Tom Nie wrote:

Charlie, you and that skew :-)
Let me be sure of something. "curved edge skew" to me is one that sorta
looks like a bell curve. Mostly a straight edge that curves back toward the
handle on its right edge.

First - to the curved edge - I use a long radius curve with the
center well
above the point of the skew. There are no flat/straight areas on the
cutting
edge - all one continuous curve. (first image on this page)

http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/T...urning14C.html

What it gives me is an almost single point of contact anywhere along
the
edge when doing peeling cuts or scraping cuts when the tools is on
its side.
As I pull the tool towards the headstock, Long Point to the right,
entering
the cut in about the middle of the curved edge, I can swing it
horizontally
gradually - in either direction - along the cut, continuously
changing the
cutting edge.

For spindle type cuts I almost always use the skew Long Point down,
starting
the cut with the point and then rolling to cut a shape, lowering the
point as I
roll the skew left or right for a bead or cove, and, as the cut
progresses I get
into the sweet spot (actually an area) on the cutting edge.

That curve also comes in handy when cutting a "tear drop" shape - the
long curved taper at the top of the droplet. Starting with the
skew, long
point down and to the right, almost horizontal I roll the edge
clockwise
to almost vertical then while pushing to the right, roll it
counterclockwise
towards horizontal as I cut down and then to the right "up" the
droplet's
taper.

Which makes me wonder if you have right hand and
left hand skews?

All the readily available skew chisels I know of are double beveled
so
you can ride a bevel as you roll the cutting edge. Problem is that
you
end up with an included angle of about 45 degrees. This limits how
close
your can do small beads and balls as one side of the bevel rubs
against
the far side of the cut. In those instances I use a 1/4" bench
chisel
which has a single bevel for getting into tight places. Haven't
reground
a curve in it because I also use it for chopping the waste out of
dovetail
sockets. One of these days I'll get a couple of 1/4" bedans and put a
curved edge on one of them.

Or maybe you're just keeping a straight edge in the middle
with both ends curved back?

I think after you see the picture of the curved edge skews
things will be a bit clearer.

I noticed Lacer? uses that curved corner and maybe that's the root of my
problems since mine are simply straight.

I don't know what his tool looks like, but there is a tool called
the
SpindleMaster that is flat on the top and curved on the bottom.
It's ground to have a slightly pointy "U" shape so supposedly
there's
no "point" to catch. I've got one and despite the hype, find I can
get it to catch without even trying.

A skew guarrantees me two things: a
beautiful finish and redesign practice.

If you have a sharp skew. preferably with a polished bevel, you
certainly can get a nice burnished finish - especially when rolling
balls,
beads and coves.

As for designs, other than a very general idea of what I want to
do, things change in The Doing and I just go along for the ride
- and the endorphin rush the brain rewards me with for doing
something creative. If you lock yourself into a specific design
you often preclude a more promising, unforeseen one.

Fun this turning thing.

charlie b