Saw something pretty cool yesterday.

I was watching a guy make the spindles and stretchers for a Windsor chair yesterday. He started with pieces of birch about 1-1/4" square and 2-1/2 feet long. He roughed them out with his gouge in about 10 seconds, then removed the tool rest and while still on his lathe, used a hand plane to shape and finish them. Total time about 2 minutes

The plane was just a bit smaller than a regular block plane. When he was done the piece didn't need any sanding. It was glass smooth. He used a heavy glove on his left hand to keeping pressure on the spindle to keep it from bowing and used the plane in his right hand to cut. It was really cool

This is one of those things in my mind that make me go . I assume it is another one of those things that a person that knows their equipment and they have thousands of hours on this operation, they are comfortable with it. I also forgot to ask lathe speed. Sounds like it would make a wonderful surface, but man, my experience with planes so far, I would probably end up with a broken arm or wrist. Maybe it is all backwards in my mind.

Y-knot comes to mind... A Plane is simply a device that controls the depth of a chisel's cut. If you could hold a skew in such a manner to control a measured slice, you too can provide a finished piece that needs no sanding. The plane did that for him.

I agree, a skilled practice, and I would assume a few miscues along the way.

The skew is resting on a tool rest. If he get a catch with that plane It's gonna be taken right out of his hand. I'm sure that it has happened to him on more than once.
I'm not gonna be running out to the shop to try it any time soon.

He said he was running around 1500 rpm.
He makes Windsor chairs almost exclusively and still had all his fingers
He did use a skew to make the decorative cut in the center.