jimmyz
Member
So, after much encouragement, I have decided to learn to use my skew for final pen turning. One of the main reasons is to reduce or eliminate the need to sand before finishing, because I do some segmenting with aluminum and brass and the lighter woods and acrylics pick up the dust and get "dirty" during the sanding process.
I have two skews, a small round one (Wood River 3 pc kit) and a larger (5/8") flat, longer one. I have decided to use the flat one because it's easier to sharpen (I think). They are both HSS, but the flat one has the infamous "made in China" notation.
I sharpened the flat one to about 30 degrees with a slight curve and honed it with a credit card-sized Trend diamond plate. Mounted a piece of scrap, relatively soft wood, set the tool rest so the approximate center of the tool was at about 2/3 the height of the blank, and started to try using it. After several passes, I thought I was getting a pretty good finish, as long as I kept it slow with light cuts.
My questions are: after a few minutes, when the wood had a nice finish but was not turned down to the proper size, I had trouble getting it to make the same light cuts. The edge, compared to the initial one, did not feel nearly as sharp. I guess I need to hone it again or do I need to increase the "angle of attack" as the tool gets less sharp? How frequently should I expert to have to re-hone it (I know it depends on what material is being turned)? Should I look for a better quality skew that will hold the edge longer?
Also, should I invest in a carbide tipped tool (round or square?) to do the roughing vs using my roughing gouge until I get to the final turning with the skew?
Any help will be appreciated!
I have two skews, a small round one (Wood River 3 pc kit) and a larger (5/8") flat, longer one. I have decided to use the flat one because it's easier to sharpen (I think). They are both HSS, but the flat one has the infamous "made in China" notation.
I sharpened the flat one to about 30 degrees with a slight curve and honed it with a credit card-sized Trend diamond plate. Mounted a piece of scrap, relatively soft wood, set the tool rest so the approximate center of the tool was at about 2/3 the height of the blank, and started to try using it. After several passes, I thought I was getting a pretty good finish, as long as I kept it slow with light cuts.
My questions are: after a few minutes, when the wood had a nice finish but was not turned down to the proper size, I had trouble getting it to make the same light cuts. The edge, compared to the initial one, did not feel nearly as sharp. I guess I need to hone it again or do I need to increase the "angle of attack" as the tool gets less sharp? How frequently should I expert to have to re-hone it (I know it depends on what material is being turned)? Should I look for a better quality skew that will hold the edge longer?
Also, should I invest in a carbide tipped tool (round or square?) to do the roughing vs using my roughing gouge until I get to the final turning with the skew?
Any help will be appreciated!