Do You Mow With A Scythe?

Sharpness is key, but so is adjusting the hang and lay of the blade. In fact, that blade is tuned for a close lay for lawn mowing, which is why the upper nib is rotated straight down in that video--the ground there is bumpy and I needed to lift the edge a little more to get a better ride of the ground. :)
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
The reason for using softer steel in continental European blades is chiefly to enable the blade to be worked extremely thin through tensioning, and while peening does work harden the edge it only does so by a few points RC--the main purpose is to produce a hollowed form without the use of a water cooled grinding wheel. The result is a very light blade, but with the drawback of damage being amplified due to the desire of the blade to release its tension by spreading those cracks, and the pretty soft steel requires frequent maintenance from stones that we would consider unusually fine in order to keep a sufficiently keen edge. Nordic, English, and American/Canadian blades are heavier on average but are made using harder steel and are beveled through grinding and usually honed using coarser stones to produce an edge of comparable refinement thanks to their higher wear resistance. Well tuned American scythes can be just as light as many continental European units if the right blade and snath are used, and most wooden snaths have an excess of wood on them and can be thinned down a bit. The American scythe compensates for the heavier blade (on average) by using a stroke that's a little different from (though visually similar to) that used with the continental scythe. Continental scythes tend to be propelled by the right arm with the left hand acting as a pivot, while the American pattern uses the right hand as a floating pivot and the left hand powers the stroke through a drawing action, with similarities to the stroke of an oar in an oarlock. The more efficient lever diminishes the workload somewhat.

Here's a video I took recently using a modified 48" American grain cradle blade on an aluminum snath to mow tall grasses. In spite of the huge blade the total weight of the scythe it only 4lb 15oz, and the weight rests on the ground during the stroke--you don't need to hold the scythe up, you just need to move it. :)
[video=youtube;G07Mx59-KuI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G07Mx59-KuI[/video]
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That looks easy, even compared to a tractor. You just cut all those stalks at the base, and you're done. No messy, chewed up "mulch" left behind. Plus the scythe is so simple and light, you could just hang it on the wall when you're done.
 
redsquid2 said:
That looks easy, even compared to a tractor. You just cut all those stalks at the base, and you're done. No messy, chewed up "mulch" left behind. Plus the scythe is so simple and light, you could just hang it on the wall when you're done.
Click to expand...

I do just that! And I made all this fresh pony food in under 45 minutes! :D

10403336_10203803157267825_8308113550682342937_n.jpg
 
And, clearing buttercups from the pasture, I went from this...

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To this, in only 22 minutes.

10301128_10203861261080384_3556078927105525887_n.jpg
 
Haha--I wouldn't call myself an expert! Just a guy who knows a few more things on the subject than most guys. :p
 
Only in the relative sense. Perhaps more of an "expert-to-be" since I'm yet early in my journey and there's so much more to learn. :)
 
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