Why are skews dangerous?

[cskipper]

I give up. Since Clay didn't ask for me (not that he knew he was supposed to), why are skews dangerous. I know they must be because everybody says they are, but what about them or using them is dangerous? I figure l'll have a safer shot at using one if I know what to watch out for.

 

[Big Mike]

I am not sure why you are thinking that a skew is any more dangerous than any other turning tool. It just has a longer learning curve and is prone to some nasty catches and spirals during that time. I started using mine extensively while turning pens to learn the tool and that has proven to be a real good idea. Now I am able to use the skew in many more ways than I ever thought possible and it has drastically reduced my sanding time on turned boxes and pens. On pens I almost don't have to sand and when I do I start at very high grits.

Sharpening a skew is another thing that must be learned. A skew is the one turning tool I hone after sharpening. I feel it must be razor sharp for best results. I have some convex ground skews and I have some flat ground skews and they all have their place. Learn to use the skew but be prepared to go through a learning curve. I would recommend practicing on some scraps (a lot!) before putting edge to expensive wood. Just my two cents.

 

[JRD]

I'll echo the above. The Skew can really reduce sanding time by giving a much, much smoother finish to a turning. Conversely, they also are very easy to have dig in to a turning, ruining what you've been working to achieve. To me the secret, if there is one, is to always be very careful to always cut with the center of the tool tip, never let the ends of the cutting surface contact the wood when cutting diagonally. That's asking for trouble, a dig in, or at worst a thrown tool.

 

[Ken Massingale]

'cause they are the Tool From Hell!! ;-)

 

[dave_the_woodworker]

I agree with the comments above. The skew is capable of making far cleaner cuts than a gouge or scraper in some situations and can save a LOT of sanding. But the 'catches' it is famous for can get on your nerves because they usually chew up a lot of the surface of the wood. One trick I really like is to use a dead-center drive at the headstock instead of a two or four pronged drive. By backing off of the tailstock pressure, the dead-center will slip when the skew catches whereas the pronged centers won't. This easily stops the wood and greatly reduces the tearout.

Alan Lacer has a great video - "The Skew Chisel, The Dark Side and the Sweet Side." It addresses exactly your concern. He gives some great tips (including the one I just mentioned) and explains exactly how and why the skew catches and how to avoid it.

Again, the skew is a really useful tool and well worth the time to learn.

Good luck!

Dave

 

[woodguy1975]

A lot of folks "use" the skew, but use it more like scraper than as a shear chisel which is fine, but you really don't get the benefits of the skew until you use it as designed. Like everyone has said is is very easy to catch and ruin a peice with a skew until you are familiar with it. Usually you are using a skew on the last passes to reduce sanding so that is the worst time to have a catch. DAMHIKT Just practice. Once you understand how it cuts it is really a very useful tool. It is good to hone a skew to get rid of the burr. I won't sharpen it like a plane iron, but will hit the honing wheel a bit to make sure the burr is gone. Good Luck, John

 

[grumpy]

Re: skews

Just a note. Patternmakers in my day in the shop were scrapers and users of diamond points, round noses, gouges, parting tools and sandpaper, rarely a skew. I recently went back to turning pens and such and voila they made skews that were oval and much easier to control than that square one. Now, a turning book has opened the thrill of a radius skew which means you roll the edges on the grinder and it reduces those dangerous ends of the skew. The radius presents a much easier ability to use the center of the tool. I used wolverine jig and rolled it a bit. I have now enjoyed the skews thus improved and less sanding as already mentioned. Grumpy

 

[Phillip]

I have to chime in, I agree with big mike, no more dangerous than any other tool. i use skews with rolled edges and a curved cutting edge (richard raffan's signature tool from henry taylor right now). I would say that work about pen scale doesn't really give you a chance to practice much, 1 1/2-2" diameter with a 3/4-1" skew would be better. depending on the work i'm doing, i'll rough and finish with just the skew, up to about 3" square stock with a 3/4" skew. while i wouldn't recommend this to beginners, it is nice to be able to do a lot of work without changing tools too often. skews also scrape endgrain really nicely, especially hard woods, rosewoods and such. check out alan lacer's skew videos and richard raffan's first two videos for good instruction.

phillip