Reviewer: Gary R.

This is a must see series. The quality of the video is great - very clear, good lighting and great camera angles. Alan is a great presenter in person, with this series being the next best thing!! I rented Video 1, and have seen Video 2 - don't miss either. Key lessons on sharpening. I'm a beginner, and it's much better to learn properly early on. As you will see, just using a skew properly will allow you to do many projects. For people just getting into turning, this is important because of the cost of the tools. Start here!!!

Reviewer: Walter S.

Well produced and very informative. The instructions and demos are very clear.

Reviewer: jerry a.

As stated before,the sound, photography, and content is great. The best I've ever seen. I have been turning for a couple of years. Read a lot of books. Still floundering at times. The video really cleared up some misconceptions I had. I also am now using the skew with much less apprehension. There are things I didn't have any idea you could do with the skew. The first video is a must, the second is pretty good too, and worth the extra bucks.

Reviewer: Charles A.

These videos are well-done and informative. The information on sharpening was particularly helpful and in the second disc there are lots of small projects. It is amazing to watch the tiny details he is able to turn with a large skew. The video quality is good, and it is easy to follow. I rate this series Very Excellent!

Reviewer: David R.

I really enjoyed this DVD. Alan is a very good instructor and the picture quality is terrific. The instruction he presents on sharpening and customizing the skew is fantastic. I also like how he advocates the dead center instead of spur center. I avoided this tool because I did not really know about it. I have experience turning, but after watching this, I have so much more to look forward to now. I have used scrapers and parting tools and really got poor finishes that needed lots of sanding. With Alan's techniques on skew planning, peeling, parting, vee and bead cutting, the finish is perfect - on 2x4 soft practice wood. It is amazing how much this tool can do. I will consider buying Alan's DVD because the instruction is that good.

Reviewer: UNKNOWN

I watched this video with high hopes, but still feel frustrated by the skew. I was hoping for more about how to hold the tool and present it to the wood, but there is very little of this type of information. Lacer spends relatively little time on what he acknowledges is one of the hardest cuts to make with a skew: the rolling cut for making beads. Little info on what the right hand (holding the handle) is doing, what the angle of the tool should be to the wood, etc. Overall it's a good video, but I believe it could have been much better. It's more of a watch and try to imitate than a truly clear, concise, and consistent explanation of how to use the skew chisel.

Reviewer: Stan Y.

Great DVD. If you want to learn to skew this is the video.

Reviewer: Gary M.

A good video, although a bit light on the instructional value. You have to learn by watching an experienced turner do his thing. Fun viewing.

Reviewer: Gary M.

Long video which is just watching an experienced turner make several items using only a skew chisel. Short on the instructional value, but worth viewing at least once.

Reviewer: Richard F.

This is a really good video.

I would recommend it to anyone wanting to really understand how to sharpen and use a Skew Chisel I think I am pretty good with one but I learned a lot from this video. Also some good tips on setting up your lathe to improve your skew turning experience.

Reviewer: Gordon R.

Excellent DVD! I may finally get over my fear of the dreaded Skew Chisel. The only problem is now wanting to own it so that I can watch it over and over again. Lacer makes it look so easy but I'm sure I'm years of practice away from being even half as efficient as he is with the Skew. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning to use the Skew Chisel properly.

Gord

Reviewer: Steve B.

Amazing what you can do with just a skew chisel. A great lesson and well worth the rental.

Reviewer: James G.

This is a review of "The Son of Skew." The sound and video quality is excellent. Unlike many turning videos that have segments where the turner is showing off how fast and flawlessly they can turn an object, this video takes things slowly and one step a a time. Highly rated for a beginner. Alan Lacer's sense of humor is superb. You'll enjoy this DVD.

Reviewer: Gene T.

This is actually a review just for "Son of Skew" as I have not yet received the first video. "Son of Skew" is well produced and I'm impressed with what the presenter is able to do with skew chisels. It's not so much a tutorial on the skew chisel (presumably the first video is) as a projects dvd. A lot of work is shown with little explanation of what he's doing with the tool (other than what can be seen) but there are some good project related tips.

Reviewer: PAUL M.

This is an excellent video! The skew has developed a reputation of being a difficult lathe tool. Alan Lacer clearly explains how to change the profile of the skew, sharpen it, hone it, and use it successfully. For any wood turner who has ever had trouble using a skew, this is a must see video!

Reviewer: Richard K.

The Skew Chisel Series is another Must View for anyone who has blown up an otherwise beautiful piece of work. The nice thing about this series is the emphasis Lacer places on proper sharpening. I have the world's cheapest (as far as I know) full-size lathe. For years I drooled over PowerMatics and other HFM's (Heavy Freaking Machines). I have since decided to my own satisfaction that, at least for spindle work, a CAM (CheapAss Machine) is just fine, as long as you have good gouges and chisels that are sharp enough to split the atom. I'm thinking about posting a radiation symbol in my converted horse stall shop in my open-air barn, just because I have finally learned to keep my tools sharp.

Lacer makes everything look easy and intuitive, as do so many seasoned turners. But he encourages you to practice the skew on CAL (CheapAss Lumber) until it becomes second nature. There is no tool that will give you the clean grain of a well-sharpened skew, but constant practice and a well-crafted video make all the difference.

Reviewer: Jerome K.

Nicely conceived and executed. The filming was also great! Would recommend it.

Reviewer: Craig C.

Excellent follow-on to his first skew video. I'm still not buying using a skew to cut a cove though:)

Reviewer: Jerome K.

Quite good and easy to follow. A little above my head for now

Reviewer: Gregory B.

The DVD was very informative, I got alot of information from it. I would rate outstanding.

Reviewer: William N.

Good skew project video. Alan Lacer does a good job demonstrating the use of the skew on projects that can be practiced at home. Alan has a good presentation style. This is a video worth renting if you trying to learn the use of the skew.

Reviewer: Don M.

Alan Lacer's skew chisel series have an excellent reputation among turners as a great source of instruction on this challenging tool. The reputation is justified and I would highly recommend this DVD. Production values are excellent. Camera angles provide clear views, often very close-up, that illustrate the points Alan is making. I approached this DVD as something of a veteran turner who does a lot of lathe work and is represented by several galleries. I have been successfully using a 3/4" skew for years. I recently acquired a 1.25" skew and had chronic problems with it, including some monster catches. One run through on this video and I was able to make a slight adjustment in my technique with the larger chisel, and now it is the useful and efficient tool it's supposed to be!

Reviewer: William I.

Very good video with a lot of good information about the Skew Chisel

Reviewer: Patrick S.

Absolutely brilliant! A must-see for anyone who will be spinning wood. Years of experience condensed in a few hours of film. Lacer talks about the dangers of the skew and the mistakes one can make while using one, but he also actually shows those mistakes and their results. Cuts are seen from many angles. Again, ten thumbs up!

Reviewer: carolyn p.

Both of the skew chisel dvd's was excellent, the skew chisel was very informative, I learned a lot about sharpening the skew, and the many different ways to use it.... The son of skew was my favorite because it gave me some good ideas of things to make, I have only been using a lathe for a few months and all that I have done is pens, until i saw these dvd's.

Reviewer: Bruce A.

Alan Lacer gives good detailed instructions on skew sharpening and honing, and how to use this versatile tool in a number of different cuts. He explains some of the possible errors that may be encountered, and shows how to correct or avoid them.

Alan shows how this one tool can be used for practically any cut, and how smooth finishes can be accomplished.

Great stuff for both beginner and experienced turner. I'm just getting started in pen turning, and found this encouraging and just what I needed. I plan on purchasing one of his tools from his website and getting started right.

Reviewer: Stanley K.

Excellent video! Great resolution quality, great shots and first rate information conveyed by a master craftsman! Thanks for the great service!

Reviewer: Robert H.

I owned the first disc in this series and it was very good. I learned a lot so I rented the second disc hoping to learn more. I didn't learn much - it was just watching the author turn various objects without much additional information so I was disappointed.

Reviewer: Joshua D.

Disk 1: I found this first disk to be really quite a good disk. As has been mentioned by others it has excellent audio and video quality. It is easy to follow and Alan Lacer does a good job of demonstrating many thing.

I found the "how to sharpen the skew" segments to be useful but in certain ways a bit limited. He talked only briefly about some of the things I wanted to know the most. And in some cases he references tools, grinder, honing devices etc... that I don't have but doesn't say anything about where to get them. Don't get me wrong I wasn't expecting catalog pages and part numbers but general information about "you can typically find them here..." Would have been very useful and would have saved time and money.

In talking about the cuts he is detailed and thorough for the most part. His explanations of the peeling, planing and V-cuts I found to be the very best I have ever seen. He has great skill and makes them look extremely easy. Which is at once both promising and annoying. Annoying in that if it "that easy, why can't I do it?" but promising in that it can be learned! :)

However on the end cut for truing up an end surface he for some reason goes way too fast IMHO. He mentions using a proper "clearance angle" but never defines it and never explains it. He never talked about how to do it, he just goes on to demonstrate it a half a dozen times. And for the first time in this video the camera work is sub-par and you see it all from basically 1 single angle. So it never became clearer. As this is one of the cuts I needed the most help with I was somewhat disappointed.

His suggestion to buy a safe driver that allows things to slip when you get a catch is one of the very best ideas I have ever seen/used when using the skew chisel. It is amazing what a difference it makes!

This video serves as a good starting point for learning to properly use a skew chisel. I just wish everything in it had had the same high level of attention to detail.

Reviewer: Joshua D.

Disk 2: In my review of Disk #1 I stated that I really liked that disk in the main. I fear I found Disk #2 to be really rather disappointing. Disk #2 is a projects disk. That is fine. Learning to do different things with the skew chisel is good. Seeing them done over and over again is also good.

The problem I had was with the mechanics of the disk itself. I, like so many, learn best from repetition. I do SO much better hearing the explanation over and over again and then following that with seeing it done many times. In this video you do see the cuts repeated but the greater detail in explanations, or at least alternate explanations, that I was hoping for after watching the first one was missing.

Want good ideas on things to turn? This is a great video. What to actually learn to use the skew chisel better? This is not the video for you. Rent the first and skip this one.

Reviewer: Jonathan M.

The Skew Chisel: The Dark Side & The Sweet Side.

I strongly recommend this DVD from Alan Lacer - I have one on the skew chisel from Richard Raffan (which is also very good). I'm glad to have both as each takes a bit different approach to a very versatile, but a bit frightening, tool. I can't remember if Raffan's is The Taming of the Skew, if it is not then I have another DVD on the skew chisel (also good) - I can't find the old ones due a recent move where things are still in boxes.

Each woodturner has different skills with his hands, and no professional can teach you everything that fits your own situation (I am on a prosthetic leg, I can't do the body movement that both Raffan and Lacer recommend - I shift hand positions for the same effect). It is to your advantage to see each approach and modify it to fit your own situation.

And, I make a new paragraph here, SmartFlix has given us that opportunity. Purchasing all the possible DVDs of every craftsman's style would be prohibitive, the ability to rent from SmartFlix lets us see what we want to have in our permanent collection. My compliments to SmartFlix.

Best, Jon

Jonathan W. Murphy Englishtown, NJ

Reviewer: Joseph P.

This is by far two of the best, most informative videos on one of the most challenging wood turning turning tools, the skew. The quality is superb. The content is priceless and will remove any doubts on what you can do with this most challenging, gratifying lathe tool. I haven't turned in years and forgot a lot and lost my touch. This video will show you the how to's how not to's regarding the use of the skew. The videos are 1 1/2 and 2 hours. Thoroughly discussed in full content from A to Z. It's a must for any wood turner.