Article from the Woodshop News – January 1996

Tools & Techniques

“Skouge” melds gouge’s control with cutting action of a skew

by Bill LaHay, Staff Writer

The quest for the perfect wood turning tool got another contender recently – a hybrid design that blends the cutting action of a skew with the control of a gouge.

Dubbed the “Skouge,” the new tool is the brainchild of Matthew Garciacano, a Southern California woodworker, turner, and inventor. Garciacano said he wanted to develop a user-friendly version of the skew that didn’t require accessories or clamp-on devices, but avoided the bad habits associated with the tool’s typical shape – a narrow oval or rectangular cross section.

Though supported by the lathe’s tool rest like any other turning tool, the narrow profile of a skew chisel’s shaft makes it harder to prevent a sudden twist that can ruin a workpiece or spook the turner who’s not expecting it.

“This tool is designed to take scare out of the skew,” Garciacano said. “It’s designed primarily for spindle turning, anything from pens to baseball bats, but it can be used for some bowl work.”

The tool gets its control from a round cross section typical of a bowl gouge, which can be fully supported as it’s rotated and moved across the tool rest. Instead of the usual round-bottomed flute, though, the Skouge sports a V-shaped flute that yields two straight chisel edges at the end of the tool.

Garciacano’s standard grind is a 60-degree V-groove, a 70-degree angle for the leading edges, and a 35-degree bevel on each side. Rounding over the corners slightly allows for use on bowl interiors and similar surfaces, he said, and the Skouge can be used as a parting tool and scraper as well.

The tool body is machined from A-11 tool steel, which Garciacano said provides wear performance for superior to even the best high-speed steels. He said periodic honing will keep the tool sharp without requiring regrinding.

Garciacano’s company, California Import / Export, produced a small initial run of 44 tools that he said sold out immediately to buyers in North America and as far away as England and Australia. The current run is 200 tools, all from ¾”-diameter bar stock, which the company is offering at the introductory cost of $95, plus shipping and handling.

Handles on the production versions are maple, but buyers can request customized handles of walnut, teak, ash, and other species. Smaller versions of the tool ( ¼” and ½” diameter) are also forthcoming, according to the company.

For more information, write number 993 on the Reader Service Card in this newspaper, or contact: California Import / Export, 621 W. Porter, Fullerton CA 92632. Tel: 714-992-5725