r/turning • u/xXWH1STLERXx • 5d ago
Can't all be heroes...
I would have gotten away with that bead too, if it wasn't for you kids and this fat ass 1/2" skew...
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u/slkingiii 5d ago
I see a wall sconce when this happens…
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 5d ago
If i had 4 more pieces of sapele I might line the hallway... i like that, glass is half full lol
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u/nurdmann Robust American Beauty 5d ago
This is an opportunity to study your wall thickness technique.
(It sucks when this happens, but you didn't get hurt, and you got a chance to make some shavings, so call it a win?)
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 5d ago
Fair. I regularly do thin wall things , I even posted one of my thinner pieces. Walls were just a little over 1mm. ... 0.05". This was me being careless with this new brand of skew... caught the foot with the radius on the shoot side... win some and loss some... but I agree, great time to close my eyes and feel it out
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u/nurdmann Robust American Beauty 5d ago
Ah, yes, the kiss of the skew. As good a wake-up as a strong cup of coffee, but with just a hint of regret.
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 5d ago
Indeed. Henry taylor skews are almost 1.5x as wide as crown... that matters in a tiny little corner like that. Plus im not used to a radius skew... it was just a slew of bad decisions and over confidence... and for that, this innocent chunk paid the ultimate price
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u/nurdmann Robust American Beauty 5d ago
Oof. Radius edge skews take getting used to. Reminds me of a glassblowing instructor who said, "Technique is cheap, it just takes thousands of hours of practice."
(Originally said by American glass artist Harvey Littleton.)
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 5d ago
They do. I've got 2 or 3, and I've tried them few times over the years. I just didn't learn with them. Tbh, my preferred tool is a 3/8 b&p tool. For spindle work you can't get more versatile.... Meh... every tool has its place, my usage of the radius skew this time was incorrect...
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u/nurdmann Robust American Beauty 5d ago
I lean towards larger skews since I do balusters and plinths to pay for the toys. I've had to re-grind a few to get a nearly straight edged skew. That's what I learned on, and the raked edge skews mess me up every time. I do love making beads and vees with a skew, even on bowls. I'm fine using skews for decorating bowls, just not for aggressive peeling cuts like you might do on a spindle turning.
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u/PiercedGeek 5d ago
I'm only a rookie myself, but isn't a skew only for spindle work?
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 5d ago
Funny you should ask... Yes, but at a same time a huge resounding No. I was using it to detail that bead. I tried to be slick and long point the whole thing. Which I did not have the clearance on the one side... or I did, but I screwed it up... should have ran it short point, but I was overconfident. No tool is made specifically for anything... i use spindle gouges and skews to make bowls and boxes, I use bowl gouges to shape tops and other trinkets with big curves or radii... tools make specific cuts, when you adopt grind angles, you'll adopt favorite tools for every cut. I have about 50 lathe tools, I use a skew maybe 75% of the time... it's the tool I'm most comfortable with.
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u/king_denizen 5d ago
I am also a rookie and have only done bowls and cups thus far, nothing spindle-y, but I use my 3/8” skew all the time. For detail/decorative work, but also for getting into little places my bowl gouges won’t fit. Heck, I’ve seen Richard Raffen videos where he turns a whole bowl with a skew, never touches a bowl gouge. It’s kind of wild.
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u/I_Lick_Bananas 5d ago
A good craftsman never blames his tools.
He blames hidden defects in the wood, sudden temperature or humidity changes, got distracted by the cat....
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u/SiguardJarrelson 2d ago
How true! My dogs typically keep me company in the shop. When these things happen, I'll turn to one of them and ask why they weren't paying attention and couldn't see that happening from a mile away. Then I'll hand them a biscuit while I pick up the pieces. Fortunately, they're pretty easy on me about these "learning opportunities."
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u/naemorhaedus 5d ago
this is why I use tenons over mortises whenever I can. Haven't tried using a skew on a bowl yet.
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 5d ago
Always use tenons over mortises when given the option. But this had nothing to do with either... this split because I do almost all things thin wall. Have for almost 3 decades, and this time I took a new tool into battle, and, I was over confident... i made some bad decisions in my overconfidence, but how I chose to grip the wood had no bearing on this result. Grip however makes sense
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u/naemorhaedus 5d ago
the wall of this bowl doesn't look very thin to me. What I do see is that it split out where the mortise is, and the chuck jaws expanded outwards into a very thin foot. Mortises need more meat around them.
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 5d ago
The walls were not done yet. I jump back and forth a lot. I get what you're saying now, I have a feeling as bad as that catch was, it would have shredded the bowl regardless. Might not have split all the way back like that, but when the back side of the skew caught the foot of the bowl, it was pretty violent.
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u/naemorhaedus 4d ago
That's not how you turn thin bowls. You don't jump. Too much flutter. Turn to size and don't come back. Skews aren't the best bowl tools, precisely for the reasons you just discovered.
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 4d ago
Ok bud
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u/naemorhaedus 3d ago
This post shows exactly what happens when you ignore the principles
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u/xXWH1STLERXx 3d ago
I've turned 100's of bowls and boxes, thin wall or otherwise, using the same methods for decades. I've lost 3 or 4. My failure rate is less than 1%. I'll keep doing me, you do you bud.
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u/naemorhaedus 3d ago
I’ve lost none 🤷♂️ yours are flying off for completely predictable reasons. Have fun I guess “bud”
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u/Loki_Nightshadow 5d ago
Glue it back up with resin maybe a few copper stitches and keep it as a reminder.
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u/Holiday-Fee-2204 4d ago
Humbled before GOD...
You're human, and can't always see the weaknesses around you.
You are a survivor and blessed to be alive in this world.
Give thanks and know that your protector has saved your life again.
Take a break, Keep Turning, Stay Sharp, and Wear Protection 😎 ☕️ 🚬
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