to all turners out there… especially lefties. I’m looking to get my first real lathe but I’m worried about bowls/vessels. What kind of lathe do you have/recommend? Do you have headstocks that turn or slide? Do you switch to right handed turning? I’d like to know before I make the purchase. Since I turn left handed I want the safest/user friendly setup I can find.
MIKE (right handed but turn left handed)
Replies
Wow, a wake up call. I am a southpaw, I'm lucky to be able to pick my nose with my right hand. Is turning for a lefty an issue? I never thought of that idea. I've been thinking of purchasing a lathe and venturing into the world of turning. But if it is going to be a problem being left-handed, I may reconsider.
Any advice here would be helpful.
Jeff
Many headstocks can have a face plate or chuck mounted on either side, the inboard towards the lathe bed or on the outboard side. Serious bowl and vessel turners often use a dedicated bowl lathe. You can't do spindles on them since they don't have a bed and tailstock. If you work outboard, you aren't restricted to sizes that will fit between the center and the bed. It shouldn't make any difference whether you are left or right handed.
I recently attended a turning workshop put on by The Robert Sorby Company. The demonstrator was using a Jet lathe, I don't know which model. I think having the lathe bolted to the floor or weighted heavily helps with vibration. It's difficult to make fine cuts when your work is vibrating. The Jet seemed to be quite solid just on it's own but the Sorby rep wasn't turning anything large. Mass is a good thing with lathes. If you are turning heavy, large items, you want equipment that is designed for the load.
Safety is more a matter of the turner. How securely the work is mounted, how the tools are used on the work, positioning of the tool rest, staying on the tool rest, working from high to low, etc. Most lathes come with basic drive centers and a face plate, sometimes a set of turning chisels. If I were buying a new lathe, I'd try to work a package deal for the lathe and some accessories, such as, a better tool rest, a chuck system, some specific turning tools, better drive centers, a link belt, etc. depending on what you do. The extras will be needed and they can get expensive as individual items. Good luck with your choice.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Don't worry about turning lefthanded. I am a lefty, after a while you will be able to turn with either hand. I do mostly spindle turning, probably more right handed turning than left.
mike
Our turning club has probably 5 lefties in there and everyone's technique is the same, makes no difference really. As a turner I probably turn as much left-handed as I do right and I am extremely dominant right hander usually. My best friend and fellow woodworker is a leftie and turning is no problem, it's just a matter of learning technique. There is no difference in our laths or our turning tools. It appears to be something people worry about until they actually start turning and then it is not an issue any more.
I hope you will find turning as addictive as the rest of us nuts do!
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled