No such thing as a left handed turner

[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.

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

the axminster chucks and faceplates i have do have locking grub screws to stop them undoing if you need to go in reverse but the friction you get from the contact between the two meeting surfaces when you attach something to the thread seems to be enough as long as you tighten it.

of course if i was to turn a large bowl then i'd not use the lathe in reverse.

[TWiG]

Also ,turning using the "outboard " facility available on many lathes provides exactly what is needed for turning left handed !

[edbanger]

Well how does someone think that it's safe to turn leaning/reaching over the lathe and he got away with it for ten years. Well done George lucky you asked him to show you how he did it

[GBF]

Well how does someone think that it's safe to turn leaning/reaching over the lathe and he got away with it for ten years. Well done George lucky you asked him to show you how he did it

To be honest Ed I was intrigued to know how he did it and if he had shown me a safe way to do it I would have been open minded enough to accept it was a possibility.
You could tell he had been doing this for a long time because throughout the two days on several occasions I had to stop him doing it .It was obviously a habit that was hard to break but all credit to him he accepted this was the way forward and it would improve his turning.

Twig and Seventh have said you can reverse the lathe by using the grub screws supplied to stop the chuck coming off but I think if you speak to the manufacturers you will find you are only then supposed to use light use sanding for instance. If the chuck starts to undo through heavy use the grub screws could damage the thread.

Regards George

[fuzzyturns]

... you are only then supposed to use light use sanding for instance. If the chuck starts to undo through heavy use the grub screws could damage the thread.

That depends on the way the headstock thread was made. On my lathe there is a groove behind the thread for the grub screw to fit in. Fastened properly, the grub screw will only bite into the side of the groove, but not the thread. However, this is not the case on all lathe headstocks.
In any case, if you have interrupting cuts or tool chatter, the tight fit of chuck against the shoulder of the thread will come lose, and then you get movement in the chuck. In consequence the ideal solution is actually a headstock with a left hand thread, or some other, tight, locking mechanism.

[Bryan Milham]

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.

George,

This is a traditional turning method in parts of France. I know it looks strange but it does work.

It is no more different than having a blank mounted on the outboard spindle side of an old Graduate lathe, with it rotating the wrong way.

Just because it does not make sense to you does not make it wrong.

[GBF]

I don't really care what the French do it is wrong

Regards George

[Bryan Milham]

No, not wrong, just different.

[GBF]

For me it is about safety

Regards George

[Bryan Milham]

George,

Safe is what you are used to.

The French and lots of countries drive on the wrong side of the road (to us), but it's safe.

just because it's different to what 'You' are used to does not make it otherwise.

[bodrighywood]

Ding ding round three LOL

pete

[Eric Harvey]

Methinks George just likes to stir things up every now and again

[Lazurus]

... you are only then supposed to use light use sanding for instance. If the chuck starts to undo through heavy use the grub screws could damage the thread.

That depends on the way the headstock thread was made. On my lathe there is a groove behind the thread for the grub screw to fit in. Fastened properly, the grub screw will only bite into the side of the groove, but not the thread. However, this is not the case on all lathe headstocks.
In any case, if you have interrupting cuts or tool chatter, the tight fit of chuck against the shoulder of the thread will come lose, and then you get movement in the chuck. In consequence the ideal solution is actually a headstock with a left hand thread, or some other, tight, locking mechanism.

Another plus for my VB36, with the 3 bolt bayonet fitting a grub screw can be inserted to lock the three bolts in situ, the only way it could work loose is for the high tensile bolts to shear which is unlikely. Whilst the "quirks" of the VB can be frustrating at times it really is a well thought out bit of kit.

[GBF]

I have received this review from Tim about the two days he spent with me I think it speaks for itself

Hi George, first, I hope you'll be pleased to hear that just about all the things you showed me have proved really useful, now that I've had a chance to practise most of them at home. The small chisel you gave me has been re-ground and works a treat, the bigger fingernail is great, although I discover that my expensive Jet wet grinder doesn't put as good an edge on it as your Record.



My review: I had two days tuition with George Foweraker, wanting to improve my techniques after about 10 years of largely self-taught turning. The course didn't start too well for me as a left hander, who had always turned left handed. George told me that I had to change to using all tools right handed. I nearly walked out! However, I decided to give it a try and the results, after a slow start, more than justified the change. The speed and ease of turning and the finish on the bowls I made under George's careful guidance were a huge improvement on what I had been able to do previously. I've now had a chance to try his approaches out in my own workshop and have confirmed their value. What with George's advice and the wonderful soup made by his wife, Susan it was a great and very worthwhile two days.

Best wishes and thanks to you and Susan, Tim

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Didn't expect anything less. Well done George.