Calling All Cack Handed Turners...!!! ;~)

[Orcamesh]

I am sure I am not the only one who is left handed in here? I raised the same question when I went on a woodturning course many years ago, but obviously it is possible to have the headstock at the right hand end of your bench and reverse the direction of the motor. I wondered if anyone does actually turn like this? I have never seen any photos of left handed turners working like this. My motor runs conventionally and I awkwardly lean across the lathe bed to get the tool in position. I hold the tool handle in my left hand and guide with my right hand on the rest. If anything it would be easier for me to reverse the motor and move the headstock to the other end but with my cheapy lathe this is not possible (there is no reverse for a start). Anyhow I just wondered if anyone had any comments on this subject, as I would be interested to hear about them...

cheers
Steve

 

[Bodrighy]

I am right handed, very much so and yet I have found in turning that I seem to automatically alternate left and right depending on which is easiest to get at the wood. It seems a huge amount of bother to change the motor around etc etc so maybe just coming at the wood with a different approach will do the trick? A lot cheaper as well I'd have thought

pete

 

[skeetoids]

Hi,

I'm ambidextrous so don't have the common handidness or footedness problems that most people can have.

It helps to bear in mind that the problem isn't with your lathe or your hands, it's with your mind, I mean it's not like your right hand is gammy or anything, if you apply yourself and go through the really uncomfortable feelings of using your right hand with an open mind eventually you'll have no problem.

Although I'm abmidextrous I intentianally use different hands or feet for things just to exercise it. Start by wearing a watch on your opposite favoured wrist, I deliberatley wear odd socks as this equalises my feet, tie your laces the other way round, stir cups of tea with the other hand etc. You'll be surprised that even later in life how you can change these things.

Good luck!

 

[miles_hot]

I deliberatley wear odd socks as this equalises my feet,

How the devil does odd socks help with that? All it normally indicates when I do it is that I got dressed in the dark!

Miles

 

[Argee]

I'm naturally left-handed and my left eye is dominant. I turn on a conventionally-set-up lathe (and always have done) without difficulty. I've never even considered turning any other way, although my lathe would allow it. I mostly hold the tools in my left hand, but not exclusively so. I suppose I've just adapted my style to the lathe, rather than tried to do it the other way round.

Ray

 

[Orcamesh]

OK, well seems strange there are no real lefties out there! I obviously compensate for turning on the other side and sometimes go right handed if it calls for it so I am to some extent ambidextrous. But I certainly dont force myself to be right handed. I'm not saying it is difficult to turn on the wrong side but it would be logical to think that it would be much easier if you turned on the side that was most comfortable. Ho hum, there you go! I seem to manage so no big deal but was mainly curious. I agree with Miles though, not sure how wearing odd socks helps becoming ambidextrous Lee!!?? :lol:

 

[BMac]

Hi Steve,

I'm a lefty but deliberately learned to turn right-handed because everything seemed to be geared that way. However, I soon realised that using my left hand was a great advantage so had to learn to turn that way and it was actually harder than learning right-handed. So, now I use whichever hand is most suitable and unconsciously switch from one to the other.

With practice you can soon learn to use your right hand but, until then, maybe standing at the back of the lathe would make using your left hand easier. I do that sometimes when hollowing bowls.

Brendan.

 

[treeturner123]

Although I am right handed, I do find that I turn spindles with either hand and I guess that the difficulty that those ‘sinister’ turners experience is when working on the face plate ie bowls, hollowing boxes etc. It occurred to me though, that if you have a lathe with a rotating headstock (Record etc), then at least you can stand better to approach the wood with a left handed stance.

The other thing to remember (it’s the Yorkshire in me), is that if you turn alternate left and right handed, then it will be twice as long between sharpening your tool so every tool will last twice as long! Get practicing everyone!!


Phil

 

[Orcamesh]

I agree it will get better with practice to be using your hands the other way around, but it may never be second nature. I do try to turn with the hands round the other way as some have said sometimes you are forced to. Sadly my little lathe has a fixed headstock so I will need to upgrade to be able to turn it towards me for bowl turning. So some operations are even restricted by the blunt end of the tool handle hitting the horizontal bars on my old Record (yes I know I can cut the handles shorter but I dont want to! :lol: ). Looks like I am on the slope already... :shock: :shock:

 

[shipbadger]

If you reverse the motor direction and you have a chuck screwed on there is a risk of it unscrewing, hence the left hand thread on the outboard spindle of a Myford ML8. My metal work lathes have reversing switches so that the saddle can be returned to the tailstock end when screwcutting, but you don't cut in reverse as the chuck unscrews.
Tony Comber

 

[Orcamesh]

That's a very good point which I had overlooked Tony. Thanks for pointing that out! So that means that if the headstock were to be put at the other end then you would have a whole lot of new chucks needed with right handed threads. And this could get a bit tricky. I'll just have to keep cocking my leg over the tailstock for now and when I'm a bit more flush I will have to upgrade to one of these revolving headstock types! cheers Steve

If you reverse the motor direction and you have a chuck screwed on there is a risk of it unscrewing, hence the left hand thread on the outboard spindle of a Myford ML8. My metal work lathes have reversing switches so that the saddle can be returned to the tailstock end when screwcutting, but you don't cut in reverse as the chuck unscrews.
Tony Comber