bent the skew....

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markgum

markgum

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Apr 8, 2008
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I was turning a piece of pistaschio for a bowl the other day. Making the tennon and got a catch with the skew. The tool rest was far from the tennon, and after the catch noticed I couldn't get a decent cut with the skew, looked at it and I bent it good. Wondering if I should toss the bent one and go buy a new one; or would it be o.k. to bend it back straight. It's a Sorby tool. Due to being underemployed, buying a new one is in the future..:frown: unless I find a great deal.
 
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If it were me, I'd straighten it and go at it again. Thats the nice thing about metal, bends over and over. BTW, watch that moving tool rest! :P
 
You can bend it back. However, it will be more likely to bend in that spot later. I would at least give it a shot, and be more careful in the future... but I would also do so knowing that I may have to buy another anyway. It sounds like you must have been working FAR from the rest, and had a BIG catch...
 
Actually, after thinking about it... I think I'd buy a new one. Not only would the tool be more likely to bend in the future, it would be more prone to breaking at that point as well - and a flying, broken piece of skew isn't a very good thing.
 
markgum said:
I was turning a piece of pistaschio for a bowl the other day. Making the tennon and got a catch with the skew. The tool rest was far from the tennon, and after the catch noticed I couldn't get a decent cut with the skew, looked at it and I bent it good. Wondering if I should toss the bent one and go buy a new one; or would it be o.k. to bend it back straight. It's a Sorby tool. Due to being underemployed, buying a new one is in the future..:frown: unless I find a great deal.
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Mark; It is most unusual to bend HSS! That must have been some catch!
Oh; I read it again and you were turning a bowl, still that must have been scary.

I would contact Sorby and ask them about the bend. They may offer a replacement under warranty?
 
Just an off hand safety remark -- skews have no business being around a bowl. You can make up a reason for them, but there are always better tools for the purpose. You're lucky that the tool didn't break or the tool rest for that matter.

Marc
 
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Glad you're well, sounds like it was a heck of an experience! I'm trying to teach myself the skew and was turning some softwood (can't recall what, I bought a 3" dowel at the BORG to practice on) and got a point catch - scared the bejeezus out of me and I didn't come close to bending the tool! :eek:



daniel
 
I find absolutely nothing wrong using the skew on a bowl. It makes a fine tool IF used properly.

As far as your bent skew ... reverse bend it and use it carefully with you tool rest properly in place.

I doubt very seriously that Sorby would consider a replacement as the bend was your fault and not some manufacturing defect.If you take your time, keep the tool scary sharp, and are careful the skew is a wonderful tool IMHO.

I have to add that it is definitely not for the novice nor should it be used by those that apparently are often intimidated by it.
 
Using a skew in peel cutting mode to make a tenon, pretty safe. Only other use ever found for skew on a bowl is shear scrapping (Del Stubbs video) on out side of the bowl. JMHO would bever try shear scrapping inside a bowl.

John Jordan, sells a pretty good shear scraber for outside bowls & hollow forms at his web site & various catalogs (packardhardwoods).

Where the bend is would make a difference to me whether to bend it back or not. At the tang yes, along the blade no.
 
I bent it back, but still not in perfect shape. I was trying to shape the tennon with the skew. Thought I did this in a class I took, but maybe not. It was wet wood and and was a BIG catch anyways... tried using it again after bending it back and not happy with it. So am saving my pennies, and will buy a new one soon.
 
Randy had it right. Very odd a hss from Sorby would bend. In a worse case scenario, it would fly out of your hand, hurting it in the process, or break.
Bend it back, keep your tool rest where it should be and be careful.
 
The most important thing you can do is think about what you were doing when this happened so you don't make the same mistake again and get hurt.

I am curious as to what part of the tenon you were shaping. I've never used a skew to make a tenon.
 
Question the use of a skew on a tenon. I would think maybe you used a parting tool. I would not have the skew around a bowl but that is just me. Also I would save the pennies and get a new one.
 
Rifleman1776 said:
Randy had it right. Very odd a hss from Sorby would bend. In a worse case scenario, it would fly out of your hand, hurting it in the process, or break.
Bend it back, keep your tool rest where it should be and be careful.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised the skew bent and not kick away... I was doing a shear cut on a pepper mill blank and advanced the tool too quickly and not addressed to the wood right, it caught and kick back right through my hand and across the shop. One key I've found with the skew is keep the tool rest very near the edge of the skew for the support...
 
markgum said:
I was trying to shape the tennon with the skew. Thought I did this in a class I took, but maybe not.
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I'm with Fred -- use a skew in bowl turning all the time. It was the primary tool in the brown mallee that I turned recently. You may well have used it in a class, but maybe they didn't stress (or you forgot) that if you use the skew to make a tenon, make sure you cut the tenon from the tailstock end and not from the side. From the side you'd be pointing the skew into end grain, which is always a no-no. If you were pointing uphill and if the toolrest was too far away from the piece, those things would exxagerate the effect of the catch.

A skew also makes a delightful negative rake scraper.
 
if I remember right.... from the class I took, you want the tennon to have a slight angle to it so the jaws can firmly grip the tennon. Using the skew, I was striving to get the angle so that the part nearest the bowl was slightly narrower than the bottom (outer) edge of the tennon.
Since I was using the LONGEST tool rest I had, I was a good 3 to 4 inches from the edge being cut. SHAME ON ME...
Lessons learned...
1. use smaller tool rest.
2. keep the distance between the wood and the tool rest to less than 1/2 inch
3. slow down and think about what your doing before grabbing the tool and making shavings.

4. got a tiny promotion at work, so a few more paychecks to catch up on some bills, and I'll get me a new skew. Will grind the old one down to some short to 3 point tool or something. and will use it to practice sharpening on the wolverine system.
Thanks for every ones' input. very helpful as always.
 
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