[buckbeans]

The right word is ambidexterity.
This issue is not new. The Eastern European woodcarving shops made their apprentices switch hand tools whenever a bell rang in the shop. It is reported that they changed hands every half hour.

[R-OLDS]

Yes yes yes I feel its a good thing to be able to use both hands and arms to do things, I learned years ago to do this, and continue to do it today.
Carving which I'm still better with my right hand but still do it with my left as well, metal detecting which I can do equally as well with left or right, operating a computer mouse equal with either hand.

Randal

[Soggy]

.........I once heard a friend say " I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous".........

[Hugh P.]

My dear old Mother, started school using her left hand, it was frowned upon by the teachers, and she was made to use her right hand. She eventually learned to write and use one hand equally as well as the other. I can see where a carver would have a great advantage to be able to use both hands, keeping your knife or tool cutting with the grain in tight areas.

[mikeGinSC]

I was just at a carver's meeting tonight and ambidextrousity came up in the conversation as we were carving. I had mentioned what someone else posted about apprentice carvers in Germany having to change hands at the sound of a bell and my buddy next to me told me about his trip to Heidelburg and his visit to a carver's school. He heard a bell and thought it was for their morning break. The instructor told him it was for them to switch hands. They didn't use knives either, just mallet and gouges. My friend told the instructor he couldn't switch hands and the instructor told him he couldn't be in his class then.

Mike G. in SC

[Carver/Turner_FromNowhere]

best thing you can do is to just keep carving with both hands I am the same way and I have become almost good enough that you can not tell which hand carved what.

[Lindy]

Hi All,

I am an ambi. I found out a few years ago that most people who are ambi are actually left handers that were trained out of thier left handedness (I'm not sure that's a real word). I was having some tests done for possible seizures and the neurolagist that was working with me asked if I was a natural ambi or a leftie trained to use my right hand, he also informed me how few natural ambi's there really are.

I was trained out of my left hand as a baby because so many of my older relatives had been mis-treated in school due to them being left-handed. I also found out that most people who are left-handed are usually very creative where right-handers are the more logical ones, not always true, but as a generality.

I found the information interesting and I hope you do as well.

Lindy

[watereerat]

I seem to be coming into this discussion late, but wanted to add the Number ONE reason to be ambidextrous: You can apply pressure, ointment and bandaids with either hand!

At the carving class I attended last month, the instructor had us hogging out the right hand side of the eagle first. That meant holding the tool in my right hand and the mallet in the left. Also meant bruised knuckles! But with the 28" wingspan-eagle clamped down, I was forced to use my left hand more than normal and that was good.

When I'm carving smaller projects, I tend to just turn my work because it's not clamped down.

[Colin_Partridge]

Mike you may find this funny, When I first started chainsaw carving I was at a definate dissadvantage because I was only right handed. Over the years I have taught myself to carve equally as well with either hand you wouldnt believe how much easier it is for me now. The only dissadvantage with a chainsaw left handed is the motor housing gets in the way.
Colin

[arbarnhart]

A thumb push with a knife I can do with either hand. I have just tried doing that in the last few days. That's not a truly one handed operation and there is a little difference in how I do it (when the knife is in the off hand, the thumb does a little more than just push). That helps a lot with the "grain going wrong way" problem.