Lefty or Righty???

[Michael Stafford]

I was wondering about which hand was dominant for most woodworkers.

For me I am ambidextrous up to a point. For instance I can turn with either hand. Left to right I hold the tool in my left hand and vice versa when turning in the other direction. I push things through the table saw with my right hand dominant. I hammer right handed and saw either-handed. I eat and write left handed, throw right handed but shave left handed. I brush my teeth left handed but use a comb in my right hand. I always use a knife whether cutting meat, cleaning fish or whittling right handed.

Thoroughly confused handed I guess you would say...

So how about the rest of you. Are you left, right or confused handed like me :confused:

[Chris Padilla]

You are strange, Michael...and I would say VERY ambidextrous compared to me. I am pretty much right-handed for everything and certainly for everything you've listed.

[Ernie Hobbs]

Lefty but I may be as confused as you. I tend to do most things left-handed that require precision, such as chisel work, writing, turning, etc. But, my right arm is stronger and I tend to do hand planing, or other things that require strentgh. Sports that I tend to really suck at, I usually play right-handed- such as basketball. I am better at baseball, golf, softball where I play left-handed (I didn't say I was good at any of them). Since my Dad and older brother were right-handed, I spent many years mixed up. My little brother is left-handed, too.


Ernie Hobbs
Madison, AL

[Donnie Raines]

Righty....but can use the left hand.

[Jim Becker]

Right handed, but for some things I really don't care either way.

[Kurt Aebi]

Technically, I am left-handed.

What I mean to say is that I writeand eat with my left hand. I shoot guns left-handed and use a Right-handed Bow. Just about everything else, it is done with the closest hand.

I like to believe that those with the god-given ability to use their left hand are blessed, as the world is right-hand dominent and most everything is designed to cater to them and therefore us southpaws Have to learn to use our right hands just to do the everyday stuff. Therefore, most of us become ambidexterous from our environment.

[Jim Ketron]

Righty on most things

Jim

[Dan McLaughlin]

Throw and write left handed. Bat right-handed. Shoot better right-handed (especially rifle) but can also use a pistol left handed. In the shop, use a Milwaukee 6391-21 Left Blade circular saw and any hand tool is used left handed.

[Wes Bischel]

I'm right handed - though cut food with my left (just lazy - don't need to switch hands). I'm cross eye dominant for trap shooting. At least that's my excuse for being so bad at it.
Both my parents are lefties - so I know a little about what a pain it is using a tool with the wrong hand. I honestly didn't consider that cutting paper didn't need to be painful until I was a teen - all we had in the house were left handed scissors. :rolleyes:

Wes

[Brian Hale]

I'm a righty but can use my left for important things like scratching my itches.....

Brian

[Larry Browning]

I am totally left-handed, (and left-footed as well) Anything that requires skill or precision I do left handed. My left arm is much stronger that my right. The times when I HAVE to use my right hand it feels very awkward. I always try to get the left-handed version of things when I have a choice.
Lefty ALL THE WAY!!!!!

Larry

[Ron Jones near Indy]

I write left handed but do everything else right handed. Batting was right handed for percentage and left handed for power. Gosh, that has been a long time--but that's how I remember it. I love my Saw Boss and use it right handed to allow better vision of the cut.

[Jason Roehl]

Definitely right-handed. However, certain precision things that don't require speed or strength I often do better left-handed--for example, soldering on a circuit board. In painting, I can be just as precise with my left hand, but it's not comfortable, nor as quick, so I favor the right hand. Batting, catching, throwing, writing, eating--all right-handed, and I probably look like a girl trying to do them with the other hand.

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

I am mostly right handed, but I can and do turn using both hands for tool tip control, but I prefer to use my right hand on the end of the turning tool, and my left for tip control. (So, I have NO idea what you would call that?) ;)
But, I do swing an Axe and Sledge Hammer left hand dominant, but use a Hatchet right handed. I don't know why I do that, other than it just feels right that way. (I use a chainsaw the "normal" way.) I also kick left footed................so, I guess I am just as mixed up as some others. :cool:
(For what it's worth, my Dad swings an Axe and Sledge just like I do, he kicks left footed, bats left and golfs lefty.......but he is right handed in everything else?) Man, now that I go back and read this, we are a MESS! :D

[Mark Stutz]

Hadn't thought about it before, but pretty much figured out I'm not good at much with my left hand. My grandfather was left-handed, but did much right handed since that was forced on him as a child many years ago. As a young child (probably about 7 or 8) I remember watch my dad and grandfather install a new T&G bed on the truck to haul grain. My father kept missing the nail (his day job was as a teacher), and when I started laughing, he looked at me with a very straight face and told me it was because all of my grandfather's hammers were LEFT HANDED HAMMERS! :D

[JayStPeter]

I'm as messed up as Michael. If not more.
I can do lots of things with either hand. I used to bowl in a league and usually bowled left handed, but would go right handed to pick up the spare when the pins where over on the left. I throw left handed, write right handed, bat right handed, saw right handed, hammer either equally, brush teeth and eat equally, wipe .... oh, never mind.

Jay

[Dennis Peacock]

Mostly Righty....but do wood turning with either hand.

[Christine Tiede]

Ahhh, Michael you and I are in similar, confused states! I'm classified as a righty, but I shoot pool lefty, use a left handed hockey stick, eat lefty, bat righty, kick righty, can write lefty more or less, reach for things lefty, can mark measurements either hand, and I can even read well upside down!!
what an interesting thing to get thinking about!!
Christine

[Dick Parr]

Right Handed, but tuning Left.

[Wade Samuelson]

Right handed for everything--except fishing--I can do that left if I need to.