I was told that a skew was for experienced turners and I believed all the horror stories about them. When I joined the club and saw the skew was used a lot of the time, I bit the bullet and got a skew, I was waiting for all these catches I had heard about and was quite nervous so rarely used it. I then forced myself to learn how to use the skew and I wish I had had one from the beginning, the skew is a wonderful tool, I have 3 now and I know it sounds daft having 3 but I can sharpen all 3 and just pick up another sharp one if I need it in the middle of doing something instead of having to sharpen it straightaway. The 2 extra skew were great brands and cost £6 or £7 each, so I couldn't resist.
Peter