Richard Raffan on skew chisel basics
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ม.ค. 2024
- Skew chisels are by far the best tools for spindle turning (when the wood grain lies parallel to the lathe axis).This video covers the basic skew chisel techniques of peeling, planing and shearing, cutting vee grooves, and turning beads. You see the cuts from both above and the side. You also see why skews catch and why shearing is better than scraping.
Brilliant video today!. The different camera angles were very helpful. Thank you for doing these videos for us.
Dear Richard, what an exceptional demonstration. I started turning at 71 without having the chance to learn initially with a master. Your videos and explanations are absolutely remarkable: I have improved all my turnings trying to apply your knowledge. For Christmas I did try to practice my skews turning two dozens of decorations, emptied balls and finials. I now know better how to improve their use. Grinding does remain difficult for me but some videos by Tomislav have given me more confidence in grinding.
Alain, your story sounds like mine, only I started at 77. Rochard's videos truly are wonderful. As for grinding, I bought a CBN wheel. It changed my life.
@@jaesbowYou two are making me feel like a kid. I started turning at 62. Being able to use videos like this have been so helpful in learning, developing, and improving techniques.
Learning so much, one of the few wood turners on youtube where I feel I want to get a notebook out for notes
Well I have written several best-selling books on woodturning, each full of detailed explanations, drawings, and photos from which a lot of people claimed to have learnt the craft. www.richardraffan.com.au/books-and-dvds/
@@RichardRaffanwoodturning thank you, I’ve popped a few of your books in my watched items. I’ve got two books on the way by Dale Nish.
Richard, I used a videotape for my Scrooge chisels almost 20 years ago. I made it for now and I still think your way is the best. Thank you.
Thank you very much Richard for this very good, clear skew lesson. I'm really happy you share a little of your great experience with us👍
Your way of explaining the concepts is perfect, very detailed and extremely clear. I learned more with this video than in the last 30 I've watched on others channel.
I wanted to acquire some knowledge on turning, I think I found much more than I could ask for.
Thank you so much, you make me want to start turning (I don't have a lathe at the moment).
Thanks for the concise no nonsense delivery of the information very easy to understand,yet to get a skewed chisel will save this video for when I own such a tool.
Great lesson here Richard, I’m learning loads from your measured, clear and robust instruction. Thanks for giving us lesser mortals your time.
I've been scared of this blasted tool for so long that I'm not even sure where my chisel is. It's time to dig it out and try again. Thanks for such a clear explanation!
Amazing, helpful video. This is the only site where you can safely give it the thumbs up before you even start watching it!
Great tips on how to use the points and edges. Now for me it's just practice, practice, practice and more practice. Keep the tool edges sharp. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe. Did I mention, put in a lot of practice.🙂🙂
I get so excited every time I see a new upload of yours, Richard. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
An absolutely excellent lesson on using a skew. Thank you so much for taking the time to put together this class in using the skew chisel for grooves, peeling cuts, planing and shear cuts. Thank you so very much.
Currently studying at a furniture school in Scotland. Had trouble with the Skew since I picked one up. Just turned 3 pieces of square stock into nice and smooth cylinders. Excellent video. Thank you.
Thank You for sharing , Every time I watch your video I learn something or refreshed my thinking .
Looking pretty good for being out of practice for 20 years. Thank you for the lesson, now out to the shop and practice, practice, practice.
Thank you for being meticulous in your explanation of the reason for the catch on the vee groove. I shall be better prepared later today to give it a go!
Thanks for the video of skew,very clear from different angles and now I can practice with confidence 😊
@RichardRaffan your timing posting this video could not be better as I’ve been working on my skew skills the past few weeks. Prior to that I’ve avoided the skew like many others but am determined to master it. Being self taught, I’ve relied on material found on line including TH-cam. This is the absolute best skew video and advice I’ve found! Every mistake I’ve found myself making has been covered in the video and you’ve provided simple explanations for each mistake.
Thank you so much for such a concise and informative presentation.
You might find this useful too, on skew catches. th-cam.com/video/2joWFELkFTI/w-d-xo.html
Love that you show what NOT to do as well as what to do.
The one tool I've struggle with. Now I'll do some practice cuts using your techniques. Thank you Richard.
Very helpful video. This is a tool with which I want to become more proficient; these videos are invaluable for that.
Great lesson on using the skew …. Clear concise directions and explanations! Now it’s time to head to the shop and get some practice in 🤠🇨🇱
Fantastic work. The smooth finish is remarkable although I sometimes prefer my pieces looking like they've been chewed by a bulldog finishes😂
Thanks so much for help me to see where I have been going wrong? With the skew 2 or 3 points really stood out to me I am truly thankful keep the education coming 😊
Mr. Raffan, YOU ARE A MASTER
Thank You, Thank you, Thank you
Very helpful demo, thanks so much. You always teach and inspire me, all the best in 2024 Richard.
Great tutorial Richard! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and skills. Let me buy you a cup of coffee.!
Many thanks, Much appreciated.
Richard if thats out of practice Ill take it.
This is an amazing video. I have learned so much. Bookmarked and will be watching again and again. Thank you. I was trying to learn the skew after putting it away for so long just because of catches, and this perfectly explains why and how it should be done. Again thank you.
There's also this on the skew and catches: th-cam.com/video/2joWFELkFTI/w-d-xo.html
That was great too, so informational, appreciate it. Thank you for creating these videos and explaining techniques, I find it well described and easy to understand, thanks
I am so glad I found your channel. Thankyou sir
Superb clip Richard, absolutely invaluable again, thanks.
At the 3:53 mark you say that the tool rest is a half an inch above the centers. Unless I'm mistaken I think you mean that it is a half an inch below the centers.
Thank you for the incredible series of videos you have posted over the last years. It's a distillation of a lifetime of knowledge. You are my personal woodturning hero.
Best wishes from Ohio, USA.
The rest is well above centre at this point. I hardly ever have the rest below centre for centrework because of my height in relation to centre.
Thank you Richard, I learned a great deal from this.
Thank you very much for this video. I still struggle with the skew but will try your method in hopes of reducing my aggravation! 😂
Great lesson on the skew chisel Richard. This deffinetly applies to me.
thank you Richard! the skew is my most used tool, im not at your skill level, i find if i have trouble its usually because i am not paying close enough attention, very good instruction, i appreciate you sharing your knowledge
The wood has a nasty habit of reminding you who's in charge whenever you lose concentration or think you're doing brilliantly.
Very interesting lesson, thanks so much M. RAFFAN
Excellent video. Thank you.
Nice work as always 😊😊
Great tuition thanks Richard 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
This was very helpful, thank you
A great lesson - Thankyou Richard
Absolutely invaluable once again, thank you Richard
Thanks Richard i've been practicing with mine a bit. Made one of your scoops for the first time the other day from red oak and used the skew as much as i could.
3:31
Thank you for the video , is it cool for a young turner
"I'm a little out of practice." Gets flawless results.
3:40 extremely helpful
Ah that’s great to see, your go too tool is the 1/2” spindle gouge, where mine is the skew!
In production I used a ¾-in skew for turning thousands of scoops, boxes, and the odd spindle jobs that came my way. The ½-n spindle gouge was mostly for hollowing endgrain and bowl profiles.
Thanks Richard, if you don't mind, I'll add this vid to my list of instructional video's for novice turners, in the club I am a member off, to watch, as a adjunct to hands on mentoring.
Go for it! I aim to help those strugglig with the skew chisel. Also on the skew skew and catches is th-cam.com/video/2joWFELkFTI/w-d-xo.html
Great video! Would love a similar one with the spindle gouge 😉
This is on the ½-in spindle gouge. th-cam.com/video/WySx5rhyvfQ/w-d-xo.html
Garry not Linda. I recently watched a video by someone on the skew. One piece of advice was to use a smaller skew to start with. I have both a 1/2" and a 1" that came with my used Nova Comet. I'd struggled with the larger tool so gave the smaller one a try. The idea is that if you do have a catch it isn't as scary as with a larger skew and the small tool takes a smaller bite and is easier to control. I found it did help me a lot. Your results may vary.
I'm using the larger skew so you get a better view of what's happening, but I usually use a ¾-in. for turning anything less then 50mm diameter. I find students tend to catch small skews more often.
@@RichardRaffanwoodturning Garry not Linda. Thank you for your reply. I was struggling with the skew and trying that seemed to help. For others who are having trouble with skews and/or spindle gouges I highly recommend that they watch your video on the four ways challenge turning the chess piece (large pawn). As one commenter to that video said, because you were using all of those larger tools it was easy to see where the chips were and should be coming off of the tool. It was also easy to see how the tool should be positioned correctly in relation to the cut.
thank You Richard for this video. I am terrified of the scew as a new turner. (learning skew by trial and error is unforgiving.) I have to admit when you were showing angle and stuff and mentioned catch, I had a horrible feeling in my stomach. You make it look so easy. I may one day try a skew again because of how you explain it. ( no ready to commit.) Super like and new subscriber here.
Have a few deliberate catches is actually a good confidence builder as it helps you understand the dynamics of a catch. Have the lathe running less than 1000rpm to make it less scary. Catches with bowl gouges tend to be far more dangerous.
Try making beads for a few hours, it won’t use much wood and it gives you plenty of practice
Good advice from @brianhawes3115. The bead video is th-cam.com/video/s-6syy_LYSE/w-d-xo.html
Hi Richard that was so helpful especially the different views. I appreciate that the key is practice but I also am right handed, I find cutting towards the headstock is comfortable but cutting the opposite way feels awkward and I want to hold the chisel in my left hand or move my feet and twist my body to get comfortable. I assume the answer is practice and more practice.
My wife saw me intently staring at my laptop, mouth agape, not moving. She asked me if I was watching porn!
"No! It's Richard Raffan. He's teaching me how to use my skew."
Bahut Achcha Samjhane Ka Tarika
Thanks 👍
Ok, fine. lolol. Thanks for making me stick fingers in my ears, clench my eyes shut, and start chanting "I'm not watching - lalalalalalala-I'm not watching - lalalalalala" as you intentionally tried to catch a skew. Bad man. 🤪
This was very helpful. I am trying to make myself use the skew more often to try and get better.
Thanks for this video! I want to become more comfortable with the skew. Mine is new and has sharp corners on the tool body. Should I ease the corners to it doesn't cut into the tool rest?
Softening the corners makes a big difference, as does filing the rest smooth.
Excellent video Richard. Been using the Skew more often myself, due to your instructions and previous videos on Skew usage, and still picked up more in the video.
I noticed on the Skew you're using, you have the tool edges rounded, but a flat spot along the edges where the cutting edge is, is this to enable the tool to get into corners more easily?
On skew chisels and scrapers with rounded sides I flatten the portion of the side adjacent to the bevel in order to create a sharper corner.
Thank you for posting these videos. I have a question in the beginning. When you show your skew I notice a burr on the edge you don't hone it to try to remove the burr?
The burr is very small and fine and comes off the moment I start cutting. I find that unless honing produces a micro bevel of at least 3mm with both gouges and skew chisels it can be tricky to get the tool cutting, making entry cuts harder than they need be. I never felt the need to hone either gouges or skew chisels, finding them easier to use straight off a 60 or 80-grit wheel on a high speed grinder.
Thank you again for your patient clear demonstration. Question: when you make vee cuts and roll beads, it looks like handle of the skew stays near 90 degrees to the workpiece. Does that prevent skating? Thanks again!!
Unfortunately not if you mean the skew moving sideways if you bring the edge into the wood with the long point up. The skew will skid in the direction you tilt the skew, leaving a thin spiral. I didn't think to include that.
Turning vee grooves, the important thing is to align the bevel in the direction you're cutting and use the point keeping the edge clear of the wood.
If you swing thr handle around when turning beads you tend to narrow the shaving making the cut less effecient, particularly when slicing rather than using the long point or short corner.
@@RichardRaffanwoodturning thanks again!
Thank you. Would you please mention what speeds these cuts are best done at? Perhaps put what speed you are using up in the corners for us?
Assuming the blank has even grain and is well balanced, I'll start at around 1400-1500 rpm for roughing and increase the speed to just under 2000. I rarely run the lathe faster than 2000.
This is a very helpful video. I was really scared of the skew before I took the time to work through the techniques here. When you sharpen it, do you just do it on the same grit as normal (~120)?
I sharpen on a 200mm diameter 80-grit CBN wheel, although in the Sharpening a Skew Chisel video it's a 150mm diameter wheel which I used at that time. th-cam.com/video/HGhAP9whYIY/w-d-xo.html
@@RichardRaffanwoodturningThank you!
Hi Richard why do you soften the edges on skew chisel? And thanks again for all your help.
When turning coves with a skew, softening the corners prevents the corners scarring the surface you've just cut. The corners on the sides are rounded so the tool slides more easily along the rest.
@@RichardRaffanwoodturning
Thank you Richard that makes a lot of sense. I will give it a try.
Hi , love learning from your videos. Could you please tell me the purpose of the oval skew?
I never recommend oval skews as they're very tricky to sharpen, and the very short bevel sides make turning vee grooves and beads just that bit harder than using a standared rectangular skew. The oval makes them good for planing cylinders and long shallow coves because they slide easily along the rest - even a fairly pitted rest.
@@RichardRaffanwoodturning thankyou for replying, I have been turning for a few months and the set that came with my lathe has an oval skew. Going to have lots of wet wood for practising after the recent storms.
@@crossfishcreations541 Just what you need. Wasting wood and enjoying the shavings for a week or two pays hugh dividneds.
What is it about the skew that pushes woodturners to master it? Is it a pride thing or a tradition thing? I like having that skill in my toolbox when I need it. You are spot on, it takes practice. Thanks for the detailed explanations and especially the multiple views. That worked!
If you turn anything between centres and want a smooth surface off the tool with minimal sanding, the skew chisel is THE tool for the job.
There is a mystique about the skew. It must be one of the older woodturning tools yet few people have a mastery over it. It's baffling.
@@RichardRaffanwoodturningI have an oval 1" skew that I bought it when I first started turning. I rarely use it. I have never seen anyone use it in a video. Have you ever used one?
@@kenvasko2285 I've used oval skews. They are very good for planing cuts on cylinders and long curves. They are tricky to grind and have only short bevels on the side which makes cutting vee grooves and breads more difficult than when using a conventional rectangular skew.
@@RichardRaffanwoodturningDo you know any history on the oval skew? Like why? Lol.
👌
Se o ângulo é decisivo, deveria ser aplainada a base do formão de acordo com o tal ângulo, correto?
O ângulo entre os dois chanfros é de cerca de 30 graus.
I found your comment toward the end of the video, “I haven’t used a skew chisel as a production tool for about 20 years”, interesting. Why not?
…..because he’s retired!!
In fact when I think about it I've hardly used skew chisels for 40 years. After I moved to Australia in 1982 I got orders for bowls and made very few of the scoops and endgrain boxes I made in quantities in the Seventies in Britain. Consequently since 1983 I've hardly used skew chisels except in demonstrations not unlike this and turning a few dozen boxes and scoops each year, also as demonstrations at symposiums and workshops.
Richard. Are the thicker skew chisels better than one that is made from thinner stock.
Generally you don't need a skew more than 9mm ( ⅜-in) thick because you're working close to the rest. The regular 6mm thick you see here is fine.
You mentioned at the end you are out of practice, is that because you are doing less spindle work, or because you now prefer a different tool? Is there anything/time when you would use a skew for bowl turning?
After I moved to Australia in 1982 I got orders for bowls and made very few of the scoops and endgrain boxes I made in quantities in the Seventies in Britain. Since 1983 I've rarely used skew chisels except in demonstrations at a few symposiums and workshops each year. Skew chisels are designed for spindle turning and should never be used for shear cuts on bowls.
Thank you for answering. I often see people using a roughing gouge to bring a bowl blank into round, and wondered why they didn't use a skew instead.
@@RCDinsmore A deep-fluted spindle roughing gouge is designed for roughing spindles and should never be used for facework. However there are several gouges that can be used for turning bowls and facework, as you'll see in th-cam.com/video/9BH41jx05KI/w-d-xo.html.
Im new for turning and I didn’t use it yet because many people said it very dangerous and difficult .. is that true ? Thx
The skew chisel is not dangerous if you follow the advice in this video. Catches initially scare the daylights out of you but with blank secured between centres you're relatively safe. Catches with gouges and especially bowl gouges can be far more dangerous, especially if a blank contains splits and other defects.
I did not get the advantage of the long point down when making shear cuts. Can someone help me?
When cutting vee grooves with the long point you can see what you're doing, which is why I often start an asymmetric bead or curve long point up, then flip the tool to complete the curve long point down, for instance on a scoop bowl. On longer traverses like a cylinder, having the long point down has the skew chisel pointing in the direction you're cutting, which for me as a right-hander means towards the headstock. This puts less tool pressure against the lathe axis and reduces the likelihood of chatter, particularly on very slender spindles. th-cam.com/video/QciPNAZsu1g/w-d-xo.html I find it easier to have any tool pointing in the direction I want to cut - as opposed to having it nearer 90° to the surface I'm cutting.
@@RichardRaffanwoodturning thank you very much for the answer!
What have you been doing for 20 years then?
What is the chisel thickness?
¼"
"I'm out of practice with the skew, I haven't used it as a production tool in 20 years"
Can you unpack that a little? I've learnt as a kid and have very little fear in turning but skew has always concerned me.
Why haven't you been using it?
As a production turner I turned mostly bowls from 1980, whereas in the 1970s I made thousands of scoops and boxes using a ¾-in skew chisel. For 40 years I've used skews when teaching and a few boxes but not as a production tool.
why haven't you used it for more than 20 years? ?
In fact when I think about it I've hardly used skew chisels for 40 years. After I moved to Australia in 1982 I got orders for bowls and made very few of the scoops and endgrain boxes I made in quantities in the Seventies in Britain. Consequently since 1983 I've hardly used skew chisels except in demonstrations not unlike this and turning a few dozen boxes and scoops each year, also as demonstrations at symposiums and workshops.
Those intentional catches were terrifying! This video needs a trigger warning.
It pays to learn to catch the skew whenever you want - then those catches won't be terrifying and you'll understand why all tools catch. Skew catches when the wood is between centres are generally much safer than facework catches.
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