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PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 2:46 pm 
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Joined: Thu Sep 16, 1999 12:01 am
Posts: 1935
Location: Forest, Ontario, Canada
Anything free. :) Green wood cuts easily and can build confidence, but you really won't learn the best cutting techniques because it cuts so cleanly and easily that you can get pretty good results even if you tools are not perfectly sharp and your technique is not quite right. To really see if your sharpening and turning skills are at their best try turning kiln dried softwood, like pine or spruce. When you can get a good smooth finish on dry softwood right off the tool you know your tools are sharp and your edge presentation is right.

Good Luck!
Bob


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:55 pm 
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Location: Cape Cod Massachusetts
One of the masters of the skew chisel is Alan Lacer.

Here is a handout he provides.
http://www.alanlacer.com/handouts/ho-skew_chisels.html

I have heard it said that he recommends practicing skew turning on a regular 2x4 cut into mountable sections. It is cheap and will get you to make the proper cuts.

There are lots of different styles of skew chisels out there. I find I grab my 1/2" rectangular shaped skew the most. It is sharpened with about a 20* face angle.

Like this one
http://www.woodcraft.com/Images/product ... =450064393

One big lesson I learned about skews is that the length of bevel really matters. I find a bevel that is about 1-1/2 times the thickness of the tool is about right.
Any less and it won't cut well. Any more and it gets real grabby. Your mileage may vary.

Oh yeah and I find that a skew really can't be too sharp. I grind them for shape with a convex bevel and then hone using diamond credit cards.

It is a real pleasure to get nice smooth finishes right off a tool. And the skew can do that.

Good Luck,
---Nailer---

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email: nailed_nailer@yahoo.com


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:56 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2004 12:01 am
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Location: Aurora CO
I do most of my practicing on poplar. Cuts smooth and is cheap. I'd take a good look at your scrap pile too. Any thick limbs you may have taken while pruning in your yard, or your nieghbors yard. :wink:

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 1:45 pm 
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Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2002 1:01 am
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Location: Cape Cod Massachusetts
I need to correct the convex statement.

I meant to say concave bevel. Like you get from an 8" grinding wheel. Basically your normal hollow bevel you would get using a wheel.

There are those out there that use a convex bevel but I have never tried.

I grind it on wide flat tool rest (Oneway Wolverine) with the skew held at my proper (20 deg) face angle and gently push it into the wheel.
I flip it over and re-adjust the tool and repeat.
Once shaped, I use a coarse diamond card across the bevel which will remove equal metal from both the nose and the back of the bevel.
I turn the tool over and repeat. I even hit the two sides quickly to remove any burr. Then I switch to a medium card and finally a fine card.
I do all of the honing by hand.

During use I will touch up the edges a few times . I rarely have to re-grind the point. The honing keeps it sharp.

Sorry about the confusion.

---Nailer---

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No regrets, just some interesting results.
email: nailed_nailer@yahoo.com


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