Learn to Love the Skew Chisel
When you get the hang of it, your skew will leave a surface so nice and slick that 600-grit sandpaper would mess it up.
Synopsis: When you get the hang of it, your skew will leave a surface so nice and slick that 600-grit sandpaper would mess it up.
When I started making chairs I did the turning with a dull gouge, scraping and jerking wood fibers with the lathe running at mind-boggling speed. Then I broke out the sandpaper, working my way through the grits. The process was loud, nerve-wracking, dusty, and expensive. It was like making war. Then I had a chance to watch Vermont chairmaker Dave Sawyer at the lathe. His skew glided over the surface of the wood, leaving a glass finish—no sanding needed. His fillets were sharp enough to cut you, his beads were beautifully formed, and his V-cuts were crisp and clean right to the bottom. He did all this with the lathe running at a moderate speed. And it looked like fun. He explained that the skew…
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Comments
Informative and practical advice to help overcome the intimidation in using the skew. His article was put to good use.
Where in the heck are the videos associated with this article? Should be a link on this page.
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