Читать книгу Ellsworth on Woodturning - David Ellsworth - Страница 26

The skew, or skew chisel, is a spindle-turning tool used to rough-out and finish the surface of cylindrical forms like pens, tool handles, and bats. The only time I use a skew on my hollow vessels is when I’m turning the outside surface of an end-grain form—similar to a vase, which is simply a large-diameter spindle. The skew is not designed to work on cross-grain forms like bowls and vessels, as the long edge would be drawn into the end-grain fibers and cause a horrible and dangerous catch.

The cross section of the edge of a skew can be of various angles, but it is generally much thinner than the cross section of a gouge. For this reason, the skew edge has great sharpness, but limited durability. Skews are generally honed after shaping on the grinder in order to produce a super-smooth surface on the wood.

Traditional skews come with a straight line for an edge, but my preference leans to a slightly rounded edge profile, often called a radius skew. This puts slightly less of the edge in contact with the wood, yielding a more precise cut and less opportunity to get a catch.

The skew is a spindle-turning tool, rarely used in hollow turning except for doing the outside of end-grain forms. Note the long edge, which is very sharp but has limited durability. I lean toward the radius skew with its slightly rounded edge profile because less of the edge is in contact with the wood, which makes for a safer and more precise cut.