How were the directions “Clockwise” and “Counter-Clockwise” described before modern clocks were common?
Sundialwise and countersundialwise? 
Correct me if i’m wrong but don’t clocks go that way based on sundials? I would assume then, they were never anything else in english.
A quick check with my friendly neighborhood Wiccan (I’m in a rather eclectic area!) comes up with:
deosil = clockwise
widdershins = counter-clockwise
This is related to the Earth’s rotation, so these directions apply to the northern hemisphere. Below the Equator, you’d need to reverse them.
My dictionary doesn’t list “deosil”, but I remember a Terry Pratchett book using “turn-wise” and “widdershins”
The thing is that deosil and widdeshins aren’t comparable to clockwise/counter clockwise. They refer to the Earths rotation and can only possibly be used for objects resting on a flat surface. For an object on a vertical surface or, heaven forbid, upside down they are completely meaningless.
Consider the average wall clock. Do the hands turn widdershoins or deosil? It all depends on whether you have it on the north or south wall. Only when the clock is placed on the floor is the rotation unambiguous.
The answer to the question seems to be that before clocks people simply used left and right handed or the local equivalent. Even today it is more common in the trades to refer to left or right handed threads etc than to speak of them being clockwise or conterclockwise. If an object moves to the right at the top it is right handed. If it moves to the left it’s left handed. SImple enough.
“Deosil” is also called “sunwise”. However, I’m suspicious of the the etymologies of this and “widdershins”. Chambers Dictionary mentions them both (as “withershins” and “deasil”, in various spellings) as Scottish dialect words. To me, they have a flavour of modern Wicca rediscoveries from a minority dialect source, rather than words that were in general English usage pre-clocks.
Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty 
Damn, I’d never heard that one before adirondack_mike. Now I can relate this to my wife and she’ll have no excuse for asking me which damn way to turn things!
My WAG:
Clockwise=“That way”
Counter Clockwise=“No, the other way!”
raygirvan - - I’m not sure how common deosil was, but I remember running into widdershins in old fairy tails more than forty years ago. Seems that walking widdershins around a church was one way to get stolen by fairies.
Blake - - the clock turns deosil. Even if you lay the clock face side down on the floor. Unless, of course, it’s transparent.
It is only indirectly related to the earth going around the sun. It’s the apparent motion of the sun going around the earth if you look south, which is where the sun is located most of the year in the northere temperate zones.
Resting on flat surfaces is not necessary. Deosil=Clockwise, widdershins=counter clock. Don’t work to make this more difficult. If you’re having trouble, then tonight as you’re falling asleep, imagine a clear crystal clock with no numbers slowly revolving in front of you.
Let me know if you revolve it around a vertical axis or a horizontal one.
Turn to your left and turn to your right.
anyway, we all know its clockwise and anti-clockwise…
No no croakdale. It’s anti-clockwise and counter-anti-clockwise.
“Widdershins” is also known as “tuathal”. (sp?)
“Wax on” and “Wax off”
It’s a trick question. Before clocks, there was no need to turn anything. Then clocks came along, and suddenly the world went turning-mad.
Bwahahahahahahhaha…::snort::…wipes eyes. Made my day.
Now stomp 3 times. Now clap your hands. 
. . . .
Howbout “pass the pipe to your left” and “pass the pipe to your right?”
Surely, smoking circles are older than clocks…