# Love those three little words!



## Rockytime (Jun 5, 2015)

Love those three little words! No not "I love you", rather "Skew handle up" and "Gouge handle down."  Those little words made all the difference in my using those tools. Don't recall who said it on this forum, but thanks.


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## magpens (Jun 5, 2015)

Funny .... I was taught by a local world-class woodturner that the skew handle should be anchored on  my hip bone.  And I should move my whole body to control the skew.


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## Rockytime (Jun 5, 2015)

magpens said:


> Funny .... I was taught by a local world-class woodturner that the skew handle should be anchored on  my hip bone.  And I should move my whole body to control the skew.



You are so correct. However, I turn sitting down and turn only small items so I do not use long tools. I turn sitting due to balance problems. I guess for most turners your method makes complete sense.


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## georgestanley032 (Jul 31, 2015)

LOL. So funny but I'd love to hear I love you more often than not. Ha ha. I remebered my dad who always say "Skew handle up" and "Gouge handle down" whenever I;m doing something wrong.


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## low_48 (Jul 31, 2015)

Are you using the skew as a scraper, or are you making shearing cuts making curls? As a scraper the handle must be above the cutter, as a shearing cutter, the handle must be below the cutting end.


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## KenV (Jul 31, 2015)

Add --  keep the elbows tucked in and use the ABC and you have most of it to keep going

Bowl gouges can be just fine at center line and horizontal ---

(I do most turning sitting because of bad joints -- or I do not turn long at all if I have to stand)


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## oneleggimp (Aug 1, 2015)

Rockytime said:


> You are so correct. However, I turn sitting down and turn only small items so I do not use long tools. I turn sitting due to balance problems. I guess for most turners your method makes complete sense.


Me too Rockytime.  I turn sitting down since I am a full-time wheelchair user and turn sitting in my wheelchair.  Your mnomic works for me just fine  I also use short chisels.


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## KenV (Aug 1, 2015)

Long Handles on turning chisels is a newer approach that appears to have come onto the turning world with more power on lathes and a desire to hog off wood faster.   

Nothing at all wrong with shorter handles if you are not hogging off lots of wood fast and do not need the leverage --


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## low_48 (Aug 4, 2015)

KenV said:


> Long Handles on turning chisels is a newer approach that appears to have come onto the turning world with more power on lathes and a desire to hog off wood faster.
> 
> Nothing at all wrong with shorter handles if you are not hogging off lots of wood fast and do not need the leverage --



What's your idea of newer Ken? I think Ellsworth started using them 45 years ago.


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## triw51 (Aug 4, 2015)

"Three little words" wasn't that the name of a Red Skelton/Fred Astair Movie?  Red's hobby was baseball and Fred's was magic.


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