Russian(?) turning tools

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I have seen before that the Russians use what look more like knives than chisels to turn stuff.

THis one is a good one:
[youtube]vtFC4_UaPzI[/youtube]
 
Yes, those are the tools. I guess they are high carbon steel and nothing too exotic. But if they are only turning lime then it won't matter too much as they'll keep an edge a while.
I first started carving bowls with hook tools on a pole lathe, so it's interesting to see them used for other things.
 
Those hooks are common in Scandinavia too. Especially in the north where birch is the most used wood for turning.
If you try to turn the inside of a birch bowl the English way using a bowl gouge followed by scrapers you will be forced to turn it very thick and then sand away the rest to remove the tearout. That is not an efficient way of working.
With the hook a skilled turner can produce a surface that is ready for a quick stroke with 240 grit sandpaper and that's it.
The Germans also used this type of hooks in the old days though they turn harder woods with them.

That type of knife like skews with round or octagonal shanks were sometimes used in Scandinavia in the old days. I have seen a few of them laying around in old outbuildings or turning up at flea markets. Hand forged from wrought iron with inserted steel. Obviously the work of some village blacksmith. However I have never seen any being used nor met anyone remembering them being used so they probably went out of use before the second world war. In favour of ordinary skews made from flat stock.
 
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heimlaga":26wbwy73 said:
If you try to turn the inside of a birch bowl the English way using a bowl gouge followed by scrapers you will be forced to turn it very thick and then sand away the rest to remove the tearout. That is not an efficient way of working.

I'm not sure I would agree this is the "English" way. A good turner should be able to leave a reasonable finish from the gouge in most circumstances.
 
Interesting rack of tools there Chas. I'm not sure why, but I do like the look of those skews. I guess that's what Colwin Way was talking about when he mentioned the German skews which led to him and Axminster releasing his named skews. I though it was just a gimmick, but I can see where it came from now.
 
Those turner made skews and hooked gouges are razor sharp and they spend some time honing them before starting a turning demo.
I have only ever seen them being used on knot free Lime or Birch wood, they have very little weight and I can't see them being very user friendly on 'character' wood such as the Yew I've been turning today where I relied heavily on the weight of the tool to reduce the kickback from the encountered knots and rouge grain orientation.

Having said that the turners I've seen using them in Germany have been extremely proficient in their use, as you would expect from someone making a living at it and entertaining the public with demonstrations.
 
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