Does anyone switch hands while turning?
Does anyone switch hands while turning?
I switch fairly often. I'm a natural lefty but find that sometimes this puts me out of position to see the cut's progress. I've learned to adapt to a right handed world when necessary.
Tom
Wilmington, NC
If you mean using your other than normal hand on the rest, the answer is yes. I'm right handed but turn left handed when turning a platter on the headstock side.
I do all the time, but I have always been fairly ambidextrous.
Alan
Although I didn't at first, I do it more and more. Makes things easier, especially on the headstock side of things like platters.
Ambidexterity is a great asset is any area of woodworking.
David DeCristoforo
I do it regularly. For one thing, it means you can direct ALL the shavings away from your face. It also makes a lot of cuts easy that used to be awkward when I was only turning right-handed.
Yes. What Bill said.
Hardcore south paw here. The right hand borders on useless. I can use it to support my tools, but if I try to use it to guide or make good cuts...things get crazy.
Both ways though I am more comfortable/had more practice right handed on the tailstock side.
I'm one of those lucky few that are ambidextrous. I get the pleasure of not knowing which hand I should be using so it makes it easy to use either. Or sometimes it confuses me too. It's funny but its been proven that through out history, it has always been 11% of the population is lefty and 8% are ambidextrous. All you righties have it made in a right handed world.
What you listen to is your business....what you hear is ours.
Michael - I am right handed but when you remember that when turning you shift your body weight and don't use your arms... it becomes no big deal to switch hands. All you do is get the gouge/tool positioned for the proper cut and then you shift your weight - being right or left handed never really comes into play. At least - that is how i do it!
Steve
“You never know what you got til it's gone!”
Please don’t let that happen!
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I also switch hands when I do finishing cuts on a bowl while mounted in the chuck. I am normally right handed though and when I switch it does not feel as comfortable but as Steve said you shift your body to make the cuts so I think that makes it work.