Alan's favorite sized skew  in an unhandled version, designed and produced by Alan himself. Made from powdered metal M4 high speed steel , triple tempered and cryo treated. Made from U.S steel, milled in MN, belt ground by Alan, off to the heat-treater in WI, back to Alan for final belt grinding and edge creation.  It comes "scary sharp" and ready to put to wood.

This is the dream skew I have worked on for several years. It has the look and feel of older skews that were drawn-out from hot metal to produce a rigid, heavy tool but with a taper to the edge. These are milled to produce that effect: a strong and rigid backbone to the skew but better balance than if the same thickness throughout. The thickest area is 1/2" at the handle end tapering to around 5/16" at the edge. The edge shape is one that I have popularized that I find quite versatile over a traditional grind. The steel is my personal favorite--great edge holding properties and one that responds quickly to honing with diamond. The steel is a true high speed steel, powdered metal made in the U.S., triple tempered with a cryogenic treatment between the first and second tempers. I personally turn each handle, fix the steel into the handle and produce a "wicked sharp edge" to the tool. Comes with a solid stainless steel ferrule. This tool comes ready to put onto wood--something very rare when purchasing tools. This skew is now offered in  Osage orange.  I hope to offer the Florida rosewood option again  (which is in fact Indian rosewood, and holds it color far better than cocobolo rosewood)--but probably will not be available until later in 2018.  

Turning handles is one of the first operations I have new students perform: good practice in shaping, fitting a ferrule AND customizing your tools to your hands and body. This is the same as my Uber/Ultimate Skew in 1 3/8" but without the handle. The overall length is approximately 12" with a cutting edge of around 8.75" in length. There is a long article on my web site (www.alanlacer.com) called the "Forgotten Handle" outling the process and importance of turning your own handles. So, save yourself some money and turn your own handle to that custom fit that makes a tools so enjoyable to use. I ship the tool with my preferred grind (unless you ask otherwise) and with the same "wicked sharp edge" I put on the same skews I sell with handles.  If you prefer a "traditional" grind, please email me at:  alan@alanlacer.com

As with all skews, not for face-grain bowl turning.