Fingernail vs skew gouge?

[Rfilkin]

Greetings
I am glad to be here. For years my tool of choice in pen turning has been the fingernail gouge and I have been successful. Others have expressed a choice of using the skew so this morning I used a piece of scrap acrylic for practice. Not bad but I do need more practice and the shavings seem a lot finer than with the fingernail. What is your preference and why?

Thank you in advance

 

[Woodchipper]

I started with the spindle roughing gouge for turning blanks. I have used different tools- beading/parting tool, round carbide, Bedan tool, skew. I really don't have a favorite.

 

[wouldentu2?]

I lay the skew on its side and use it as a scraper as a quick method to level the surface.

 

[BHuij]

I basically use a skew whenever I can. I'll use a spindle roughing gouge to knock off corners on square stock. I'll use a detail gouge for coves, beads, ogees, etc. And I have a square carbide tool for when I'm cutting synthetics, especially harder ones like TruStone. Everything else in spindle orientation I generally do with a skew. The speed at which I can reduce diameter on things with peeling cuts, and the surface left behind with planing cuts makes it hard to want to use anything else.

 

[Jarod888]

I use a skew for virtually everything. It's faster and produces a better finish, so I can start sanding at higher grits, typically 320 or 400.

I prefer the 3/4 inch wide Colwin Way splayed skew. I also have a hamlett one I really like.

My preferred style is radiused with a small (1/8) inch flat section on the long point.
I grid them at around 20 degrees each side (40 degree included angle). This produces a bevel that is about 3/8 to 1/2 long.

I'll post a picture later of them and my grinding platform. I use a 180 grit cbn with the Stewart Batty platform.

 

[Jarod888]

Pictures as promised.