You may love them or you may hate them but regardless skew chisels are a woodturner's tool.  The two commonly know shew chisels are the flat or plain

skew and the oval skew.  Other types of skew chisels include:

• 
  
• square or straight skew
  
• round edge skew
  
• Raffan--design curved skew
  
• round skew
  
• pyramid/tri-point skew
  
• left skew
  
• right skew
  
• half round skew
  

It does not really matter which type of skew you are sharpening, there are two major problems that are involved.  First, there is not a concesus with regard to the nomenclature of the skew chisel.  Second, there is a lack of consensus as to the angles that the skew chisel should be ground at.  The lack of consensus in both of these problems is what confuses most people when it comes to sharpening skew chisels.

 

Skew chisels have four (4) cutting surfaces:

1. 
   
2. the toe (the longest sharp point at the end of the chisel)(Also called the long point)
   
3. the heel (the shortest sharp point toward the end of the chisel)(Also called the short point)
   
4. Side 1
   
5. Side 2
   

Sides 1 and 2 are interchangable depending upon you are using the skew.  They are also called the left and right sides of the skew. When the skew is used flat and the heel is on the left, the side being used is called the left side.  Conversly when the heel is on the right, the side being used is the right side.

 

Let's now take the confusion a step further and talk about angles and bevels.  When the skew is layed flat, the edge between the toe and heel forms an angle to the length of the skew and an angle to a line drawn perpendicular to the skew's shaft at the toe (see drawing A).  When talking about the angle of the skew, these two angles are again used interchangable.  For the sake of standardization we will refer to the "real" angle that we can see as the "skew angle" (angle B in drawing A).

 

As you become accustomed to using the skew, you will find a skew angle that works best for the type of turning you do. It is not uncommon for turners to have more than one skew, each with a different skew angle, for different types of turning.

 

Skew angles range anywhere from 40 to 75 degrees.  Seventy (70) degrees seems to be the predominate angle that most manufacturers grind their skews to.  In this article we will assume a 70 degree skew angle.

 

Most skews have two bevels that form the cutting edges for sides 1 and 2.  The angle that these bevels create, like the skew angle, create confusion. 

 

Not only are there a variety of names for this angle but the angle itself is treated differently depening on who is discussing skew sharpening. For our purposes, and again for standardization, we will refer to this angle as the "total bevel angle."

 

When the bevel is sharpened, it is sharpened at an angle relative to the centerline of the flat side of the skew.  This angle is called the "bevel angle."  Generally, both bevels on a skew are sharpened to the same angle.  This makes it easier to measure since both angles are ideally equal and together they form the total bevel angle.  For whatever purposes, a turner may want to have two different bevel angles or may sharpen their skews to different angles inadvertantly.  The following table points out the problem with measuring only the total bevel angle when sharpening.

side 1  side 2  total bevel angle
  15      15          30
  20      10          30
  12      18          30
   5      25          30

Similar to skew angles, the bevel angles are also a personal preference.  Twenty-five degrees is a total bevel angle preference for many manufacturers with a 12.5 degree bevel for each side. Some turners may use a greater bevel angle when working the harder or more texturized woods.

Skews

Materials:

1- 1x2 12 inches long board (not plywood)
T-bevel sliding square
Protractor
Skew chisel
router (mounted on router table)
Miter gauge
router bit (see discussion for type and size)
router bit (size=width of skew)
C-clamp - small 2"
digital angle cube
2"x4" 1/4" plywood

 

Process:
This is a two step process.  The first step determines the skew angle of your skew. You will be using this angle in making your skew jig.  If you prefer another angle use it instead. The second step sets up your router for making the skew jig

Step A

• 
  
• Using the T-bevel sliding square establish the skew angle of your skew
  
  
  
• Measure this angle with your protractor
  
  
  

 Step B

1. 
   
2. The first thing we want to do is create a groove along the edge of the 1x2 board.  The apex of this groove should rest on top of the Work Sharp tool rest.  The groove should also be no wider than the diameter of the tool rest.  The depth of the groove should be the thickness of the 1x3 minus the thickness of the skew chisel.  While this groove is optional it is highly recommended in order to maintain control over the skew angle while sharpening the skew.
   
   
   
3. Replace the router bit you used to make the groove with the bit that is the width of the skew chisel.
   
   
   
4. Adjust the height of the bit to that of the thickness of the skew chisel
   
   
   
5. Adjust the miter gauge to the skew angle you determined in step A.  We will use 70 degrees for our chisel
   
   
   
6. Place the 1x2 on the router table against the miter gauge so that the center of the board is 1/2" from the near edge of the router bit to you.
   
   
   
7. Route the board
   
   
   
8. Now adjust the miter gauge to the other 70 degree mark on the gauge.
   
   
   
9. Turn the board arount (NOT over) and place the center again 1/2" from the nearest edge of the router bit.
   
   
   
10. Route the board again.
    
    
    
11. At this point you should have two grooves that form a "V" on your board.  The grooves should be the width of your skew chisel.
    
    
    

NOTE: If you do not have a router bit the width of your chisel, use a bit that is slightly smaller and then chisel or sand out the difference so that the chisel will fit into the grooves.

 

Setting up the jig

1. 
   
2. Lower your tool rest as much as possible (bottom it out)
   
3. Orient the skew according to one of the drawings on the jig and Slide the skew into the appropriate groove
   
4. Place the skew and jig on the Work Sharp tool rest
   
5. Place the angle cube on the sanding surface of the Work Sharp and zero it
   
6. Move the cube to the top of the skew and adjust the skewe until you get the desired angle between the skew and sanding surface
   
7. Slide the jig up against the tool rest and tighten it to the gouge
   
8. Clamp the C-clamp to the jig and skew
   
9. Place the 2"x4" plywood against the jig under the skew and mark the length of the toe of the skew on it.
   
10. Use this measurement for both sides of your skew and for future sharpenings.
    

 

Using the jig

1. 
   
2. Slide the skew onto the jig
   
3. Place the 2"x4" plywood under the skew with the toe of the skew on the pencil mark you made earlier
   
4. Place the C-clamp on the jig and skew and tighten
   
5. Place the skew and jig on top of the tool rest and begin sharpening one side of the skew.
   
6. When the one side is sharpened, flip the skew over and rotate the jig, and repeat the above steps for the other side.
    
   

 

Note:  Create a jig for each skew.  Do  not rely on the C-clamp to hold a smaller skew in place and at the correct skew angle in an oversized slot.

 

Excellent stuff Phil! Do you have a picture of the jig on the worksharp?  Easy to follow instructions. I am a flat work guy as one of my turner buddies calls me. But I am going to forward this to him. I know he will enjoy it. Thanks!

More photos

Last photo and drawing.  Sorry about mix up on drawing compared to text.  Made drawing after everything else was done so I cannot correct the text.

Great tutorial Phil.

Thanks Phil, great job.

I agree, excellent information, and good write-up. I like cutting the dado for the chisel to rest in holding the angle.

 

-Ace-

Thanks Phill.  I use my Worksharp a lot for plane irons and chisels but skews have been somewhat a mystery to me.  Thanks for shining a light.

Great tutorial. Thank you .

 

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Wayne Mahler
God bless and protect our troops that serve so we can be free.