Who else uses a scythe?

FortyTwoBlades said:
Just got in that "Book of Country Things" and it has just the info I was looking for.



So it looks as though even though cherry isn't technically as strong as ash it was lighter and easier to give a strong bend to.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what my Derby & Ball snath is made of, but I am fairly sure it is not Ash. I thought perhaps Beech, or Cherry. It's very light and colored like one of those two.
 
My later period D&B's look like ash to me but my old one (same type as yours) does look very different.
 
Cherry naturally darkens and reddens with exposure to UV as in sunlight. It takes on a warm glow over the first year.
 
G-pig said:
I'm not sure what my Derby & Ball snath is made of, but I am fairly sure it is not Ash. I thought perhaps Beech, or Cherry. It's very light and colored like one of those two.
Click to expand...

"...only selected white ash and cherry timber from the hills of New England."

books


from The New England Magazine, 1909
http://books.google.com/books?id=o6YTAAAAYAAJ&dq=derby%20ball%20snath%20cherry&pg=RA6-PR24#v=onepage&q&f=false
 
No turned stock, either! wow! I'll have to check mine for irregularities to see if its lathe turned or not.
 
My old ones at the very least are definitely not lathe turned. Very slight irregularities.
 
Spent some time cutting "a few" staves and handles for wildwood snaths this afternoon. Cut more than I could carry back so I will have to take another trip or two or three down the road. Already crowded shop is more crowded. These are a few I could remember stowing away in easy to reach places.

002_zpsb74e3f4e.jpg


Not sure what I saw in the peeled one with all the curves. looking at it just right there is something there though, I think.
 
Started itching to work on that weird one after posting that photo. Twas a brain puzzle to orient. Nice offset to it though.

004_zps29c9e19e.jpg
 
G-pig said:
Spent some time cutting "a few" staves and handles for wildwood snaths this afternoon. Cut more than I could carry back so I will have to take another trip or two or three down the road. Already crowded shop is more crowded. These are a few I could remember stowing away in easy to reach places.

Not sure what I saw in the peeled one with all the curves. looking at it just right there is something there though, I think.
Click to expand...

Just a few hundred more, and your shop will look like Peter Vido's! (My brother used to have a hard time working in the woods with him because Peter would always be rummaging through the brush pile dragging out snath material.).
The curvy snath looks interesting, to say the least. It does have a good offset, so the grip angles will be important. A lower grip without such a steep angle might feel better... but once you have some blades to play around with it will be easier to feel the angles.
I also like the look of the (beech?) snath to it's left in the previous photo.
 
Sparrow92 said:
Just a few hundred more, and your shop will look like Peter Vido's! (My brother used to have a hard time working in the woods with him because Peter would always be rummaging through the brush pile dragging out snath material.).
The curvy snath looks interesting, to say the least. It does have a good offset, so the grip angles will be important. A lower grip without such a steep angle might feel better... but once you have some blades to play around with it will be easier to feel the angles.
I also like the look of the (beech?) snath to it's left in the previous photo.
Click to expand...

That was me the other day. Yellin at my neighbors not to run over the downed tops and saplings and stuff. Was a good time to bring up hand labor when they broke their friggin tractor trying to haul a log out of the woods with it.

I still haven't glued a single handle yet, want to try as many as I can before I do that (not in use I guess, just hefting and holding). The steep ones are not as nice because they seem to want to drop out of grip all the time. The other snath is Maple, but it was a dead branch and has some slight spalting on one end. I think it will have to take a blade with a steeper tang because of the curve.
 
Last edited:
Heeheehee I can't wait to see how these continue to develop. :D

I'm going to be off scythe hunting tomorrow. Gotta' go find a well-bent junker snath that I can send to a fellow for use as a template. :cool:
 
Tomorrow I was going to try making a couple of M.C. Escher inspired snaths, which curve into themselves and look like a snake if you stare at it long enough. =)
 
No Escher snaths, just a brown box full of goodies from the Vido's! (THANKS)

003_zpsf87869a6.jpg


004_zpsc0ea16f8.jpg


The lefty still don't have an upper grip (I know, I know, what a slouch). Gotta make one with the right shape to it.
 
Gorgeous! The Vidos doth truly rock. :D :D :D Keep us posted with how they do for ya' once there's actually some grass to cut! I really like how the offset came out on that double-crooked one. :cool:

I scored a couple of very nice Dutch heel weed blades that were made in Sweden. They very strongly resemble the TrueTemper weed blade of mine only more cleanly executed. No specific maker's mark on them, and the blades both have different "Made in Sweden" stamps on them in spite of being fairly obviously from the same maker. I also found an older D&B snath of good strong curvature to send to the steam bender I contacted for use as a template so they can see the kind of curves to set. It came with a nice North Wayne Tool Co. (Little Giant) grass blade on it that looks almost identical to my Rixford. :D:thumbup:
 
Last edited:
Did a little cleanup work on the Little Giant grass blade. It had a lot of old rust and crud on it and even though it has a little light pitting it's in very good shape. A fresh coat of Ballistol and it was ready for its photo-shoot! :D

IMG_2943_zps6f5780ce.jpg


IMG_2946_zpsc18e0fea.jpg


IMG_2945_zpsa4c7de10.jpg


Here are those lovely Swedish weed blades. Nice long ones!

IMG_2949_zps058d8466.jpg


IMG_2950_zps056af505.jpg


IMG_2952_zps3608d750.jpg


IMG_2951_zpsf6aec9cd.jpg


IMG_2953_zpsc4522ef3.jpg


IMG_2954_zps9128cc7c.jpg


IMG_2955_zpse03f0b9b.jpg


IMG_2962_zps7c622a55.jpg


IMG_2964_zps9fecc3ac.jpg


IMG_2967_zps1404609f.jpg


Pics of the snath in the next post.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top