George wrote:
"charlie b" wrote in message
...

Turning a 4x4 chunk of pine, cut from some header
scrap, is a lot different from turning green apricot
in the 1 1/2 - 2 1/2" diameter range.. A big roughing
gouge sure is handy to have. Didn't dare try the
1 1/2" oval skew. That thing's just to scary for
me at this point.

Fun being ankle deep in shavings and chips.


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.

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!



And, if you grind the wings back on the roughing gouge, you have an even
better and more controllable version of a skew. If you hold the tool
handle perpendicular to the bed and roll it over to about 2 o'clock (or
10 o'clock, handle low), you will be making a shearing cut. If you hold
it at 12 o'clock it works like any other roughing gouge. Last weekend I
used somebody else's straight-across roughing gouge and it felt crude
and awkward compared to mine Also, the tool rolls smoothly, something
which almost no skew does, whether standard, oval or something in
between. The exception -- my home-made round skews -- 1/4" and 3/8".
They roll beautifully for obvious reasons.

I sold my 1 1/4" oval skew years ago -- a useless tool in my opinion.
If I had a lot of money in my 3/4 round edged skew (not oval), that
would be the next to go. Now my major use for it is for cleaning up the
outside of bowls (yes!) using a technique demonstrated by Guilio
Marcolongo at the AAW year before last.

To complete the picture, I roll beads with a 3/8 beading and parting
tool (many of the Brits do this) or if they are too small to get in with
that tool, I'll use one of my two small round skews.

Bill