Tom:

Don't give up on the skew. And if you put a slight curve
along the cutting edge, the "corners" are less likely to
"grab and sail".

Grab some scrap and turn a bunch of hair sticks. They're
pretty quick to make and don't use much wood. After
you've done a few dozen you should have the skew under
control. What you learned will be transferable to pen
turning.

http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/...Turning12.html

And if you want curves, the skew is a great tool.

http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/.../Turning4.html

I just don't understand why folks who want to turn perfect
cylinders don't get a little metal lathe with an XY set up
like the UniMat or one of its cousins (first picture on this
page (the tool holder isn't shown in the photo)

http://home.comcast.net/~charliebcz/.../Turning1.html

Give the skew another chance.

charlie b