Sinister Handedness

Are you left or right handed?

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    42
cathead

cathead

CATWERKS LTD
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I'm curious as to what percentage of hobby machinists are left handed. I began thinking about this after
I received my new Igaging digital caliper. Using the Mitotoyo dial caliper was no big deal to use left
handed but using a digital caliper held in the left hand forces one to read the digits up-side down. Then I got
to thinking about lathes such as how would I like a lathe that had the head stock on the right? Not sure on that....
or even if there is such a thing....lotsa ramifications here!

If everyone weighs in on this, we can get a fairly accurate determination so everyone please participate.

This will be interesting!
 
cathead said:
I'm curious as to what percentage of hobby machinists are left handed. I began thinking about this after
I received my new Igaging digital caliper. Using the Mitotoyo dial caliper was no big deal to use left
handed but using a digital caliper held in the left hand forces one to read the digits up-side down. Then I got
to thinking about lathes such as how would I like a lathe that had the head stock on the right? Not sure on that....
or even if there is such a thing....lotsa ramifications here!

If everyone weighs in on this, we can get a fairly accurate determination so everyone please participate.

This will be interesting!

A yes response means you are left(sinister) handed.
Click to expand...
I'm sort of ambisinistrous.
 
Thanks Russ! I didn't know such a thing existed.
 
sinister_hand.jpg
I'm right handed so all I have is this image. See also Mollydooker (very nice) wines from Australia. Mollydooker is Australian slang for a left-handed person.
 
Yes, Been that way all my life. You learn to cope with the inconveniences.

Growing up, I attended a one room country school where we provided our own equipment for recess = fast pitch softball. My parents couldn't afford to buy me a glove so when fielding, I would borrow one. It would be a right hander's glove. The procedure would be catch the ball with left hand, transfer the ball to right hand, fling the glove off one handed, transfer back to left hand, throw the ball. Got to be fairly good at it but still an inconvenience. I used to complain about scissors and shears. They are starting to make them ambidextrous now. One complaint I have is with butter or fish knives when we have formal dinnerware. They have an offset blade and are almost impossble to used left handed.

I do not have a problem with a mike or calipers because I use my right hand. You learn to cope. I would like a pair of left handed calipers, though as there are certain in situ measurements where the scale or dial is facing away and you have to lock the beam to make the measurement. A left handed mike would be nice as well for the same reason although there the spindle lock is easier to use . Come to think of it, add a left handed machinists rule to the list (actually have some of those but the scales that I want usually run the wrong way).

Now about the left handed lathe.......
 
I am a lefty too. I fully understand your problem. 99 percent of all shop machinery is right-handed. I learned to do my job right-handed but still held my measuring tools left-handed.
 
I'm a dexterous guy. But became sort of ambidextrous while having my right arm mostly immobilized for 6 weeks following shoulder surgery. I did buy one of those 'sinister' calipers, mostly for mill measurements. Like it.

Ken
 
we had a lady here at work that was she had the only pair of lefty micrometers id ever seen. scherr tumico was the brand name on them we had an old comparator of the same name
 
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