No, there is no good reason to continue forcing yourself to turn right-handed. Lathe tools are the same for left- or right-handed turners, and I haven’t noticed any problems with tool usage. While turning, it is a matter of finding the correct stance in relation to what you are turning, and being able to transfer your weight from one foot to another easily as you move about your work. A little practice and you will be able to change from one hand to another while turning. Left-handers are rarely as left-handed as right-handers are right-handed. I think it is worth the effort to learn with both hands. I discussed this question with Mike Mahoney, who is one of the finest production turners in America and happens to be left-handed. He feels left-handed turners have an advantage. Mike recommends that you not force yourself to turn left-handed, but rather to turn in your comfort zone, and learn to make cuts right-handed, if necessary. Rude Osolnik would switch from right to left depending on the cut being made, and he seemed to be “both-handed.”

Some other advantages left-handers have are:

1. They are not in the “line of fire” when the lathe is turned on.
2. Left-handers have fewer problems with the headstock interfering with the cutting position.
3. Hollowforms are easier to turn using a left-handed position.
4. Push cuts are easier left-handed.
5. When paring off, you hold the tool in the left hand and catch the piece with your right hand.
6. Turning left-handed allows the stream of shavings to go off the side, instead of directly in your face, as is frequently the case when turning right-handed.

Demonstrators at symposiums seldom hone their tools during demonstrations, because the edge will usually hold adequate sharpness to complete the work. However, Rude Osolnik usually had a ceramic stone in his shop coat, and would frequently stop and “touch up” the edge during his demonstrations, particularly if he was using a gouge or skew chisel and the tool was not cutting as effectively as he would have liked.

Years ago, when I was writing Master Woodturners, Richard Raffan was visiting my shop and he was turning a bowl, about 4" thick x 10" in diameter. He turned off the lathe, went over to the grinder, and sharpened the gouge. He then went back to continue turning the bowl. I asked him, “Don’t you hone your tools?” He quickly answered, “No.” I asked, “Aren’t honed tools sharper?” He replied, “Yes.” Then I responded, “Why don’t you hone your tools?” He answered, “Because sharpening is not my hobby, I am a woodturner. Honed tools are sharper for about five seconds, and then dullness begins. I can go to the grinder and be back turning in less time than it takes to hone a tool.” My attitude is that if it works for you, use it. This attitude is prevalent among most professional woodturners.

Another aspect of this discussion is that a tool must be ground to the proper shape and cutting angle before honing is effective. Some tools will have convex areas or multiple facets, making it very difficult to do much by edge honing, so the tool needs to be ground properly or honing is a waste of time. Once a tool is ground properly, restoring the edge on a grinder will only take a few seconds, or honing may be used to restore or maintain a previously sharpened edge.

Woodturning tools that have a hollow ground surface from the grinder wheel and have a single, uniform facet are tools which can be honed quickly and successfully. The hollow ground surface will allow several honings,
usually about three, since a minimal amount of metal is being removed on two small areas.

In conclusion, David Ellsworth maintains that “a honed edge is sharper than a non-honed edge, but a honed edge doesn’t provide much durability.” The consensus among woodturners is that those who hone their tools are in a minority.

Sealing the blocks in wax is a common practice among exotic wood dealers. In most cases, the sealing takes place at the production end and is used to reduce or eliminate drying and checking of the wood while it is waiting to be shipped out and sold. The blocks are dipped in hot paraffin wax, which seals the wood. The wax cools and hardens almost immediately, allowing for stacking and handling much sooner than when using green wood sealer.

The wax also adheres tightly to the wood and doesn’t allow fungus or decay to take place, as frequently
happens with wood that has been sealed with a heat-sealed wrap. Your concern with the wood never drying is valid and justified. The imported exotics are hard and dense and would dry very slowly, even if left uncoated. End-grain checking will happen with each block if left uncoated. Blocks with the ends coated have probably been cut from larger planks or blocks after arriving in the United States—again to prevent end checking.

If I get a block fully coated in wax, I scrape the wax off all four sides, stopping about 1/2" from the ends—you need to leave the end coating undisturbed because the ends are where checking will begin. Blocks that are wrapped with plastic wrap should be unwrapped, and then the ends need to be sealed with hot wax or green wood sealer. Coat the ends and about 1/2" on the sides; when the blocks have been scraped or unwrapped and the ends sealed, they should be stacked with a 1/2" or so space between each block and with stickers between each layer of blocks.

This will allow air to circulate between the blocks, allowing the blocks to slowly season until they reach a point where they can be used in a project. The equilibrium moisture content will vary by climate areas, but needs to be reached before the block is “dry.” Nonexotics should not be immersed in wax, because they will not dry unless the moisture can move through the surface areas. Waxed woods usually do not decay, but will not dry either. American holly must receive special treatment if it is to retain its pure white color. It must be cut in winter and dried before hot weather; otherwise, it discolors and frequently takes on a gray color.

Buffing small pieces should be done in sequence, using three buffers and appropriate waxes. The buffs should rotate at about 1725 RPM and can be powered by a fixed motor or a wood lathe. Begin the buffing process using an all-linen Tripoli wheel and red Tripoli compound. Apply a generous amount of compound to the wheel, and then begin buffing the workpiece, holding the work securely. Come up to the wheel slightly below the center, so the wheel cannot “grab” the piece.

The next step requires the softer linen cotton blend and White Diamond compound. This is followed by an all- flannel wax wheel which applies Carnauba, the hardest wax known. This will produce a beautiful protective sheen.

Caution: The work must be held securely at all times during the buffing process; a relaxed, casual approach may result in the wheel “grabbing” the work and tossing it around the shop. Small pieces are more difficult to buff than larger ones, due to the difficulty in holding on to them.