Who else uses a scythe?

It's a very useful tool when properly sharp. I think the grass hook is to the scythe what the hatchet is to the axe. The three sided diamond stick is great, another excellent sharpener for this tool is the "Work Sharp" mini belt sander (requires a power source obviously).
 
trailmaker said:
It's a very useful tool when properly sharp. I think the grass hook is to the scythe what the hatchet is to the axe. The three sided diamond stick is great, another excellent sharpener for this tool is the "Work Sharp" mini belt sander (requires a power source obviously).
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I don't need no stinkin' WorkSharp. I've got a Kalamazoo 1x42. :D :D :D

I considered getting a triple-sided steel but opted for the single-grit oval profile because it can be used with a traditional front/back stroke. Besides, I've got my vintage American scythe stone if I need anything coarser.
 
trailmaker said:
...... I added a nifty little handle that improves the ergonomics.
IMG_7280.jpg
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I put one of those on my 4-tine cultivator. I like it. Much improved ergonomics. It's like a whole new (better) tool.
 
Square_peg said:
I put one of those on my 4-tine cultivator. I like it. Much improved ergonomics. It's like a whole new (better) tool.
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Ditch the cultivator and get a potato hook. The longer tines make it SO much more useful.

What's the name of those handle dinguses anyhow? I always forget.
 
Hello folks, First post on the forum. I've been looking for info on scythes, in particular cradle design and attachment, for sometime. Just ran across this site last night. I gotta say there is more info here than I have found anywhere.

Does anyone have or use a grain cradle with their scythe's? I just finished harvesting my 1st wheat crop this year and used my old Seymour I got from my dad with out a cradle. It worked fine for laying it down, but I feel like a cradle would make the overall harvest much more efficent. I'm trying to find pictures or drawings of the traditional 3-5 finger design that would also show how they were attached to the snath. After seeing some of the different models shown on here, I've got a much better idea of how to attach it, but I'm still trying to figure out how best to make one. Hopefully it'll turn into a nice little winter project for me.

Great forum here, glad I ran across it.
 
bacpacker said:
Hello folks, First post on the forum. I've been looking for info on scythes, in particular cradle design and attachment, for sometime. Just ran across this site last night. I gotta say there is more info here than I have found anywhere.

Does anyone have or use a grain cradle with their scythe's? I just finished harvesting my 1st wheat crop this year and used my old Seymour I got from my dad with out a cradle. It worked fine for laying it down, but I feel like a cradle would make the overall harvest much more efficent. I'm trying to find pictures or drawings of the traditional 3-5 finger design that would also show how they were attached to the snath. After seeing some of the different models shown on here, I've got a much better idea of how to attach it, but I'm still trying to figure out how best to make one. Hopefully it'll turn into a nice little winter project for me.

Great forum here, glad I ran across it.
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Cradles were generally attached to the snath by steel rods which were fitted into short holes drilled into the snath. If not using a cradle I suggest using a grain sickle instead, as a scythe without a cradle will scatter the stalks. The whole point of a cradle is that it keeps all of the stalks in proper alignment with each other.

Here's a good article on the development and use of grain cradles. Hope that helps! :)

Edit: Regarding the "Scotch Bow" in the article above, here's another reference to it--though maddeningly vague.
 
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No problem! Now I'm on a quest to figure out how to make a Scotch Bow. :p
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
No problem! Now I'm on a quest to figure out how to make a Scotch Bow. :p
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A first-hand account from Scotland:

http://books.google.com/books?id=gUPOAAAAMAAJ&vq=scythe&dq=scythe%20attach&pg=PA186#v=onepage&q=scythe&f=false

But at the end of this account by the same writer in another journal, the editor disagrees with the Reverend and interjects with his own preference for the "rake" cradle (with fingers) for heavier grain crops like wheat:

http://books.google.com/books?id=e1TOAAAAMAAJ&dq=scythe%20cradle&pg=PA346#v=onepage&q=scythe%20cradle&f=false
 
Very good, sir! Looks like page 187 of the second article describes is pretty well. Seems simple enough to give a try and see how it does. I rather suspect that the Scotch Bow is to the finger cradle as the grass hook is to the scythe. ;)

Edit: Here are some nice photos I stole from an online auction page showing the construction of a typical cradle.

$(KGrHqVHJ!0E-bN+NOOmBPzpm8i2M!~~60_57.JPG

$(KGrHqNHJCUE-gJtNpEOBPzpnTk)3!~~60_57.JPG
 
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It actually looks to be one of the more robust ones I've seen. You could probably trim all that down to about 3/4 of what it's at right now and it'd still work fine. I think they add only about a pound to the end of the scythe, including the hardware.

Many many cradles are destroyed now because of fools finding them and playing with them. They're delicate tools and have to be treated with care--one might even say...babied. :D
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Very good, sir! Looks like page 187 of the second article describes is pretty well. Seems simple enough to give a try and see how it does. I rather suspect that the Scotch Bow is to the finger cradle as the grass hook is to the scythe. ;)

Edit: Here are some nice photos I stole from an online auction page showing the construction of a typical cradle.

$(KGrHqVHJ!0E-bN+NOOmBPzpm8i2M!~~60_57.JPG

$(KGrHqNHJCUE-gJtNpEOBPzpnTk)3!~~60_57.JPG
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Thanks 42, that is the best photo I have saw yet on the cradle and espically how it is attached. I can feel a plan forming in my head.

SteveTall the links you shared give good insight into both the bow and finger cradle. Thanks.
 
It's worth pointing out that very often cradle scythes were purpose built rather than being grass scythes with a cradle added. You'll notice the hole in the blade for the attachment of the cradle, as well as the way the end of the snath extends past the blade mounting hardware. The support arms are all bolted at angles through the snath. These were not user adaptations, but rather how it was intended to be sold.
 
Yeah I noticed that! To my understanding that's how many Eastern European scythes are fastened still, isn't it?
 
Update: Just checked my tracking number for that present-production Seymour scythe. Looks like it actually just got delivered and is waiting for me on the porch. When I get home today I'll post my impressions. I know already that the blade will need sharpening, but that's easy when I've got a 1x42 belt sander at my disposal. :D
 
Looking forward to your impressions. If it's not too much trouble try to get a before and after photo of the sharpening.
 
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