I am a full-time professional woodturner, registered with the Worshipful Company of Turners in London, and this is my personal Blog where I can muse, rant, and sometimes, more often recently, rave. If you want further information please visit my website at: www.cobwebcrafts.co.uk
thanks for dropping by
Andy
August 7, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Hello Andy.
I am left handed. ! Everything I read on the internet and in magazines on woodturning never ever talk about us ‘lefties’. I find being a lefty has drawbacks and I just wondered if there was anywhere I could search for help on ‘lefty’ turners. ? I presume your a ‘righty’. ? My biggest problem is working from right to left, or inside to outside. Working from out to in and left to right seems ok but when I have to do it the other way the problems start. !
Many thanks and good luck with your blog.
August 18, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Hello Ray,
I don’t know why I missed your post, but I’m sorry to have appeared to ignore it.
I can’t say I have come across anything “leftie” specific in my own extensive reading and searching, but an idea does present itself.
If you have a lathe with a reverse function you could use reverse as forward but stand at the back of the lathe, which means the headstock would be to your right. This would of course require that you re-site the controls for safety…having them on the opposite side of the lathe to where you are working would not be wise.
(added after post + email to Ray)…Ray replied to my email and reminded me of another potential, though not insurmountable, problem; the chuck or faceplate could unwind when used in this manner…so you will need to have a machine screw that secures the faceplate or chuck to the headstock madrel.
If my logic is correct…and it has been known to be faulty…even today!…this should give you a left-handed lathe. I think. I’m almost sure.
You should then be able to cut in the same way as a right-handed turner, but with the set-up geared towards left-handed dominance. However, as with most right-handed turners it will pay to develop a degree of ambidextrousness anyway.
I hope this wild idea has some merit.
Andy