Woodturning Skew Chisel Techniques and Hand Positioning

Although I wish this was a tutorial, however it's not even close to a tutorial.

[@WYOMINGWOODTURNER]

Amazing demonstration of tool control....both hands as well!!!!! I learned what is possible with a skew chissel.

[@gjijbuis1]

This is briljant and very valuable material for those who have already been wrestling with the skew chisel themselves, especially the nasty unexpected bite it can produce so now and then if you are still inexperienced. Thanks for the great instruction of this master !

[@kapiloryou]

Are you carpenter or should I call you Doctor/Surgeon of wood. Wooo, you did open heart surgery of this wood with your unique talent 👍👍👍👍

[@ArkansasEllie]

Oh my goodness watching this really helps me. I just started trying and playing around day before yesterday and watching you do it helps me connect with what I wasnt sure about. TY!

[@nickzammeti]

great work , thanks for sharing this vid, im learing the skew right now. all the best

[@andythenurse67]

Tis the dark arts

[@jkshoals]

Jake, absolutely incredible how you use the skew. I am very tentative in learning this tools. I know it is the one tool new turners have problems with. I am going to keep at it. I know I will come back to this video often.

[@ianbcnp]

Your technique is a joy to watch Jake. You inspire me to keep practicing. Wonderful work, thank you.

[@jakegevorgian]

+Ian Wilson Thanks Ian! I'm so glad!

[@ger7177]

Sorry my ignorance in this area and my english... i think with this tools, possibilities to create are infinite!!!! How beatiful!!!

[@rickschuman2926]

I watched the whole video to confirm there would be no sand paper used. This is real skill in wood turning. Well done Sir.

[@toonybrain]

Cuts like butter. A pleasure to watch: a graceful dance between you and the wood.

[@torvigjohnson]

Did you learn from your father? Have you been doing such work from childhood? This is an inspiration. You are very generous to share with us. Thank you.

[@jakegevorgian]

Torvig Johnson Thanks Torvig, it's my pleasure. My father is a woodworker, but he hasn't been turning at all. My grandfather was a woodworker and woodturner but I've not seen him--he passed away before I was born. I think it comes with the love to woodworking and practice. I've learned from my failures. I'm glad this is inspiring. Cheers

[@theairgunsource]

Loved it! The skew has always been a challenge for me, so watching it in action helps a lot.

[@amatoa]

I could watch your videos all day!

[@Ram2500HD]

Jake I am just starting out on woodturning. I enjoy your video on the SKEW which is giving me a hard time. You make it look so easy. I know the only think that will help me is pratice, and more pratice.

[@jakegevorgian]

Hi Tom, that's the only way to learn -- practice! I know it's disappointing when you get a catch on the lathe. But we all do. I guess it's a part of the trade that can't be avoided. All the best, Jake

[@mgorrow]

Jake, this is a very enjoyable video. I share your love of the skew chisel.

[@jakegevorgian]

Thank you Marshall. I'm glad to hear from you.

[@QuitoMauro]

Hi....I arrived your channel by suggestion of Mr. Miguel SANCHEZ...Your Work is Fantastic..you are a genius turnning wood..!!!..Congratulations..!!!.. Greetings from Argentine.! Steve.

[@jakegevorgian]

Thanks for the compliments :)

[@taffynz90]

As always a pleasure to watch your videos. I'm still "coming to terms" with my Alan Lacer skew. One day I'll get there...

[@0602Jonboy]

Absolutely amazing skills - I was waiting for you to make it talk as well ! I am a beginner and am still not confident but will just keep on practicing and trying to learn from techniques such as you have shown, thank you , Tony.

[@bazlur]

Nice example. I can learn from youtube and already making shaving stuffs without any previous wood turning in lathe,but using easywood, which is actually easy to work, but found that skew chisel is universal almost, if you practice a lot. Thanks for nice video.

[@Timinator62]

8^0 OMG this looks like it doesn't even need sanding! inspirational for sure.

[@vainturner]

This is so instructional. Great video, thanks!

[@BigJim1529]

Another great one Jake. It would be wonderful if you could overdub some commentary in post production of the videos. Your work is a great source of instruction and inspiration for a novice like me. Thanks!

[@shonnyNOR]

Very neat indeed! Just wished that the sound would rather be from the work.

[@chuckrussellthreeleavescarving]

This is one of the best videos that i have seen Awesome.

[@JM62180]

fantastic technique, thank you for sharing

[@jaimeresto6798]

Thank you for this video, i'm a begginer and i'm learning

[@bingcro]

great turning wow that chisels sharp wish i could get mine that sharp

[@DanielVilarino]

Excellent video Jake! Thank you for the demonstration! Cheers! Daniel

[@jakegevorgian]

Thanks Daniel! :

[@DonKatsuragi]

Nice video, very cool to watch. I've recently got into woodworking, mostly just carving. I had actually never seen wood turning before this video, it is almost magical how you shape that block. :) I assume a lot of that is from skilled hands and experience

[@captainsuperfly]

Really good demo,thank you for sharing.

[@mbiraside]

excellent technique, great stuff.

[@jakegevorgian]

Glad to hear

[@ThatWoodWorking]

Great technique

[@Wood4turning]

Jake excellent video

[@doorgedraaid399]

Nice video, good techniques

[@ghenadierusu3839]

very explicit video and good music!

[@sethwarner2540]

I can see Quite clearly that Your scew chisel is an extension of your hands. I just have to say what you have known for 10 years( I'm guessing)is what every man wants: to be ONE with the tool in his hands; to think it, and it happens. Too bad that too few are ready to do what it takes o get there: time on the lathe till you know what is going to happen, before it happens. We are made in HIS image, who was like this, creating the creation: THE MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE.

[@jakegevorgian]

Seth Warner dear Seth, thanks for your wonderful energy. God bless! Jake

[@jakegevorgian]

Thanks Gerdy for the appreciation!

[@cockedhat1]

Thanks, this is a great video and a lot of us are glad that you took the time. I shall be watching this over and over as I try to copy how you do it. That is if of course I survive the many catche I will have as I go in point first!

[@geomeungoyangiii2012]

you're the pro , man

[@jakegevorgian]

Thanks Brad for the appreciation

[@AlFurtado]

Amazing use of a tool That is a tool that I have yet to start using. well back to the lathe and start practicing

[@1valky111]

Master class!

[@glennojordan]

That is brilliant

[@jakegevorgian]

Thanks

[@khanbaba-vk3ou]

Very nice work

[@jakegevorgian]

Thanks Kuro I'm glad you like it

[@ConfusionWood]

great work

[@iandorney8320]

would have been much better without the music and more like a tutorial.

[@JamesRousseaux]

Agree

[@natekerx85]

Watch and learn people

[@icespeckledhens]

Excellent tutorial, except for the music

[@Offshoreorganbuilder]

Many thanks!

[@JackDanielsGrandIllusionist]

Hai, hai, hai ;) loved watching this buddy!!

[@sarullowoodworks4795]

good stuff!

[@jakegevorgian]

@Gordon Patnude thanks! Talking while recording these videos are challenging. As English is my second language often I may not be clear. Another problem is that my shop is almost noisy all the time-it's a full millwork shop with lots of power machinery always run. But I'm thinking about expanding lathe studio and getting more camera views. Showing body positions too.

[@tropifiori]

Outstanding

[@jakegevorgian]

Thanks Frank

[@tkcenterline1]

The best use of a skew I have ever seen- great job!

[@Altaf771]

Awesome

[@cbkipper]

A true master Jake. I have just purchased a Steb centre drive so cant wait to give my skew another try. Thanks for the inspiration. Also good music, what was it? Chris.

[@jakegevorgian]

@Wood4turning thanks for the appreciation :)

[@jieyu8515]

Nice

[@jerrymcqueen6034]

What is the sound track...please Great skill builder

[@ivonno1]

bravo..

[@123HURST]

Very good video, what speed do you normally use with the skew chisel. It looks fairly fast.

[@lefterhsk1]

1:30 - 2:20 how can you do this? i turn mostly olive wood...if i make what you did,on olive wood ..i will have big catches! is this wood very soft? i could say you are the skew chisel champion!!!!

[@wood-youbelieveit552]

awesome , but als would be nice to see a side shot to see at what height chisel is touching timber , or maybe you can say is rest on centre / above centre / below centre as I have practised a few times with the rest above centre so skew hits timber high at say the 11 oclock position ?? thanks for sharing ! lee

[@jakegevorgian]

@Antonio Zanella glad you like it!

[@Wood4turning]

exellent tutorial

[@bryanmccabe3632]

as a beginner it would be great if you included ,what wood,what speed,look forword to more,thanks Jake,BM

[@jakegevorgian]

bryan mccabe glad to hear that Bryan. The wood should always be a straight grain wood for quality finish. The speed shall not exceed 800 rpm-relatively more or less.

[@danhusker1413]

Awesome! Thanks for the demo. Now I need to get one. However, my big question is how do you effectively sharpen this?

[@jakegevorgian]

Dan Husker glad to hear. There’s a video in my list where I’m showing a way to sharpen with just flat sharpening stones. It should be in my recent uploads (2018 February or January)

[@billy19461]

Amazing

[@jakegevorgian]

@DragonMaster2731 Thats a very peculiar spiral, right? :)

[@jeffoldham3466]

man you are really good at using the skew,,,,can you tell me the width of the first skew you used and what is the brand name of it,,

[@jakegevorgian]

jeff oldham thanks Jeff. I believe it's a 1-¼" wide skew made by Alan Lacer. It's a very good tool that can also serve as a chatter free scraper. I don't use it for my skew work because it's quite heavy.

[@javedrawoot4420]

Greatttttt Sir, You made woodturning so easy..May I know this LATHE & the first chisel brand name.. Thanks a lot for sharing this video.. My Best Regards,,,

[@jakegevorgian]

The lathe is WoodFast lathe made in Australia. I believe they don't make it anymore. The chisel I used in the beginning is a Skew chisel made by Alan Lacer. Thanks

[@arnacionales4140]

im a psychology graduate but i want to do this kind of stuff haha

[@bikerdad46]

Your video would be a lot more informative if you would do away with the music and do some commentary

[@jamesmacnaughton8188]

I agree!

[@williamcastleberry7338]

@@jamesmacnaughton8188 It seems like the people put up a few videos and it makes them sound engineers, They start putting all kinds of (what they call music and sound effects)) and having it so loud it drowns out any commentary that they might put in the video

[@jeffoldham3466]

jake what is the angle you prefer on your skew and do you have one that you prefer over the other,,like the alan lacer one for example,,thank you

[@jakegevorgian]

Dear Jeff, thank you for the question! I don't keep consistent angle on the "skew"l, however as long as it is skewed (anywhere from 90° to 45° exaggerated). However, it is important to note that what matters is the angle of the bevel. This too is an estimated angle. The idea is to "sweep" the bevel as back as possible, so that way the "V" cuts are deep. Skew is really a versatile tool that can be used in many different ways and applications. For example, my most favorite skew is the Oval skew by Robert Sorby, because it's lightweight, sharpens fast and has swept back and thin blade that maneuvers easily. However, when it comes to large diameter and long spindles, I tend to get a bit of vibration on the lathe. This vibration doesn't let me use the Sorby oval skew effectively, so that's when I use a heavy skew by Alan Lacer. To be honest with you, Lacer's skew is a wonderful tool that doesn't catch that easily, but I have changed the rounded "skew" to a straight skew, as I have trained myself not to catch anymore (most of the time, in reality, but not always :) With this said, Lacers skew also good for beginning, but then once advanced, it can be modified. I also wish that Alan Lacer had two rounded edges on his skew chisel, sometimes I like to make a deep V groove, but because Lacer's skew isn't rounded, it scratches my tool-rest ever so slightly.

[@moonsunvitha17]

please tell me technical information of motor,thanks a lot

[@jakegevorgian]

I don't know what motor it is, but the machine is called Woodfast. It's an old model, made in Australia.

[@TimKollat]

Im a newbie turner. Is it better to have the tool rest above center when working with the skew? It looks like all who are good with the skew work up high in the spindle, much above center

[@jakegevorgian]

mojo jojo yes, the toolrest is set ever so slightly higher.

[@JamesRousseaux]

If you could have explained what you are doing instead of the terrible music that would be so much better. Great technique. Many would love to learn and could use your explanation. 😊

[@CISCO___KID.]

1:34 lol i hate that crap too my friend. i do the same.

[@rickschuman2926]

You seem to have quite the deth grip while cutting those beads beginning at about 4:00.

[@jakegevorgian]

You mean when I was cutting the v grooves?

[@toddrichardello2226]

Where did you get that montrous skew Jake? Great vids, please keepum coming. Thanks for the info on the skew! Todd R

[@jakegevorgian]

Thanks Todd! The big chisel is by Alan Lacer. It's such a heavy steel that I can even use it as a scraper! This method of roughing is fast but it's messy (all the shavings go on me unless I put some kind of a paper shield in front)

[@toddrichardello2226]

Thanks Jake, I am going to get myself one. You make it look very easy. Thanks again. Take good care! Todd

[@wacawtokarz3950]

Proszę spróbować toczyć dłutem półokrągłym 16 lub 12 milimetrów na pewno pójdzie lepiej i bezpieczniej ja to zrobiłem 40 lat temu .

[@jakegevorgian]

@ConfusionWood thanks :)

[@jakegevorgian]

lol :) I've a tiny ones too

[@antonio.zanella]

WOW!

[@jeffoldham3466]

jake I was looking on amazon about getting the oval skew I notice they had them up to I I/8 wide,,what width do you use,,and I have been told its a lot different when sharpening the oval skew,,i have been trying to find some videos on it but so far I haven't found any

[@jakegevorgian]

jeff oldham mine is about 1-⅛”. To be honest with you I only sharpen it on a flat diamond stone, that’s why I’m not used to grinder sharpening. However, couple of months ago I saw a video where Tormek grinder came up with a new jig system designed for oval skew. It was amazing the way it made things so easy. On another note, I will be done with my current projects and will have time for woodturning videos. I will show how I sharpen my skew on a flat diamond sharpening stone.

[@jeffoldham3466]

thanks jake,,,looking forward to that video

[@kzookid2051]

Some narration as to angles, bevel, technique, explanation of what caused the starting catch, or ANYthing would have been helpful. The camera angle & filming were good, but it would have been helpful to know just what you were demonstrating with each cut. If you don't want to talk on camera, that's ok. On-screen text works well (or text in the info area), too, so we can learn more from you.

[@BeaulieuTodd]

Jake, great video. I'm new so please bear with me. Is that the standard Lacer Uber /Ultimate chisel? Maybe it's the angle but in the video it looks like yours has both edges rounded. Thank you.

[@jakegevorgian]

Thanks Todd, yes, you're correct! It's the Lacer big skew, and yes, I accidentally grinded the toe of the skew a bit more round.

[@BeaulieuTodd]

+Jake Gevorgian Well I just ordered my Lacer Ultimate. Still have a bit of sticker shock but I can't wait to get it. M4, custom made handle.

[@jakegevorgian]

Todd Beaulieu That's really cool! They don't come well sharpened. Just get it nicely sharp and you're good to go to make spindles.

[@BeaulieuTodd]

+Jake Gevorgian actually, Alan tells me that it will be nasty sharp!

[@jakegevorgian]

+Todd Beaulieu oh, you're purchasing it straight from Alan? Then I trust him. I thought you're getting it from a third party.

[@Kins_88]

no music next time. Wanna hear that wood being transformed. nice video though.

[@Noeman2009]

What's the thickness of the skew chisel? 3mm? 4mm?

[@jakegevorgian]

+A Himawan the oval skew is about 3mm

[@МиколаОголь]

Супер!! Де таке? Лайк!

[@jakegevorgian]

Izvinite, no ya ne ponyal vash vapros (sorry for phonetic Russian)

[@МиколаОголь]

Interesno gde eto, USA?

[@МиколаОголь]

+Jake Gevorgian zagljadenje!

[@jakegevorgian]

+Микола Оголь da, ya jivu vamerike

[@richarddonkin3279]

Some audio would have made it better

[@barrymondahl7079]

Talk, explain what you are doing.

[@LipChoa]

Armenian rules )))))

[@robertvelovski1192]

Couldn’t hear your instructions over the music 👎🏼

[@andythenurse67]

Shows me a lot but explains a little, sorry doesn't work for me.

[@thesawdustmaker.david.1182]

Your right Jake, it's not a tutorial unfortunately. You are without doubt a very good turner and you made it look so easy but I got the impression that this was really a video showcasing your skills. Sorry.

[@jakegevorgian]

Sorry to know that you were unable to watch and learn.

[@paralogia]

Nice turning, However, some narration would actually help a lot. Brendan Stemp has two videos on using the Skew where he EXPLAINS what happens and causes things like run backs. I've watched your video three or more times now and I just now figured out that when you cause the run back, letting go of the tool with one hand first, you are doing it, I presume, for safety. Then when you bring it back and present it to the wood you are trying to say "look, don't bury the toe" Why don't you explain this in words to accompany your examples? You technique is brilliant, explain what you do: "lift the handle here and rotate the tool..." etc.

[@jakegevorgian]

paralogia Brendan Stemp is a great teacher. I'm glad that you have learned from him. Cheers Jake

[@paralogia]

His Skew videos are very good. However, you are a master with the Skew. This video was in my list of favorites. I was looking for another video, but decided to watch this again. I was trying to imitate some of the things you do, but without any explanation, it's a lot harder. I know the video is several years old, so I do not expect you to go back and add narration. However, a skew use video from you with narration would be excellent. You do a couple of things that he does not do/explain, like when you start making the V cut and then turn the skew, raise it, and push (?) to make a deep cut. Down the road such a video would be great. Thank you for your excellent work.

[@jakegevorgian]

paralogia I'll try to show how it's done and try to explain what happens. But most of these things in Woodturning happen by accident. Some woods may not allow me to cut the v groove this way, some just don't work.

[@garreb7]

The music with that constant drum beat ruins your what otherwise would have been a good video.

[@jakegevorgian]

@Jeremiah Atkinson thanks for the comments! I will try to make a better video on skew techniques. This video doesn't tell much about what I'm doing. Thanks jake

[@gppatnude]

great video, but you need to talk about what you are doing with specific descriptions of hand and tool positions. as a neophyte turner, knowing what you are doing and why will help those watching you work to understand exactly what we are seeing.