George wrote:

You've got a much more stable and thus controllable version of that skew
built into the roughing gouge. Bring your rest in as close as you dare and
you can skew with the upturned portions of a "U" shape gouge , and without
that point hanging out there, ready to grab if the tool rolls on that narrow
radius.

I've got no problem with the rectangular x-section 1/2" skew
from a Sorby mini-set and can get into undercuts with the heel
corner and in deeper with the long point - on smaller diameter stuff.
But at 4 or more inches in diameter with the oval x-section larger
skew I feel like I've got less control. Could also be that the
larger with the larger skew and its much longer handle moment arm
small movements of the handle hand result in larger movement
at the cutting end.

http://georgephoto.photosite.com/Geo...Whittling.html
http://georgephoto.photosite.com/Geo...4-Surface.html

Put a bag underneath to grab the chips and save a bunch of effort.

http://georgephoto.photosite.com/Geo...uck-Green.html

I _hate_ bending, sweeping and scooping!

I'm on a JET midi-lathe used on my bench top. Don't have room for
putting it on a dedicated stand, which, even with sand bags, probably
wouldn't be as stabile a base as my 200+ pound workbench.

What I really need to do is finish putting together the real
1400 CFM , 25 pound air foil impellar, cyclone dust collector
and use the adjustable collection gizmo I already have. My old
Delta "1100" cfm unit with 4" ducting worked semi-ok before
I took it apart to upgrade to 6" ducting and the new cyclone.
Probably should just put the old dust collector set up back
together unitl the new cyclone is finished and I have all the
6" parts on hand.

Anyway, thanks for the tips. Been concentrating on forms
and maybe need to think through the mechanics of some
of the tools. Maybe, just maybe the college Statics and
Dynamics classes will finally get used in the real world.

charlie b

Sleepless in San Jose
thanks to a very neurotic visiting friend
1 am -a run to an all night pharmacy
2 am - slamming bathroom door
2:30 am - slamming bathroom door
AND toilet lid
3:15 am - slamming bathroom door
AND toilet lid AND "I'm really
sorry about making all that noise"
4:15 am - "Can I use your phone to
call my sister in New York
4:25 am -"Is it ok if I take a shower?"

:
:
the one nerve I have left is really,
really, really getting stretched thin!