Thread: Left handed tools

Some years ago there was a L/H Makita in the Left Handed shop at the Rocks in Sydney. I don't know if it is still available, or even if the shop is still there. Good luck!

Tony,

As a fellow cack hander I empathise with the problem. There was a letter in the most recent edition of Australian Woodworker from a teacher in Broken Hill who has the same situation but is obviously getting to a point where he is getting worried about his ability to protect left handed students from the difficulties they experience particularly when they are novices.

Even a portable power saw used by a left hander throws the dust straight at them, same with a planer. Fixed machinery - well we just need to think twice before we use anything

Thing is I'm not aware of anyone in the market and I suspect they would cost ten times the amount of those produced for the balance of the market.

Funny how equality in this area doesn't get represented by the scales of justice.

I'll keep looking and Good Luck.

Jamie

Tony

All my chisels, planes and handsaws are ambidextrous. Sorry, couldn't resist that. I am sympathetic, having several lefties in my family. When we were last in Sydney 12 months ago, I made a point of seeking out the Left Handed Shop at the Rocks with my 10 year old son in mind, but it was no longer there. I used to frequent it on behalf of my father when we were Sydneysiders about 15 or so years ago. When choosing power tools I take note of the position of the on-off switch. Fortunately, many are centrally mounted.

I'm afraid none of this is really much help.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Many thanks for the responses so far. I appreciate the interest and advice. I am aware of products from Makita and Porter-Cable that are left handed however it appears they are not sold in this country.

I agree with the comments made in the magazine regarding safety - it is all too easy to use power tools in a cross handed manner and ignore the more obvious safety issues until its too late. I've spent some time trying to layout equipment so that I don't fall into the more ridiculous traps but after nearly twisting my thumb into oblivion on a powerful hand drill when my index finger was pressing on the trigger lock, I have become far more aware of the dangers.

Thanks again for all the replies - I'm sure there are others who have similar problems and experiences.

It's very unfair, we are 30% more likely to have an industrial accident even though we are more creative and intelligent.

for sale
1 x left handed hammer
1 x set of stanley left handed screwdrivers
could also let u use my multinut as it is left or right handed
have also heard that if you spin on your head to the right 4 times you can trick the brain into believing that you are right handed
cheers cacks
multinut

It would be interesting if one of you South Paws took your employer to court for not providing a safe work place or for descrimination. It would either increase demand for left handed tools and therefore make it worthwhile for tool manufactures to make them or make the dole queues full of lefties.

Barnsey,
Thanks for pointing that out about the dust problem from a cack hander using a circular saw. I just thought that this was normal for any one using a saw but when it was pointed out it is obvious. What I do not like is steadying the saw with my right hand as it gets a bit close to the blade. I avoid using a circular saw because of this.

Originally posted by Grunt
It would either increase demand for left handed tools and therefore make it worthwhile for tool manufactures to make them or make the dole queues full of lefties.

Tony,
I purchase tools and equipment for a living and you can be assured that the tool manufacturers don't give a rats backside about whether your left handed, right handed or wish to hold it in your teeth.

On many occasions I have requested large quantities of tools in obsolete designs ie Stanley 300mm swing carpenters brace, and even offered them to charge outrageously for the production run, but Stanley didn't want to know about it.

Your court action won't work if there is nothing available to purchase.

I sympathise with the south paws, but;
build a bridge and get over it, cause manufacturers just don't care.

Mark

Tony,
If you can’t source left handed tools then here are two options – either learn to use the tool with the non-dominant hand or use it cross handed (who would have guessed that?) – both have their inherent problems and risks.

You can make it easier to use in the non-dominant hand by increasing the grip and diameter of the tool handles by using soft tape around the tools handles like that used for tennis racquets. This helps improve slip resistance and overcomes a reduction in grip strength and force - although not completely. This is mainly used where the handle of the tool is less than 1.5 inches diameter. To work out the handle size that is ergonomically right for you (that is if you don't have arthritis etc) measure the diameter of the circle formed when touching the tip of your thumb with the tip of your first finger.

Something to keep in mind is that if you do use tools designed for right handed use in a left handed manner your grip strength will be around 10-25% less than your normal strength when you have to reach around in a manner that looks as if you are trying to lick your elbow to get into the right position This reduction is force is attributed to hand and wrist flexion/extension away from your arms centreline – the direction in which the force is being applied. This alone often causes more problems than taking care and using the tool with your less dominant hand. Obviously this doesn't overcome the pain in the with switch location, etc. With the compound saws I'm yet to see a lefty version.

Best wishes,
Mark

PS (the legal ) You’re right Grunt, employers must take this into account with the work that is to be performed. As the non-dominant hand only has 50-95% strength of the dominant hand it’s often a vital consideration to keep workers compensation and rehabilitation costs to a minimum. It's also a vital aspect for dentists, surgeons, etc where equipment costs a pretty penny, ergonomics of the job are less than average and the stakes are high. For an employer to discriminate against someone on the basis they are left handed would be foolish given the onus to ensure the systems of work used are ‘safe and without risk to health’. The equal opportunity commission would have the employer over a barrel. The number one principle in ergonomics is adapting the work to the employee, not the employee to the work. As around 10% of the population is left-handed it isn’t overly onerous nor impracticable for employers to cater for lefty's. Away from the high performing companies we all know what happens in reality though. As for the tool manufacturers - MarkW's right, they don't give a hoot.

Hi Tony.

I am also a left hander, and apart from minor irritant value I don't have much trouble with right handed tools. Some are worse than others, but I generally use my circular saw right handed as you really need two hands to use it and the only extra work the right hand is doing is to operate the switch. The worst thing I have noticed is that most lock off buttons are set to be worked by the right thumb and for left handers they are a nuisance. I have seen some lock off buttons that work from both sides, and Bosch and Skil used to offer a circular saw with a lock off button on the back of the handle which was equally easy for either hand. I don't know if it is still around, though. My drop saw in particular bothers me with this, as it has a guard release which needs to be pressed before it will drop, and it is a bugger to operate it with a left finger instead of a right thumb.
My hand held power planer I tend to use either way depending on the situation. Ryobi make a planer which can be adjusted to eject its chips to right or left, but it doesn't work on a generator due to its electronic controls so I had to return it. My Bosch belt sander was advertised as particularly suited to left handers (I think it was on their website) but it has a right thumb only lock off button. Having said that it is a ripper of a sander anyway.
I reckon we often tend to automatically pick up a tool left handed, when in fact it is a tool you need two hands to operate anyway and is easier and safer to use right handed. You just have to stop and think about how you will approach a task, and in particular how you should hold it, not just pick it up and jump into it.
One tip - I use my Hitachi 7-1/4 inch circular saw right handed, and tend to use my right hand on the trigger and my left hand on the front handle as a right hander would, but I really use the front (left) hand to guide (pull) the saw through the wood, the right hand just operates the trigger. Since I started doing that, I have found it much easier to cut accurately.
Chris.

In USA, Porta-cable, Milwawkee and Makita market left-hander 7.25" Circular saws. They are unfortunately only for US 120V (25-60HZ) which has a big market demand.

If many left-handers can agree together to increase the quantity demanded in Australia, I think it may be possible to make a special order of 240V version of those circular saws from one of those manufacturers through one of their agents here.

Makita has 6.25" 18V cordless Circular Saw models with blades on the left or on the right. One of the model is designed for left-handers. They are available in Australia e.g. from "Just Tools". Reason codeless models are available here is because batteries 18V can be used anywhere in the world so there is no problem of economy of scale.

Borsh advertises that their regular circular saws (240V and cordless) features "Easy handling for left-handed users". Will need left-handers to prove if that's true.

as a new girl to woodworking and a molly duke,cack-hander, south paw, I am very grateful to my father for teaching me in his right-handed workshop, so that I am not as troubled by right-handed power tools.I am interested in turning and wonder what that world will be like for the 'lefty'.

MarkW, It's patently obvious from the preceeding posts that those poor souls, I empathise mightely may I add, who are seeking tools to match their anatomies cannot just build a bridge and get over it beeeeecause, da da! no one will sell them tools they can use to do the job! Tehehe