The Problems Of Being Left Handed.

About 12% of the population is left handed, more men than women, so there must be thousands of jewelers out there who have had to adapt their tools for this.

Patstone has already highlighted one problem concerned with tube cutting jigs, and the difficulty in using scissors and shears with your left hand is well known.

I am also wondering about saw frames, because the thumb nuts will get in the way when used on the left. Do you use the frame upside down, with the blade reversed to combat this or simply reverse the screws and plates?

What else would bother you? Dennis.

Going from my own experience as a lefty and those of a couple of lefty friends (three females - what are those odds, never known a left handed man apart from my grandad) we all use scissors with our right hands. I also saw predominantly with my right hand as a natural preference but can saw equally well with my left when my right hand gets tired and often switch between. Same with my pendant drill, it's at home in either hand. From the sample of lefty people I've talked to I think it's quite rare for someone to be purely left handed in everything - you just have to adapt and sometimes that means having to use your right hand - in fact ive tried left handed scissors and just cant use them! We also use a mouse with our right hands which is logical to us because it means your left hand is free to write things down and think its weird that right handed people don't use a mouse in their left hand.
I can't think of anything jewellery related that has caused me any problems being left handed

My daughter saws with her left hand, but she says its bonus in that situation because the screws are on the outside rather than the inside. I am right handed and pretty useless with my left.

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Originally Posted by Dennis

About 12% of the population is left handed, more men than women, so there must be thousands of jewelers out there who have had to adapt their tools for this.

Patstone has already highlighted one problem concerned with tube cutting jigs, and the difficulty in using scissors and shears with your left hand is well known.

I am also wondering about saw frames, because the thumb nuts will get in the way when used on the left. Do you use the frame upside down, with the blade reversed to combat this or simply reverse the screws and plates?

What else would bother you? Dennis.

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Originally Posted by Myosotis

We also use a mouse with our right hands which is logical to us because it means your left hand is free to write things down and think its weird that right handed people don't use a mouse in their left hand.

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Totally agree. Am right handed but have always used my mouse left handed so I can write at the same time. If I'm using the computer at home where the mouse is right handed, then I'll write with my left hand, albeit much more slowly. My jewellery tutor kept trying to persuade me to use the torch with my left hand, but I find holding tweezers and picks in my left hand very comfortable so I have resisted :)

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Originally Posted by Myosotis

We also use a mouse with our right hands which is logical to us because it means your left hand is free to write things down and think its weird that right handed people don't use a mouse in their left hand.

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Totally agree. Am right handed but have always used my mouse left handed so I can write at the same time. If I'm using the computer at home where the mouse is right handed, then I'll write with my left hand, albeit much more slowly. My jewellery tutor kept trying to persuade me to use the torch with my left hand, but I find holding tweezers and picks in my left hand very comfortable so I have resisted :)

Oops, sorry for double post! Gremlins. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

I am also right handed and choose to use my computer mouse left handed so I can write more easily - it confuses so many people (which I find funny I must admit). I can use a mug in either hand, unlike a lot of people. And I find that if I'm pouring from a bottle I hold the bottle in my left hand and the spoon (or whatever it's going into) in my right hand, which people find odd as well although I'm not sure why.

I've always wanted to be able to write with my left hand, don't know why - but I don't practice enough for it to be readable!

I am right handed with a left hand inclusion! (one for Dennis xx)



Being ambidextrous I adapt to things around me and will adapt - like a borg, but without getting assimilated (sorry in joke for those who know my sci-fi addiction) lol

Someone please tell me where to find this elusive left-handed tube cutting jig? I'm about to throw myself out the window. Being a lefty is so annoying sometimes!

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Originally Posted by callirrhoejewellery

Someone please tell me where to find this elusive left-handed tube cutting jig? I'm about to throw myself out the window. Being a lefty is so annoying sometimes!

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Before that fancy tool with the lever came on the market, jewellers made do with the joint filing tool and even made their own, as James Miller has described.

Both the tools below are suitable for left handers and will act as suitable jigs.:
http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...jig&channel=uk
http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery...ool&channel=uk
Dennis

Thank you Dennis, I actually have a mitre cutting jig so I'll give it another go. I do find the tube cutting jig very cumbersome but have stuck with it as I liked the precision. For the last few occasions I've used it though, I've developed a real hatred for it haha.

For the first twenty-one years of my life I was right-handed. Then one day I had to become permanently left-handed. I'm now probably more dexterous (pardon the etymological infelicity) at many things with my left hand than I ever was with my right. Handedness is definitely alterable, but you have to work at it.

That's interesting, yes I suppose it's just about practising and might do our brains good to learn with our opposite hand.

Well, I've been thinking: if its only the lever it shouldn't be too difficult to drill the opposite side, flip it over and secure it with the same screw.
In the absence of a tap, just glue it in with epoxi. Dennis.

Me and my Dad are left handed. He taught himself to write with others hands, but had to draw only with his left.

As the cutting slot is all the way through, a bit of elastic does the trick. I have used some elastic wrapped onto the handle to keep it in place. I used to use rubber bands, but as I became sensitive to anything with rubber, I had to use a coated type. Must say it lasts longer. This has been on the jig for the last 5 years now.


Have popped a little video, to show what I mean - I am not sure if I explain it well, but hope it helps.

https://youtu.be/fxlD3nAvj40

Hi Wallace...only just seen this and now the video is unavailable...any chance you can load it up again and I'll be sure to check back sooner!

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Originally Posted by Dennis

Well, I've been thinking: if its only the lever it shouldn't be too difficult to drill the opposite side, flip it over and secure it with the same screw.
In the absence of a tap, just glue it in with epoxi. Dennis.

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Hi Dennis...yes I did think of dismantling it and swapping it around but I think it's not worth the effort. It'd take some serious grinding to create a new notch for the lever to sit in on the other side and frankly I just can't be bothered haha. Perhaps the mood will strike me another time, probably when I have too many orders to be tinkering with old tools.