Unusual grind

[duncanh]

I recently bought some turning tools from a woman whose woodturning husband died. Amongst them was this

It's hard to capture the shape in a photo but the cutting edge is perpendicular to the shaft and runs from one one corner of the bar to the one diagonally opposite it (when looked at end on)
Has anyone come across this unusual grind before? I've never seen it in a book or on the net. I haven't tried it yet but it looks as though the tool would be used like a skew chisel.
The turner was a professional and worked for years for a large chair making company before working for himself. Have I stumbled across some lost, secret grind from the past or is it likely to be just something he found useful for the odd job?

I'll try it at some point like it is, but it's quite thick and has some nice rounded edges so I was thinking of making it into a shear scraper.

Duncan

(apologies if the image doesn't show - I don't post often and this is the first time I've tried an image)

 

[Alan Holtham]

Duncan,

This is in fact a skew chisel as you suggest and was re-introduced as the "Buckingham skew" by the Buckingham Tool Co. some 25 years ago, if I remember correctly.

The theory is that the angled cutting edge allows you to get the correct cutting angle on the timber but keeping the whole tool flat on the rest and therefore eliminating the chance of a dig in. Unfortunately theory doesn't always translate into reality and the tool has very limited function and was never really a success. I would grind it into something else!!

Keep the world turning.

Alan

 

[Taffy Turner]

Ah, another useless attempt at a skew chisel that doesn't catch...a bit like my Sorby Spindle Master, which was the biggest waste of £25 so far in my tool buying adventures. #-o

That d*mn thing is even more prone to catching than my conventional oval skew. In fact, IMHO it is absolutely impossible to get it to cut WITHOUT having a major catch! :shock: I have even taken it off my tool rack and hidden it away in a cupboard lest I be tempted to try it again - my nerves couldn't stand it! =;

Anyone else got a Sorby Spindle Master? How do you find yours?

Anyone want to buy a Sorby Spindle Master - going cheap, hardly used squire.....

Regards

Gary

 

[Anonymous]

Alan, nice to see u here... have you entered your pic on the name dropper section of Rogues gallery yet

Gary
The spindle master falls into the same family as the skew insofar as uou have to learn to luv em

Had a bloke on a course who'd retrieved his from the corner of the workshop just to bring it along... by the end of the day he'd turned a lace bobbin just using the spindle master I use a similar grind on a 1.5mm for miniature pieces... I've also converted an engineers bearing scraper to a similar profile... the profiles are certainly useful but I still prefer the skew 8) 8)

pm me if u r serious about selling it :wink:

 

[trevtheturner]

.. by the end of the day he'd turned a lace bobbin just using the spindle master

....so at the start of the day how big was his bit of wood? :wink:

I have a spindle master, Gary, and don't think it was the best twenty-five quid I have ever spent. I get on with it okay on 'soft' woods, e.g. pine and sycamore (yeah, I know that one is a hardwood!) and it is versatile in that it eliminates a lot of tool changing. Having said that, I don't mind the tool changing and enjoy 'using the right tool for the job' so mostly the spindle master just sits in the tool rack.

Cheers,

Trev.

 

[Anonymous]

....so at the start of the day how big was his bit of wood?

OK, OK... 100mm square x 1m.... :lol:

 

[Alan Holtham]

Alan, nice to see u here... have you entered your pic on the name dropper section of Rogues gallery yet

:

So whats all this about then??!!
:? :?


Alan

 

[Alf]

This.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Alan Holtham]

A Ha, I see. Don't really want to lower the tone though! :wink:

Alan

 

[Anonymous]

To throw a spanner in the works, have you ever tried the Eli Avisera skew chisels from Hamlet? I have been using these since meeting Eli a couple of years ago and sold my Spindlemasters a long time ago as they were redundant. I suppose the convex grind of the Avisera tool matches that of the spindlemaster when used as a skew and both are very forgivving with less likelihood of dig ins. You can use the spindlemaster to cut coves etc but with the double grind of the Avisera gouges you do seem to get much more control and versitility. I am a convert to Eli's tools and they are well worth a try.

Regards

Paul

 

[Anonymous]

Eli kindly ground one of my small skews to his profile... OK but takes a little getting used to.... and I still prefer the standard skew

:?: Is is true that years ago the skews were factory ground with a convex bevel :?: Maybe one of u old timers knows the answer :wink: