wrote: (clip) I am able to round the 4"/4" with
a 1"
gouge with only a few catches. Then comes the detail part with the
skew. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It's almost impossible to teach the use of the skew by writing about it.
The best thing would be a teacher. Or buy a video that demonstrates the
techniques. I did both, and still had some trouble, and the advice I got
from our club chairman was: "Start doing EVERYTHING with the skew." I know
it sounds nuts, but you can even do the roughing on your legs with a skew.
You get LOTS of experience, and your mistakes don't cost you anything,
because most of them will be on the waste wood that's going to be removed
anyway. The brain works in mysterious ways. The more you do something, the
better you get at it, even if you don't understand why. You need to strive
for a level where you think about the form you are creating, and your hands
make the right moves without demanding most of your attention. It's a lot
like driving a car.