Question from a discouraged left=handed newbie

[Keith Albertson]

I wasn't watching where I was going one day at Woodcraft, and stumbled into the vortex. I bought a Rikon midi lathe on sale, and a nova 2 chuck. Took it home, bolted it to the workbench and turned a few spindles. Then I just had to try a bowl, which is when I ran into problems......

I'd like to know how do you guys do faceplate turning without hurting your back!? The only way I could get to the inside of the bowl was to stand at the end of the lathe and lean inward. After an hour my back was screaming, my knees were cramping, and my arms were shaking. What's the secret to accessing the face?

To complicate matters, I'm left-handed. Should I stand on the back-side of the lathe and reach in? If I do that, should I make my lathe spin backwards? Advice from any of you left-handed turners would be appreciated. I'm hoping woodturning isn't anit-lefthandedness like golf and scissors are!!!

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Since you are already in the vortex, trade it in on a PM3520b. You can slide the headstock to the end and reverse the motor and turn, turn, turn. Max

[Thom Sturgill]

I am another lefty, but nearly ambidextrous so I find it a benefit in that when I need to to left handed cuts I can, and better than most righties. However, if you are strongly left handed, you may want to rewire the motor to spin in the opposite direction and turn the lathe end for end.

On the other hand, there ARE aspects of bowl turning and HF turning that require access from the end of the lathe. That is why many high-end lathes have moveable head-stocks and why they make special bowl lathes. I have seen pictures of turners sitting on the lathe to access the inside of large vases.

Just remember, we're the only ones in our right minds!!! (right brains really)

[Burt Alcantara]

Sounds like the lathe is way too low. I have the opposite problem in that I lathe is too high so my shoulders scrunch up.

You can turn left handed by reserving the rotation of the spindle. I'm assuming you can do that with your lathe. However, be very aware that this is not recommended and may get you confused reading about turning "the right way." Wally will pipe in and should give you some tips.

[Richard Madison]

Keith,
Are you saying that you were trying to turn the inside of a bowl left handed? That would be a pain in several areas. Seems like the simplest way (to turn left handed) would be to turn from behind the lathe. As Burt pointed out, the spindle elevation should be approximately the same as your elbow, give or take a couple inches for personal preference.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Keith - for best results, a lot of turning is easier if you can use either hand. Feels weird to begin with but becomes more normal with time.

I am not familiar with your lathe - does it have a reverse? If so, then I would just hollow it out in reverse while standing on the front side of the lathe. Also, hollowing bowls is a pain in the back and is the main reason so many of us went with sliding headstocks when we upgraded our lathes. It does make a difference!

[Allen Neighbors]

I raised my lathe, so I wouldn't have to bend very much when I turn bowls and hollowforms.
If you reverse the rotation of the lathe, make sure your chuck and faceplate both have a set, or grub, screw that you can tighten, so they don't spin off the headstock. This is imperative!
Glad to see another one in the vortex. You'll have fun, and will walk a lot lighter, not having all that paper in your wallet!! :D
Blessings.

[Larry Marley]

Hi Keith,
try to set up the lathe so your spindle is at elbow height.

[Wally Dickerman]

Keith, us lefties know that it's a right handers world. Every machine in a woodshop is designed with the right hander in mind. That includes the wood lathe. I assume that you're using a bowl gouge to hollow your bowls. When using the bowl gouge, forget left handed and right handed turning. You need to use it both ways. I teach classes and of course some of my students are left handed. I teach then to turn just like the righties, because that's the way the lathe is designed. Most of us lefties are quite ambidextrous because right handed tools force us to be.

In the past few years, a few lathe manufacturers have designed lathes that can be turned in reverse. With headstocks that slide to the other end of the lathe, and with reverse switches, and chucks and faceplates that have grub screws that will lock onto the spindle, the lefty can safely turn with the lathe in reverse.

Spindle turning is a bit different. I always hold a spindle tool in my left hand. Most right handers just naturally spindle turn toward the headstock. A lefty has to learn to go either way. It just depends on what you're turning.

Lathe height is very important as you've found out. Some use a rule of spindle height and elbow height being the same. That works for spindle turning, but for bowl and HF turning I have my lathe about 2 inches higher than that. Much easier on the back because you can stand upright to turn.

Wally

[Keith Albertson]

Guys,

Thanks for the info. Allen, I hadn't thought about having my faceplates and chucks come flying off if I reversed the rotation on the lathe!!!

I think I'll take Wally's advice and just learn to do it righty, same as I did golf (here's hoping my results at woodturning are better). When the wife allows, perhaps I'll upgrade to a sliding head stock or bowl turning lathe, but for now I'll try and be "both-handed." Though I still might step to the rear of the lathe on occassion.

I do have my lathe set up at elbow heigth, which seems OK. I was just trying to bend over the lathe to be perpendicular to the face of the bowl, and that put excess strain on my back. Nothing some Motrin and Ben-gay won't cure.

[sascha gast]

Guys,

Thanks for the info. Allen, I hadn't thought about having my faceplates and chucks come flying off if I reversed the rotation on the lathe!!!

I think I'll take Wally's advice and just learn to do it righty, same as I did golf (here's hoping my results at woodturning are better). When the wife allows, perhaps I'll upgrade to a sliding head stock or bowl turning lathe, but for now I'll try and be "both-handed." Though I still might step to the rear of the lathe on occassion.

I do have my lathe set up at elbow heigth, which seems OK. I was just trying to bend over the lathe to be perpendicular to the face of the bowl, and that put excess strain on my back. Nothing some Motrin and Ben-gay won't cure.


you do sound like a great candidate for a Stubby lathe, no be in the way ever again, hehehe

[Scott Conners]

You might consider watching some of Mike Mahoney's videos. He's a lefty professional production bowl turner. A pull cut puts a lot of the control in the left hand at the rest. Hollowing the inside somewhat needs a right handed approach on most lathes however. I often turn "left handed" even though I'm a righty, whenever the cut requires it. I try to be as ambidextrous in my learning as possible, because sometimes you really need to cut one way or the other.

[Dan Scott]

I just got a jet 1442 lathe, and am left handed. The main thing I have found that I don't like thus far is the handle thingy for the Reeves drive is kind of in the way.....probably wouldn't be an issue for a righty. I have had a few of the issues, especially in my one bowl turning try, but somehowI was able to overcome. The more I become familiar with turning, the easier all of it gets, including switching to the other hand at times. There was discussion in an earlier response about most tools in the shop being designed for a right handed person, and that is true, but we learn to adapt.

[Gordon Seto]

Do you drive? The country you are in determines whether you are using left or right hand drive. Lefties and righties go through the same learning process.
Woodturning is just another skill we need to learn from scratch. Except in show off, we need to use both hands at the same time.
Right handed is not an advantage in turning, ambidextrous is. Get used to it.

[Richard Madison]

What Gordon said. With experience you will be switching right/left or left/right without even noticing you are doing it. Just automatically doing what is appropriate for the next cut.

[Brendan McAreavy]

Hi Keith,

I'm a lefty but I decided to learn to turn right-handed because everything is geared that way. Now I find it very natural and I feel a bit awkward when I use my left hand but I'm doing that more because it is very useful to be ambidextrous.

Just get a blank on the lathe and see what your right hand can do, it's a lot safer to use your right hand than try to remember all the safety aspects of turning in reverse.

Brendan

[George Guadiane]

Hi Keith,

I'm a lefty but I decided to learn to turn right-handed because everything is geared that way. Now I find it very natural and I feel a bit awkward when I use my left hand but I'm doing that more because it is very useful to be ambidextrous.

Just get a blank on the lathe and see what your right hand can do, it's a lot safer to use your right hand than try to remember all the safety aspects of turning in reverse.

Brendan
Another "lefty" here - I HAVE the PM 3520, and STILL turn with my right hand back (in the theoretical control position).
Change your thinking. If you can, think of your front (left) hand as the one with control and your back hand as the one that is moving the tool so that your left hand can get the job done.
I know it sounds odd, but while I was sitting here thinking about it, instead of actually doing it, it's what I came up with... And I think it's what I do.

Bottom line, get a blank on the lathe and practice... If you want it badly enough (and you clearly do), you'll adapt, in some way that allows you to do this thing.
Try and avoid the hunchback thing if you can.

[Keith Albertson]

Well, It's been a month since I started this thread. In that month, I've worked at doing things "righty"....really just adapting to what works. In that month I've think I've become equally poor with each hand.....I guess that's a start.

I've decided the best thing to do is take an "Intro to the lathe" course at woodcraft next week so I know if I'm uncomfortable because I'm doing something wrong or if I'm uncomfortable because something is just unfamiliar.

Thanks guys, and I'll keep plugging away....I am having a ball (now if I could only learn to turn one!!!)

[Ken Glass]

Keith,
By your profession, you are probably already more ambidextrous than most of us lefty's out here. As many have said you will need to learn tool control with both hands, out of necessity. Practice is everything. Keep the faith. Do they make left handed Ortho surgery tools? LOL.

[Jarrod McGehee]

Hey I'm left handed too but I just kept trying my hand at it and I continuously get better. just keep practicing on cheap or free wood and you'll learn just fine. good luck.

[Dick Strauss]

Keith,
My lefty buddy usually turns the inside of bowls from the back side of the lathe with the piece spinning in the normal direction.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Awesome! Thanks for the update. You leftys have an advantage. You're more ambidextrous than us righties. I've been trying to learn left handed cuts, because my right arm gets tired, and there are some cuts that are just better left handed.....