T15+3 - Left Handed Conversion

[Bill Fleming]

Hey folks

I absolutely love my new T15+3 drill!  But I am left handed and I have noticed that during usage sometimes the side of my hand/trigger finger will push the directional button such that the drill goes either into "off" or reverse mode.

If I were right handed my right hand if it encountered the direction button while drilling in the normal forward mode would not reverse the direction.

What I am wondering is if it is possible to reverse the switch wiring such that there is less chance of interference when drilling in the forward mode?

Cheers - Bill

 

[Troll]

If the T15 is like the C12, which I'm sure it is, there's no conventional hard wiring to the trigger switch.  The green plastic trigger contains a rare earth magnet which the drill's electronic can detect the position of, and thus determine if you want forward or reverse.

Troll

 

[AlexThePalex]

But when you drill and the motor is running it is impossible to move the switch. It is locked by the trigger.

The problem you talk about can only happen when the motor doesn't move and then it happens to me as a right handed person also. The direction switch is just a little bit too close to the trigger. But I doubt it is a problem that specifically left handed people encounter.

 

[jeffinsgf]

.... But I doubt it is a problem that specifically left handed people encounter.

I don't have that particular tool, but I can tell you that with the very rare exception every tool on the planet is designed for right handed use, not neutral.  There's not a switch lock or directional switch made that a left handed person won't activate inadvertently. It's the first thing we have to get used to with any new tool.

 

[Bill Fleming]

Yes I too usually either deal with the non-left handed continuous run button issues for Lefties by disconnecting (haven't done that with my Festools yet - trying to get used to so I can enjoy their functionality)

The mag switch does make this difficult and probably impossible to modify...

Alex is right that when motor is running it is not an issue - the problem is really when you are drilling forward.... stop for a min and then continue and you have adjusted your hand slightly and locked or reversed the motor.  The problem is the switch is too close to the trigger and for right handed use no problem because then want the switch fully depressed 99% of the time so they likely only experience the issue infrequently.

Probably no reasonable way to change the switch function but will look at the diagram and maybe open the drill - if the magnet interacts with two separate sensors (forward and reverse) maybe it is possible to reverse these.

Thanks for the thoughts - let you know if I find a clever solution.....

Bill

 

[Wim]

That was also my observation when I started to use the T15. No problem during normal operation, but when you are in reverse mode, it is (in my opinion a little too) easy to push the button to the mid-position (locked) or even to the forward mode. But after some time you adjust your quick-draw and get to the tool a little lower on the grip. For me it is just a small flaw for such a nice tool.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Bill, before you take your drill apart you may want to call Festool to get some advise on if this is possible or not. Any work you do to the drill might void the warranty.

 

[richard.selwyn]

Sounds like time for a poll of Festoolers to determine if there are more than the generally touted 10% of "southpaw, lefty, gauche, sinister ... " lefthanders.

Guess I need to declare a minority interest.

Richard

(PS: Is it true that President Obama is left handed?)

 

[Brice Burrell]

You know we've learned in the past there seems to be an unusually high percentage of members being left handed here on the FOG. As for problems with the switch for left handers, no one cares about you backwards people (says the guy that writes and eats left handed). ;D 

 

[jeffinsgf]

You know we've learned in the past there seems to be an unusually high percentage of members being left handed here on the FOG. As for problems with the switch for left handers, no one cares about you backwards people (says the guy that writes and eats left handed). ;D  

That would naturally follow.  

It has been proven that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and that the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body.  Thereby proving that we left handed folks are the only ones in our right mind.

And, of course, when presented with a choice of power tools, anyone in their right mind would choose Festool.... even though they're designed for left brainers.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Maybe it's just me, but with me the danger of touching the switch doesn't come from one side of the handle only. My thumb can just as easily trigger the switch accidentally as my index finger on the other side. But I do get used to it the more I use my drill. You just learn to control your fingers so they won't touch the switch.

I had the same with the switch of my DX93. The first two weeks I had it it happened all the time that I would switch it off accidentally but now that I have it longer this doesn't happen so often anymore.

So I would wait with taking the drill apart until you're sure you definitely can't get used to it.

 

[danrush]

When I was a young buck just getting into the trades,  I thought I wasn't cut out for it.  Every time I tried to hit the nail on the head, I missed.  Turned out I just bought the wrong-handed hammer...

Seriously; in time muscle memory will usually correct what the thinking part of the brain tells your hands to do ( or what not to do).  Give the drill some time.  It usually takes me a couple of days (@ 8-10 hrs per) to really be able to use a new tool without thinking, or using previously learned habits.

Dan

 

[mwhafner]

I don't have any experience with the T15 or T13, but I have always found the C12 to be better suited for a lefty than most other cordless drills on the market.  I do still inadvertently hit the selector occasionally, but not as often.  The only one I liked better was the old long battery 9.6v Makita, which had a selector switch on the back of the drill.  I actually still use a couple of them in the shop.  The DeWalt 18v XRPs were the worst for me.

I have a little bit of a hard time calling myself a true lefty though.  I write and eat with my left hand, but am pretty much ambidextrous with tools.  I always played sports right handed, and I am not exactly sure why.  At one time, used right-handed golf clubs but left-handed wedges and putter.  I still break out the left-handed putter occasionally.

 

[tbellemare]

I have a really good friend that also does everything left-handed except golf. I suspect it's because he learned how to play golf when it wasn't easy to come by left-handed clubs in our crowd.

Tom