Woodworking Challenges for Left Handers

[Billhook]

Trials of being left handed in the right handed woodworking world.

 

Do many others have similar challenges?

 

These are my everyday challenges from our machinery

 

1. Working with a chainsaw built for right handers. Has anyone made a left handed chainsaw?

2. Tying knots

3. Serrated knives

4. Fences on circular saw tables.

5. Bandsaws

6. Lucas Mill

7. Palax Wood processor.

8. Teleporter joystick

9. Tractor controls

10. Computer mouse

11. Cheque books

12. Fountain pens

13. Undoing zips and having a pee

14. Doing up nuts clockwise

15. Corkscrews.

16. Mortice machine handle wrong side

17. Planer thicknesser fence wrong side

18. Spindle moulder fence wrong side

19. Pillar Drill

20. Lathe

21. Cameras viewfinder and button

22. Cash machines card slot

23. Belts

24. Guns

25. Swords

26. Moulded handles on tools and knives

27. Builders trowels hard edged on one side only

28. Door handles

29. Mitre saw

30. Most electric tools, especially safety buttons.

31. Dealing cards

32. Scissors and secateurs

33. Pen knives.

34. Tool belts

35. Electric hand Jig saw start switch and guides

36. Handheld Planers

37. Tin openers

38. Shotguns with two triggers and rifles with bolt action

39. Bow and arrow

40. Violins

41. Rulers (cannot see line you have drawn) and tapes

42. Handheld circular saws

43. Pencil sharpeners

44. Computer keyboard calculator

45. Calculators

46. Hand drills safety button and torque trying to force drill out of your hand.

47. Mobile phones

[Ian Leach]

I'm a lefty and I'm sure there's more, think they do a chainsaw with the handle all around. The lathe thing pees me off hence I don't do much any more, plus the circular saw.

 

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[wisewood]

I'm left handed for writing, drawing and painting and I'm left footed but everything else I do is right handed.

The current medical terminology is right or left dominant, I'm right dominant apparently.

[Woodworks]

You can't have band saws and planers as the fences are opposite on those two And what's wrong with a jigsaw? Reguly use mine left handed and not noticed any difference.

 

I am more right handed than left but training yourself to ambidextrous is very handy around the woodwork shop.

[ShooTa]

as a LEFTY MYSELF im also as wisewood says right dominant -

altho i shoot left - which was beaten out of me in the army - due to no SA*)s being viable for left handers.

sadly as with drumming being a lefty means that most things are a pain to start with but once you get passed the early stages and get onto the more complicated techniques that actually we gain the upper hand - plus we are sinister as hell./

[peatff]

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.... I had to learn to use my left hand when I injured my right shoulder and found simple tasks like wiping and tooth brushing were a challenge. I swap between hands now when using tools like spanners, drills and welder and find it quite therapeutic sometimes but my writing left handed has gone back to a spider scrawl. I know a few left handers and find they seem to have a better grasp of the abstract and practical things seem to come easier to them.

[Billhook]

You can't have band saws and planers as the fences are opposite on those two And what's wrong with a jigsaw? Reguly use mine left handed and not noticed any difference.

 

The jigsaw parallel guide only fixes to the right side and all the controls for various things are on the left side to be operated with your left hand while your dominant right is triggering the saw. The safety button is easy with your right thumb but harder with your left index finger.

 

My hand planer ejects shavings into my face on the right side whilst the big old Cooksley planer thicknesser has a fence on the right side.

 

Surely a bandsaw table should be on the left side for a left hander and the band should run anticlockwise with teeth to match.

[Billhook]

Oh, of course I forgot left handed Billhooks!

[Woodworks]

You can't have band saws and planers as the fences are opposite on those two And what's wrong with a jigsaw? Reguly use mine left handed and not noticed any difference.

 

The jigsaw parallel guide only fixes to the right side and all the controls for various things are on the left side to be operated with your left hand while your dominant right is triggering the saw. The safety button is easy with your right thumb but harder with your left index finger.

 

My hand planer ejects shavings into my face on the right side whilst the big old Cooksley planer thicknesser has a fence on the right side.

 

Surely a bandsaw table should be on the left side for a left hander and the band should run anticlockwise with teeth to match.

 

 

Ah I don't use the fence with the jigsaw and when a said planer I mean planer thicknesser. I am not doubting that many tools are very handed really

 

I am going to stir again. I would have thought the pillar drill and morticer would be better for a lefty as the precise work is done with left hand and the right is only brute force.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Woodworks

[hedgesparrow]

back pack blower pain trying to use it right handed.

as for rifles had the same short time in ta was not allowed to use a GMP

did shoot with a winchester rifle once in a club and found that ok as ejected shell out of top not from right side in face.

as for bill never noticed a difference using it left handed.

can get scissors and the like for left handed from the left hand shop.

with chainsaw i made myself use it right handed took a bit of getting use to but second nature now.