me. (I know one large breeder that sells day-old peachicks for $30 each, minimum order of 8, no guarantee of survival.) I guarantee all my birds for a week or so. (The only customer who has had birds die was one woman who refused to follow my feeding instructions and fed them nothing but cat food. )

This year I incubated 200 chicken eggs, about 50 guinea, and maybe 25 peacock. No more turkeys!

Great for kids!


Sometimes I'lll let broody peahens haatch their eggs.



I don't recommend this "hobby" for everyone - high-end, incubator, hatcher, and brooders are expensive, need daily attention until hatched - even more after hatching, had to build housing to protect from predators (I have six separate enclosures. Feeding and watering takes several hours per day - feed costs several hundred each month. Catching a big male in an enclosure can be dangerous - I have scars from toenails - and their wings are strong enough to break a jaw. (I guide them into a corner, hold up a large blanket, then lunge to enclose them in the blanket. Works sometimes.) I plan to do this for one more year then give it up.



Ok, back to the skew chisel: Keep it sharp.

JKJ

 

[robo hippy]

Alan Batty has a video up on You Tube that is also worth watching. I did make a special skew just for my boxes for refining the tenon to make it straight. The edge is straight across, like 90 degrees. I do prefer a slightly rounded curve to mine, and they are all sharpened to about 25 degrees, which is the 30 degree setting on my robo rest. I did see Stuart Batty at a past Oregon Woodturning Symposium 2 years ago, and he was turning a cylinder. He never started the cut from the end of the cylinder stating that it "always catches". I have done that cut many times, starting from the end, so I went home and tried it. No problems. I thought that maybe it was because he was using a straight edge skew, so I ground one down to straight across at maybe 20 degrees to square. I got the same results, no catches. It does take practice, and I am a bowl turner, but I am back into turning boxes, and it is an essential tool for the smaller boxes I make. I do love the peeling cut that Eric Lofstrom does. I do find him to be one of the most entertaining turners I have ever watched. He sets the wheels in my brain spinning.

robo hippy

 

[John K Jordan]

and they are all sharpened to about 25 degrees

Just to be clear, is that about 25 deg bevel on one side measured from the straight side for about 50 deg included angle? (I measure the included angle parpendicular to the cutting edge for a given platform angle it varies a bit with the shape of the edge)


Hey, just for fun, I once designed and made a catchless skew. Unfortunately, it's only useful on fairly shallow V and facing cuts. Sharpened as usual, then the center of the edge, the part that will catch at the top of the V, is rounded a bit.

It does work, but is of no practical use since it's easy enough to hold the tiny side clearance angle needed, at least on a non-curved edge skew. Useless for planing cuts, of course! Probably a shameful waste of an otherwise good skew.

However, it would be good for teaching bad technique.

Also, little discussed and seldom taught is the skew actually has 5 cutting edges: not only the primary cutting edge but those that form the V-shapes when viewed from the narrow edges of a flat skew. Without these, the point could cut into one side of a v=groove but the wood on the other side might not be removed cleanly. It might have been in one of Raffan's or Darlow's books I read that, or heard it from a skew expert at a demo.

JKJ