A Traditional Blade That Sees Little Use Now

Jeff, I tried it several times with the "typical" scythes ... no chance to get a good result, the handle is made for right hand use only, it seems.

The blade always hit the ground with all the stones etc - bye bye edge.

Grandma got angry and didn´t let me use the scythe anymore. (For luck nowadays I have a fuel-driven motorscythe were it doesn´t matter if left- or righthand use)
 
Campbellclanman said:
Lambertiana, time for your video my friend.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...since I now live in town on a quarter acre lot, I don't have a lot of opportunity. Maybe my neighbors won't mind if I let my lawn grow extra tall so I can practice my scythe skills. If I knew some of the people who live outside town who need to keep the grass cut down before fire season starts, they would be more than happy to let me cut a swath around their property. They are required by law to keep the grass and weeds down anywhere near buildings, and it is common practice to mow firebreaks along fencelines, too.
 
That's a nice scythe and a great deal. I use one to try to keep the wild black raspberries from totally taking over, I'm losing the battle:o There is a fairly new Amish settlement near me, last year I saw a chap using a european scythe to cut his grass and was using a "pin anvil" < (I think they're called) to sharpen the edge. They are laid flat on the ground and drawn towards you. His grass was cut much closer than my gas mower will cut. I'm pretty sure theres a Scythe thread on the ax, hachet and tomahawk forum.

Best regards

Robin
 
Very cool! I'm curious to hear how you like using it, if that's what you wind up doing with the thing.
When I was a kid, there was a scythe hanging in the loft of my father's garage, left there by a previous owner. I used to try swinging it, but never quite managed to cut anything. Guess that was before I knew about sharpening... Also might have had something to do with the fact that the tool was longer than I was tall...... ;)
 
For those that don't want to dig through the other massive thread, HERE is the present version of a guide that I've drafted on American scythes. For a resource on the European style I suggest the Scythe Connection. Peter Vido is the unparalleled master of the Euro pattern. While both patterns are used for many of the same tasks, they're each better suited to different kinds of mowing conditions and environments, as well as mentalities. The Euro type is the kind generally seen with a fairly straight snath and the fine-pointed blade that's peened to work harden the edge. The American pattern is the type with the curved snath and comparatively sheepsfoot-like point to the blade, and are not typically peened. These are broad-sweeping generalizations but should help distinguish between the two.
 
Nice find.
My father had 2 scythes similar to that one.
I saw it in the shed when I visited back home last month.
Maybe I'll grab them the next time I go back home to visit.
I have some high grass on my property that I'd like to take down and that looks like it would work quicker than my weed whipper.
 
I recently watched Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal.

In 1957 Sweden, traditional peasant agriculture was alive and well. Not much changed from the Black Death setting of that chess game.

Bergman showed a peasant carrying a European style scythe.
 
Not only do they cut quickly, but they also deposit the grass in perfect rows for easy pick-up, awesome stuff!

Eric
 
Just this morning in west central Mexico, I watched a man using his scythe to cut his small crop of alfalfa in neat rows. Still a much used method here as are animals and wooden plows etc.

Yes, a great tool and still viable option today.
 
Did a little mowing today. The grass is still low but it was starting to get a bit shaggy and uneven. Be sure to watch it in HD if your bandwidth supports it. :)

[video=youtube;sd0B0e59MqI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd0B0e59MqI[/video]
 
Very cool. Takes me back to my childhood days in rural North Carolina. We knew a lot of people who still used scythes.

~Chris
 
That's amazing. The scythe must be scary sharp to treetop the grass like that.
 
That's the only way to keep 'em! A dull scythe makes for miserable work, while a sharp one is an absolute pleasure. :)
 
How romantic it all sounds:thumbdn:

I don't long for those days.All the romance leaves ,when the weed cutting begins.

Thank goodness for weedeaters,as obnoxious as they sound.
 
I actually much prefer my scythes for weed cutting. It cuts nice and low, starts every time, no noise, no fumes, and it can take out pretty thick stuff with an appropriate blade, no moving parts, won't ring-bark trees, and grass clippings can be used for animal fodder while woody stemmed plants and other vegetation can be used as a good strong mulch. If you've had an unpleasant experience with a scythe chances are it wasn't properly set up, properly tuned, properly sharp, or properly used--or some combination of those factors. When properly set up and used with proper technique it shouldn't be much more strenuous than sweeping with a broom. :)

Edit: Here's a clip of me knocking down some red dogwood. Couldn't cut it as close as I usually like on account of the snow, but you can see how easily it glides through the stems. The bulk of them are pencil thickness with a mix of drinking straw thickness and up to pinky thickness.

[video=youtube;c-nsqAUYi24]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-nsqAUYi24&list=UUEso4M4JZCk2DcInyZapSeA&index=3[/video]
 
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Not only does the man like knives, he likes Steeleye Span.
(from their Ten Man Mop album, which I happen to have on MP3. Used to have it on vinyl.)

Totally Awesome!
 
Hahaha--nice to know that the track was recognized! I do quite enjoy Steeleye Span. :D
 
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