# The Skew Chisel



## BeeAMaker

I'm still fairly new to this site but I noticed a lot of questions about the Skew chisel and how to use it. I have been trying to master the Skew my self. I came across this very informative video on the skew. I have watched several others and they all only really talk about plan cut. This video shows several different cuts and discusses the reason and process behind each cut. It's long but I feel worth it the watch.

https://youtu.be/KfeLAHQSbqk


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## TattooedTurner

I've watched that video twice in the past, it's a great one for learning the skew. Brian Havens also has a few videos, each on a specific cut, that are very good as well.


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## magpens

I need to follow this thread to hopefully gain material to help me improve my use of the skew.


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## TonyL

I must have watched this 3 or 4 times and it continues to teach me something knew each time. There are many other excellent (and free) videos out there; I find this to be one of the most comprehensive.


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## Woodchipper

John Lucas has some good youtube videos on turning, including the skew.  The skew is great when mastered as it can do a lot of things.  I was at the Georgia Association of Woodturners this past weekend.  I even saw one master turner use the skew as a roughing gouge!!!


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## tonylumps

i just started to get serious wth the skew after a lot of nasty episodes.I have learned 2 things after watching 50 Youtube videos that they do not mentioned to much of .Scary sharp and a slow light touch.It seems like a lot of these videos are trying to show how good they are with the dreaded skew.Now that is just my opinion


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## alphageek

Ed Brown (ed4copies) has a bunch of videos on his channel... Many of them he uses a skew and does things from a "real person" view, not showing off skills.  I suggest checking some of them out!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjC839-ZZH-iAAN9qCZ97Iw/videos


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## ldb2000

The skew is the MOST important turning tool for penmakers . Scary sharp is important since the tool slices the materials rather then tearing out chunks .  and a soft light touch is important again so your slicing out ribbons rather then ripping out chunks . ed4copies has an a fantastic video on how to use a skew , hopefully he or someone can put a link as I have no links on this computer.
 The only way to LEARN anything is to just DO IT ! All the tutorials in the world cant teach you how to do something just by watching them . You have to feel the tool in your hand feel wood being sliced off and it does have a certain  feeling . This feeling is something that you learn by doing .
Learn how to sharpen your skew . Once sharpened a light touch with a diamond file can keep it scary sharp (for those who don't know "scary sharp" is so sharp you can cut yourself by looking at it !) this isnt hard to do it just takes practice not 500 tutorials on how to do it . Tutorials can only show you how to do something the presenter can do well  you have to take that knowledge and make it yours .


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## mark james

ldb2000 said:


> ed4copies has an a fantastic video on how to use a skew , hopefully he or someone can put a link as I have no links on this computer.
> .



Maybe this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03XHvMwsdtM


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## ldb2000

Thank you Mark thats the one . It's short , shows you how to hold the tool and present the tool to the work , thats ALL you need to learn how to use a skew but you need to take this knowledge and put it to work . PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE !!! Get a box of cheap blanks and turn them round . I have a large box of plain maple round blanks and the ability to turn them that way without needing any sanding just from watching that video and lots of practice .


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## tonylumps

alphageek said:


> Ed Brown (ed4copies) has a bunch of videos on his channel... Many of them he uses a skew and does things from a "real person" view, not showing off skills.  I suggest checking some of them out!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjC839-ZZH-iAAN9qCZ97Iw/videos



Thanks I can not believe I did not see Ed's Video.on the skew.He has some good Video.s I get an order a week from Exotic Blanks. So I  spend a lot of time on there site just looking around.


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## ed4copies

Thank you, guys!  Comments like the ones above motivate me to do MANY more!!


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## Woodchipper

I have a bunch of oak dowels from toys at a daycare.  I'm thinking to cut them into pieces about the length of blanks and using them to practice with the skew.  I have been told or read that a good skew can leave a finish that needs little or no sanding.


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## jeff3285

im in no way that good at using a skew but I have been practicing with it and it does help,,my main thing was I was scared of it,,there is a lot of you tube videos on it but one of my favorites is jake gevorgian,,,,some videos refer to it as the devils can opener,,lol,,but im still learning and hope to get a lot better,,the finish is awesome,,,


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## tonylumps

I noticed when I changed my sharpening system just for the Skew it feels like I have better control I now use a bench top belt sander as opposed to my 8” grinder.It seems like the concave bevel made it a little unstable.I bought my self a Multitool bench grinder attach.  for Xmas That should work better on my slow speed grinder.I am really trying to use the Skew more if I could


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## Charlie_W

tonylumps said:


> I noticed when I changed my sharpening system just for the Skew it feels like I have better control I now use a bench top belt sander as opposed to my 8” grinder.It seems like the concave bevel made it a little unstable.I bought my self a Multitool bench grinder attach.  for Xmas That should work better on my slow speed grinder.I am really trying to use the Skew more if I could



Yes, the concave grind (not bevel) does not leave a “bevel” or flat right behind the cutting edge. Only after you hone the skew with a diamond hone do you begin to create a flat behind the cutting edge that will ride on what you have just cut and make the skew (or any chisel) more user friendly.
Grinding/sanding a flat or convex grind will give you bevel support right behind the cutting edge and will make using the skew a more pleasant experience. The flat or convex surfaces are great for beginners. A concave or flat grind is excellent for getting into a deep V cut. A convex grind is great on coves as the convex shape will follow the cutting edge as you create the cove.

Also using some honing abrasive compound such as Tormex uses on a leather wheel will take a diamond honed edge to a polished edge for a super sharp and smooth cutting edge.
I use a MDF disc on a faceplate as a honing/polishing disc on chisels and knives.
Simple apply a few dots of compound to the edge of the disc and hone/polish your tools. I turn the disc at a slow speed to avoid heat in the blade/tool.

Good luck with your skew.


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## TattooedTurner

tonylumps said:


> I noticed when I changed my sharpening system just for the Skew it feels like I have better control I now use a bench top belt sander as opposed to my 8” grinder.It seems like the concave bevel made it a little unstable.I bought my self a Multitool bench grinder attach.  for Xmas That should work better on my slow speed grinder.I am really trying to use the Skew more if I could



Capt Eddie said that a concave bevel does in fact make the skew harder to use and gave his explanation why. He has a video showing how to freehand sharpen a skew to a "bullet" (convex) grind. My wonderful daughters just got me a giftcard to Rockler for Christmas, I'm going to look at some stones this coming weekend soley for sharpening my skews so I don't get a concave bevel.


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## Talltim

I do all my shew sharpening by hand on a diamond plate.


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## tonylumps

I have been experimenting with a sacrificial skew I messed up a while back.My 4X36 belt sander is to aggressive at 3600 RPM .That is why I wanted to try the Multitool on the 8" grinder It runs at 1735.I also bought an assortment of belts to see what works


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## MRDucks2

Never considered the multitool yet for sharpening. I would wonder about a 4” side grinder for myself. Spent so much sharpening brush hog blades on the brush hog for Dad when I was young, I seem to always get my best edge on any shape with that. Lol. 


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app


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## JimB

One thing I don't see mentioned is the angle of the bevel. That can make a huge difference.

 I struggled, on and off over several years to learn the skew. Then I was fortunate to have a very experienced Turner invite me to his shop. In about 2 hours I was doing planing cuts, peeling cuts, V cuts and even rolling beads with the skew. There were 3 steps to learning this.

First, ground the skew to the proper bevel angles.
Second, he taught me the proper way to hone the skew and told me I should do nothing but hone it for the next several months. No need to go back to the grinder for a long time.
Third, proper technique and practice for each cut.

I couldn't believe it only took a couple hours with some hands on instruction to learn it after so many hours of watching videos and trying to learn on my own. In addition, about half of that time he wasn't even standing with me, I was just practicing on my own while he did some work on another lathe.


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## BeeAMaker

JimB said:


> One thing I don't see mentioned is the angle of the bevel. That can make a huge difference.
> 
> I struggled, on and off over several years to learn the skew. Then I was fortunate to have a very experienced Turner invite me to his shop. In about 2 hours I was doing planing cuts, peeling cuts, V cuts and even rolling beads with the skew. There were 3 steps to learning this.
> 
> First, ground the skew to the proper bevel angles.
> Second, he taught me the proper way to hone the skew and told me I should do nothing but hone it for the next several months. No need to go back to the grinder for a long time.
> Third, proper technique and practice for each cut.
> 
> I couldn't believe it only took a couple hours with some hands on instruction to learn it after so many hours of watching videos and trying to learn on my own. In addition, about half of that time he wasn't even standing with me, I was just practicing on my own while he did some work on another lathe.




What angle was the bevel?


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## JimB

BeeAMaker said:


> JimB said:
> 
> 
> 
> One thing I don't see mentioned is the angle of the bevel. That can make a huge difference.
> 
> I struggled, on and off over several years to learn the skew. Then I was fortunate to have a very experienced Turner invite me to his shop. In about 2 hours I was doing planing cuts, peeling cuts, V cuts and even rolling beads with the skew. There were 3 steps to learning this.
> 
> First, ground the skew to the proper bevel angles.
> Second, he taught me the proper way to hone the skew and told me I should do nothing but hone it for the next several months. No need to go back to the grinder for a long time.
> Third, proper technique and practice for each cut.
> 
> I couldn't believe it only took a couple hours with some hands on instruction to learn it after so many hours of watching videos and trying to learn on my own. In addition, about half of that time he wasn't even standing with me, I was just practicing on my own while he did some work on another lathe.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What angle was the bevel?
Click to expand...


It's a 25* included angle for the bevel. The long point to short point angle is 70*. 

I'll also mention that we used a piece of green (fresh cut) Cherry ( it was a branch) about 2.5" in diameter. My instructor said it was one of the best woods for teaching the skew.


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## BeeAMaker

Thanks for the info. I'll check that to my Skew, I can't seem to get a good cut no matter how sharp it is. I have suspected the bevel and/or angle is off. Just haven't had time to look into it.


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## Charlie_W

I have heard many that the length of the bevel should be 1 1/2 times the thickness of the skew shank.
Some will use a shorter length bevel on some materials such as inlace acrylester.

The angle most often seen is 70 degrees as stated. Alternatively, the radius shape is popular with many turners. One can change the angle of the edge to whatever works for them.


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## tonylumps

I finally got my Multitool belt grinder.Since I am not that good at free hand sharpening, I had to use parts from 3 sharpening systems.The Wloverine, Tormek and the Multitool.I hve already been using the Tormek and Wolverine together on my 8" grinder.So I modified it to fit the Multitool System.Now I can get a perfect flat grind on my Skew chisels.I hope it will be a little easier to use the Skew with a flat Bevel.I am still waiting for some finishing belts before I try it out.I would have went with the Sorby system But over 400.00 was a little high for me


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