No such thing as a left handed turner

[GBF]

 

Copied from my Blog

On Monday and Tuesday this week Tim from London has been here to improve his Bowl turning.
 Tim has been Turning for about ten years so you would think it would be easy just to polish up his basic tooling but life is never that simple.
 The first thing Tim said was I turn left handed So I told him with my usual tact and diplomacy not here you don't you will turn right handed as I don't teach left handed turning as far as I am concerned there is no such thing as a left handed turner.
 I asked Tim just as a matter of interest show me how you turn left handed. With a bowl blank mounted on the lathe he walked to the other side of the lathe leaned over the lathe bed and was about to start turning. I had never seen anything like this before it looked so awkward so I could see it was going to be a bit of a task to completely change the way Tim had been turning for the last ten years and get him to do it properly.
 To be fair to him Tim took on board that the correct way to turn is to work right handed after I explained the advantages also safety was a big concern as reaching across the lathe bed raises all sorts of safety issues.
 After two days of what must have been a nightmare for Tim he has adapted very well and has promised me he will stick to the right handed turning as he can now see the sense of it.
 This just emphasises the advantages of having tuition with a professional turner rather than trying to teach yourself.
 I am confident that now Tim has sorted out his basic tooling skills he will go on to be a good turner.
 Very well done time for being open minded enough to grasp the nettle and change what must have seemed very difficult at the time .Stick to the right handed turning Mate and you will be OK any problems give me a ring.

 Two very nice bowls one in Beech and one in Sycamore.

[fuzzyturns]

Well, George, your certainly not shy of making controversial statements, I'll grant you that much.

I'd have to say that given the right lathe, I don't see any reason why somebody could not turn left-handed. The positions of headstock and tailstock would need to be reversed, but that is feasible on a fair few models.
Having said that, I have noticed for myself that I really need to be ambidextrous to get the best results. There are some cuts that just work a whole lot better (even in a right-handed setup) when the left hand guides the tool and the right hand is on the toolpost.

Being left-handed is not a choice. I remember the days when lefties were forced to write with their right hands in school, and the results ranged from hilarious to disastrous. Having tried writing with my left, I can tell you it is awkward in the extreme if cannot use your natural disposition.

Tim may not be an extreme case, or maybe he has a natural ambidextrous capability. Overall, I think, we (as a community) need to consider how we can accommodate lefties better.

[GBF]

The point is not whether you can adapt a lathe to suit left handed turning we know that is possible and spindle turning left handed is not a problem.
Turning left handed by standing on the opposite side of the lathe bed and leaning over is not an option in my opinion.it is dangerous for a start.
How Tim has done this for ten years is a mystery to me.
Anyway he is cured now LOL.

Regards George

[seventhdevil]

my jet 3520b spins in reverse so you could just stand the other side of the lathe if you wanted.

i too have on occasion switched hands for the odd pass and don't think we'd find it's that unusual if a survey was done.


just curios to know but are there any pure lefties out there???

[fuzzyturns]

I fully agree that it has to be done in a safe manner, and leaning over the bed is certainly not the way to go about it, I agree with that.
I am not so sure I agree with your way of curing people.

[Lazurus]

I often switch to a left hooker when spindle turning it is something I have practiced a lot as at times it is the best option, however it never feels natural and I really have to concentrate to achieve any sort of results. Hat off to anyone who can make a full time switch and stick to it.

Stuart

[GBF]

my jet 3520b spins in reverse so you could just stand the other side of the lathe if you wanted.

i too have on occasion switched hands for the odd pass and don't think we'd find it's that unusual if a survey was done.

You would then have to make sure you could lock the chuck and face plates to the spindle to stop them unlocking when you turn or stop the lathe.

Regards George

[bodrighywood]

Any turner needs to be ambidextrous to some point but I agree what George is describing sounds dangerous. I am extremely right handed and when I need to reverse the way I hold a tool i.e. my right hand at the tool rest and left guiding the tool, I still find it a bit awkward after years of doing it but have never even considered what he is describing. Safety has to be the single most important factor when teaching turning and if we have a student doing something habitually that is dangerous then we must focus on stopping it.

pete

[Eric Harvey]

I turn with both hands on spindle and bowl work,if its easier to use the tool to do so,like when you have reversed the bowl to turn out the inside of it and you take a look at the outside from a different angle and think don`t like that,so use the left hand on the outside of the bowl as its easier than trying to use the righthand.I also reverse the lathe when doing deep hollow forms and go in left handed,better tool control that way and no leaning over the bed,I think there is probably a lot of purely lefthanded turners out there,who turn safely,cheers ,

Eric.

[GBF]

I turn with both hands on spindle and bowl work,if its easier to use the tool to do so,like when you have reversed the bowl to turn out the inside of it and you take a look at the outside from a different angle and think don`t like that,so use the left hand on the outside of the bowl as its easier than trying to use the righthand.I also reverse the lathe when doing deep hollow forms and go in left handed,better tool control that way and no leaning over the bed,I think there is probably a lot of purely lefthanded turners out there,who turn safely,cheers ,

Eric.

All sounds very odd to me but it takes all sorts

Regards George

[Les Symonds]

When Rolly Munro did a demo at our club, to make life easier for the cameraman he put the lathe in reverse and worked on the right-hand side of a vessel he was hollowing!

Les

[fuzzyturns]

I've done the same for some tricky rim undercuts. It's a difference, though, whether this is done by a professional or a beginner. Safety really has to be paramount.

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

I turn both left and right handed, it is easier making some cuts that way. As the H&S man it is a concern that some self taught turners have not learnt correct techniques, I too second Georges words...."This just emphasises the advantages of having tuition with a professional turner rather than trying to teach yourself."
Well done george, a true professional at the top of his tree (so to speak).

[TWiG]

A well known turner from a while back from Devon , ( not sure if he is still turning ) Mat Calder is left handed and made his own lathe that was in reverse !!  ( before reverse turning motors / controls were easily available ) see his  videos on you tube    so of course it can be done !  not common though ... also if it is bowls and HF's and a swivel head lathe ( or short bed ) is used  then it is also possible ...

[GBF]

I used to do some spindle turning left handed then I watched video's of Steve Jones and noticed he always seemed to work right handed. I sent him an Email and asked him if he ever turned left handed and he told me he did not and that changing hands for a production turner would just be time wasted.
I then practiced using a skew and spindle gouge right handed only and was surprised that with practice it is not that difficult.
I now only turn right handed whatever tool or whatever turning I am doing.
If it is good enough for Steve Jones it is good enough for me.

Regards George