charllie belden
Being a ToolPhreak, I have a 1 1/4", 1", 3/4" and 1/2" skew, all but the half inch with full sized handles, the half inch handle is only 4" long -all of them with a curved cutting edge (that LONG point was just too scary - and got in the way sometimes). I don't worry much about the bevel angles, but probably stay in the 35-45 degree range. For tight spaces I use a 25 degree bevel angle bench chisel - because I set my WorkSharp sharpener to that preset angle (there are three others as well). The 1/4" bench chisel works just like a thin bedan and cuts are initiated with either corner of the tool.

I've only got a JET Mini, with a "nominal" swing of 10", but a "practical swing" of maybe 7 1/2" since you have to dismount your turning to move the banjo and toolrest from one end of the piece to the other. Since I seldom do bowls at the 7 1/2" diameter capacity of my lathe, I don't use the two larger skews, For small lidded boxes, ornaments, finials, the outside of small hollow forms and miniature plates and bowls, I use my 1/2" skew for both cutting and scraping. I use the 1/2" to hollow boxes - used as a plunging scraper - the "long point" doing all the work.

I prefer the rectangular cross section over an oval cross section, probably because I can control the tool better. But from a torque perspective, the oval keeps the cutting edge more over the tool rest than does the rectangular cross section.

If a straight skew gives you trouble, try putting a curve on the cutting edge.