skew work

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ahoiberg

ahoiberg

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i've been seeing that quite a few of you use skews for your pen turning...

i don't know what i'm doing wrong, but i've been having really bad luck with my skew when applying it to penturning.

any tips?

i think the fact that i've been using a gouge to do most of my pens contributes to the fact that i always get a little cove near the bearings, making it difficult to sand and finish evenly... so if i can get some tips from y'all, angle to hold it at, etc. i'd greatly appreciate it!
 
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Andrew,
Like you, I had nothing but bad luck with the skew until Ed Brown from Wisconsin (ed-4-copies)showed me how to use it correctly. Now I use it exclusivly for pens and have fewer problems than with the gouge. My advise would be to find someone who uses the skew and have them show you what they do. It is hard to follow a video and understand what is wrong when it doesn't work. Then it is just a matter of practice and trusting your skills.

Dale (rochester)
 
I am afraid it is not luck, but technique. You need to learn to ride the bevel, and other techniques that are hard to learn without seeing them. Try getting someone to show you or a video can help teach the basic methods. Then it is just practice. I still get a few catches, even after many years, but now it is usually when I rush things.
 
The good part to all these post-----once you get there you will never go back----I was lucky and spent some time with Mr Lacer last year----It's easy once you get the feel of it.
 
Videos help. hands on experience with a mentor is better. Rounded edges (either rounded edges on a rectangle, oval skew, or round skew) help a bunch. One of my heros is Robert Rosand (rrosand.com) who is a specialist in small turnings and has published pen turning articles in American Woodturner - likes a skew ground on a round high speed steel rod (available from his web site or packard woodworking) for small objects. Then it is practice practice practice
 
P.S. -- does your gouge have a looonnngggg fingernail grind on it??? The long side grinds act more like a skew but are on a gouge. They get rid of the "cove tendency. Also practice gentle curves onto the bushings.
 
I don't think it's as difficult as everyone is making it out to be. Make sure you have a sharp tool. That is very important. I'll say it again because I believe it is that important; make sure you have a sharp tool. They aren't shipped sharp. It took me awhile before I was able to get mine sharp, but now that it is, it's just a matter of a few swipes of a pen file to keep it that way.

Now, about using it. Once rounded with a gouge, I start near the bushing at nearly a 45 degree angle with a skew tool. Feel the wood be the wood as you turn back towards the center of the blank. Go to the other end and do the same. Keep going at the ends at an angle and bringing it back towards the center. Don't try to go up and down the blank like you might do with a gouge tool. Practice with an easy to turn wood and before you know it, you'll be saying, that wasn't so hard to do.
 
I use a radius curve skew and a 1/2" spindle gouge for all of my pens. I use the gouge to get the shape and the skew to finish it up. Before I bought my skew I used to turn my gouge on its side and approach the edges at an angle. You get great control this way, and with practice you can get the angle right and go across the blank and smooth it out with almost the same results as a skew. Bottom line, use whatever tool you have at your disposal that you fell comfortable using.
Andy
 
I use a skew from start to finish with my pens. I agree with the suggestions above:
1) an oval skew makes a HUGE difference - I have one of these: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/lx030.html , and didn't believe it was going to make as much of a difference as it did. At $13, it's a wise investment.
2) sharp tools are always advantageous.
3) do whatever you can to watch one of Alan Lacer's videos. I had been doing all of my turning with a "scraping cut" (keeping the point essentially pointing into the middle of the blank), but since I learned (and practiced!) a shearing/planing cut from Alan's video, my turning has improved quite a bit.

Good luck!
 
The key is sharp. My skew work is mostly scraping but I get nice long curlies and a smooth cut anyhow. Watch closely what you are doing. I hold the skew parallel to the sides of the bushing and cut right down to the bushing. Others will say "NO NO", but I even sometimes touch the bushing with the tool. [:0] And the sky ain't falled yet. You can do a final, perfect match to the bushing with sandpaper after you finish turning. Did I say SHARP? Gotta be sharp.
 
This is my first post ..though I have been turning pens for a while. As to the use with the skew, for me it dependes upon the type of miterial that I am turning for a pen. When I am turning wood I typically don't use my skew until the end the level and smooth. When it comes to the harder acrylics I go straight to the skew and go light on the blank. But as stated unless the skew is very shap it won't do alot.
 
I learned a while back that for me the oval skew works best. Being oval it does not "hold" onto the tool rest like a straight edged skew can sometimes do ... and that can cause the skew to dig in and gouge the blank apart. I also am of the opinion that a very high speed is often called for and I get very smooth cuts that avoid some final sanding if I am careful. The edge MUST be scary sharp - the kind of sharp that can slice through the hair on your arm and leave nothing but smooth skin behind. It does take a bit of working with to feel accustomed to the skew, but the practice is definitely worth all the effort in the end. Anothe tidbit, POLISH your tool rest often and keep the edge clean of finishes and free of any nicks. Just use a fine grit sandpaper and polish the edge where the tool rides and you should see a difference in the amount of effort needed to move the tool. The same goes for the ways of your lathe. [:D]
 
i think one of the reasons it's eluded me so far is due to the fact that there's a bevel on either side of my skews. i'm used to playing the tool one way due to the single bevel of a gouge... this is a great thread, thanks a bunch for all your input.

no, my gouge isn't a fingernail grind, it's a 3/8ths roughing gouge. i've had good luck with it, but like i said the problems with the bearing areas.

my tool rest is in need of another smoothing out, that's a good suggestion. i'll definitely file it smooth and see if that helps. i did notice that earlier, that the stem of the tool wouldn't ride that smooth which was throwing me off.

thanks again all, i'll try to get to an Alan Lacer video at the local woodcraft or something and get on that train!
 
As a fairly new turner I didn't have a clue on how to use a skew. I had tried a few times and decided that my skew was possessed! Then I went to the library here at this site and watched Ed Davidson's video on turning a Sierra pen. He starts with a round nose scraper and shows the problem you encounter then takes his skew and makes his case. He made it look pretty easy! I picked up my skew again and did it like Ed as much as I could and behold I discovered my skew really wasn't possessed like I had thought.[:D] Now all it took was practice and I use the skew most of the time now when I turn. (No one will confuse my work with Ed's).[:D]
It worked for me - maybe it will work for you.
 
I'm one of the relatively newcomers to the skew... I watched Ed Davidson's video on using the skew from this site and watched Ed Brown at the Southwest Pen Turners Gathering in March.. then just started practicing .. I find the skew an easier tool to work with than some of the scrapers... I'm getting more consistency in some of my turnings... I still use the other tools for other things.
 
Originally posted by ahoiberg
<br />i've been seeing that quite a few of you use skews for your pen turning...

i don't know what i'm doing wrong, but i've been having really bad luck with my skew when applying it to penturning.

any tips?
Click to expand...

- If you don't have an oval skew, round the corners of your skew. This will make the tool slide on the rest easier.

- In additon to filing/smoothing your tool rest, put some furniture was on it. This will make is slick.

- There is no such thing as too sharp of a tool, especially when it comes to a skew.

- Practice! [:)]
 
Was ordering some stuff from Rockler -- and see that they have the Alan Lacer VHS marked down to $10 -- VHS is not as handy for me as DVD, but the DVD from Rockler is still $35. Great content for $10 and shipping. This is the Skew - the dark side and the sweet side video.
 
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