Katherine Kowalski
You said it John! I've heard sooooo many people say they're scared of the tool.

I was very fortunate in that (years ago) I had only been turning for two months before Allan Batty came to town and held a class. I simply didn't know that I was supposed to be scared of the skew! Allan taught me how pilot the bevel to make v-grooves and straight cuts. I was fortunate to avoid scare or preference issues. (It came as a great surprise to me that anyone should have a "favorite" side of a bead to roll....!)

When I teach and demonstrate, I try to get past this scare factor by explaining how other tools do such-and-such a cut, "which is exactly like a skew." I find that understanding of the way turning works and how the bevel controls the cut helps people improve their technique and eliminate some of that fear.

Katherine