Who else uses a scythe?

A bit of followup on my post from 15 May, delayed by mainly being too busy. If these posts sketchily encapsulating our first cutting are too-off-topic, I won't be offended if they are removed, but they were all cut with a scythe. In fact the only "power" used is a bit of gas to pull the cart we haul in, and I thought people might like to see some more pictures (when I could think to take them :) ).
In May we did a little over half the "new hay" in the front yard. Here is roughly 20 swaths consolidated into large windrows:
20rowspconsolidated.jpg

Once picked up, the hay is stacked in a breezy old trailer rainproofed (more or less) with a tarp, then stored/cured for baling day. No picture of the trailer, but a batch of bales from the "yard hay"; the quality of the grass is marginal in my opinion, but there is enough clover to make it worthwhile. I think the part of the yard we cut supplied 30 small (custom sized ~1/2 volume/weight of good-sized mechanically baled "small square bales"):
yardhaybatchstacked.jpg


The baler was a "prototype" that we've used for several hundred bales now...
 
The next section we mowed was our "better" grass, which has a lot of orchard grass and some timothy mixed in. Here is a picture after the first couple of sections, with the hay piled up ready to be taken.
start_midfield.jpg

The little tractor and cart is the only "power" used. We tend to use this because my son enjoys driving (which he can safely with the little one), and he doesn't care about a few extra trips!


Here is the same area with most cut and some regrowing rapidly. I leave some odd patches either for "fodder" or because they are weedy and or in a position not to dry in the time allowed:
mid_allbutbits.jpg


This section was the one that broke my 30" grass blade, which is the only misfortune incurred, despite the best efforts of weather forecasters!
 
I called an old 32" blade of unknown origin and heavy use to duty. I call it "old bendy" because it was bent rather crazily and seems a bit flimsy. I turned that to a virtue and put a substantial "crown" into the blade and it is quite a good one for use. The edge is a little soft, but easily honed to "perfection" :)... I wonder if is laminated, but I can't see any evidence either way.
oldbendy.jpg


I suspect this blade would be sneered at by some aficionados, but it cut about half the section above as well as later ones, and I like it enough I won't change it out until it is either broken or worn completely out!
 
The final area for our scythe hay is in a small field near the top of a pretty big hill. A third to half is very thick with timothy about 5' high, while the rest is the same, but with a great admixture of large weeds from past cultivation. Here is the first row cut into (using the "up and back" technique along the fence to the left). There is a very heavy double row below the fence as well. The pole to the right is where we stacked hay last year (more on that below)...
top_rightview.jpg


On the first cut, we took the cleanest section for baling, then cut and stack the weedy part at our leisure. This will be fed out early as supplemental, as the quality of the grass is good, but the quantity is reduced and it would be difficult to bale the weeds. Here is a partial stack uncovered and being added to. The pole is 7 or 8 feet out of the ground, and we walk around it to pack the hay down. There is some brush piled up at the base to reduce moisture from the ground.
halfstackunc.jpg


We are still not finished, but a lot of rain was being called for so we covered it back up and put a sort of cap on it. I know this looks funny, but we were currently out of larger tarps, so I came up with this to reduce water running between the two smaller ones. It seems to work pretty well!
halfstackcapped.jpg


Anyway, we have a few odd lots to finish up and, of course, a second cut, but I thought people might be interested in some other aspects of one scythe task. Also, just the way I ended up doing things so far, so don't think I'm trying to write a textbook or putting myself forward as an expert.
 
Square_peg said:
It's nice to see someone carrying on traditional techniques. Must be a great learning experience.
Click to expand...

Square_peg,
It started as ONLY a learning experience, when my son asked "how is hay made" and really wanted to know the basic principles, not just the equipment used (which I assumed he already knew). I figured we would do a small batch (which we did) and that would be it. However, he enjoyed it so much, and I had a good time working with him, so we did a little more. We bought a real scythe and figured out how much hay we needed to "pay" for it. When that point came, we decided to see if we could make enough to feed 4 or our animals (a large pony and three mid-sized mules), which we succeeded in last year despite subzero dips. The boy held up well, although I had to push him through temporary malaises a few times, and there was no question that we would do it again this year.

The first year was all learning, but we didn't ruin any hay. In fact, due to stack curing, most of it was better quality than what you can buy. Final curing in the stack allows us to take advantage of short windows. In a pinch, for example, we can cure on ground for one day with good temperature (around 90), then stack for protection and final curing. Likewise, last year we did a lot of extra turning and swathing. We still do that when temps are low (70's), but when we get into the 80's and 90's, it cures plenty fast in windrows. We want to experiment more with stack-building, as we are a long way from perfection there, too.

Storing it all loose would be fine with me, but my wife and others do not like the hassle of feeding loose hay and I don't have a good loft, etc., so we bale the bulk of the good stuff the old fashioned way. If not for the baling, it would really be easy, now that we have a process and some experience with unpowered haymaking. The scythe, forks, and rakes allows access to areas that would be marginal and/or dangerous otherwise. That said, we are still learning and trying to improve our techniques, and I expect we always will, not to mention that weather is a constant issue that keeps us guessing.

Add-on. One thing we want to do different in the future is haul the hay in a cart pulled by a pair of the mules. My son is torn on this as he likes driving, but would enjoy "horse-power" as well. For me, the complete silence of the cutting and raking is marred by the use of a gas engine, even a small relatively quiet one.
 
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Nice work! "Old Bendy" may very well be laminated. Try looking at the blade edge-on and make sure your edge is located in the center of the web. It is also, of course, possible that it's just a soft blade. I have one such like that made by my favorite company (the North Wayne Tool Co.) that is of beautiful form but it's a monosteel blade and run a little too soft for my liking. Makes a good field blade for exploring new spaces but otherwise I use my harder blades. You can also probably shave down your snath to bring the overall weight down a bit. The nib bands will need resizing if you do, but the performance boost you'll receive in mowing comfort is worth it. :):thumbup:

Post script: Also, if storing loose, invest in an old hay knife. It'll pay for itself quickly. The edges cut best when hollowed, but a good work-over with a file will suffice as well.
 
BG_Farmer said:
Square_peg,
It started as ONLY a learning experience, when my son asked "how is hay made" and really wanted to know the basic principles, not just the equipment used (which I assumed he already knew). I figured we would do a small batch (which we did) and that would be it. However, he enjoyed it so much, and I had a good time working with him, so we did a little more. We bought a real scythe and figured out how much hay we needed to "pay" for it. When that point came, we decided to see if we could make enough to feed 4 or our animals (a large pony and three mid-sized mules), which we succeeded in last year despite subzero dips. The boy held up well, although I had to push him through temporary malaises a few times, and there was no question that we would do it again this year.

The first year was all learning, but we didn't ruin any hay. In fact, due to stack curing, most of it was better quality than what you can buy. Final curing in the stack allows us to take advantage of short windows. In a pinch, for example, we can cure on ground for one day with good temperature (around 90), then stack for protection and final curing. Likewise, last year we did a lot of extra turning and swathing. We still do that when temps are low (70's), but when we get into the 80's and 90's, it cures plenty fast in windrows. We want to experiment more with stack-building, as we are a long way from perfection there, too.

Storing it all loose would be fine with me, but my wife and others do not like the hassle of feeding loose hay and I don't have a good loft, etc., so we bale the bulk of the good stuff the old fashioned way. If not for the baling, it would really be easy, now that we have a process and some experience with unpowered haymaking. The scythe, forks, and rakes allows access to areas that would be marginal and/or dangerous otherwise. That said, we are still learning and trying to improve our techniques, and I expect we always will, not to mention that weather is a constant issue that keeps us guessing.

Add-on. One thing we want to do different in the future is haul the hay in a cart pulled by a pair of the mules. My son is torn on this as he likes driving, but would enjoy "horse-power" as well. For me, the complete silence of the cutting and raking is marred by the use of a gas engine, even a small relatively quiet one.
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What does "the old fashioned way" mean?

IIRC the machine for making square bales was invented in the 1930s or '40s. Are you talking about that, or some older process?
 
Baling wasn't the dominant process until the 60's or something, if I remember correctly. While it wasn't uncommon either, putting up in stack was still the way the majority did it.
 
Raymond,
42 has it right. I meant using a manual bale (visible in one of the pictures) press and baling from the stack rather than using a powered baler, either stationary or pickup. When barns were set up to handle loose hay, they only baled for delivery to town and such, if at all. The scythe for hay is actually really old, since the sickle bar mower pulled behind horses supplanted it long before balers came along., so I wanted to go with the most archaic type of baler I could :). We also experimented with loose bales tied in the cart, but they were a pain feeding out. When some friends were talking about smaller but not tiny bales for decorative purposes, we came up with a size that looks close to a square bale, ~2/3 dimensionally, but only about half the weight. So easily handled but with enough content to be useful. My wife actually likes them better than real bales, so we do the extra work...
 
42Blades,
I can't tell by looking (maybe some vinegar?), but old bendy holds its edge very well relative to its overall softness, so I suspect lamination.

I know the sn1 is heavy and clunky, but so am I :), and I've gotten used to it. Also, some of the stuff I cut is pretty heavy, so I've left it stock. I would like to pick up one of you hotrodded vintage snaths someday, though!
 
Even for brush cutting I like my snaths well under 3lb and most between 2lb 2oz and 2lb 8oz, including all hardware. :)

As far as lamination goes if the overall blade seems pretty soft but the edge holds well then it probably is laminated. I often can see lamination when rough-grinding on the belt sander both because of the change in spark pattern when I hit the hard core (more sparks) but also a faint line becomes visible due to the difference in wear rate. This mostly disappears, visually, once I finish-bevel and hone the blade.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Baling wasn't the dominant process until the 60's or something, if I remember correctly. While it wasn't uncommon either, putting up in stack was still the way the majority did it.
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I remember farms in the ‘50s mostly having loose hay. Climb up into the loft. Jump onto the hay stack. Repeat. In the ‘50s, kids were easily amused.

I loaded baled hay in the ‘60s. Heave them up onto the flatbed truck, or be on the truck stacking. Heave them from truck to barn to loft. Space for a fist between the bales.

That wasn’t nearly as much fun.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Even for brush cutting I like my snaths well under 3lb and most between 2lb 2oz and 2lb 8oz, including all hardware. :)

As far as lamination goes if the overall blade seems pretty soft but the edge holds well then it probably is laminated. I often can see lamination when rough-grinding on the belt sander both because of the change in spark pattern when I hit the hard core (more sparks) but also a faint line becomes visible due to the difference in wear rate. This mostly disappears, visually, once I finish-bevel and hone the blade.
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I know you are more discerning than I :). A couple pounds either way is like spitting in the ocean for me...

But seriously, I don't find that the snath is stressed as much by most big weeds and even light brush (as long as it is not in full woody state) as it is by certain types and combinations of grasses, esp. thick bunched or clumped grasses combined with finer grasses and/or clover, as the mixed composition tends to affect the needed speed/momentum of the stroke fairly randomly. I know you've mowed more than I, so a lot of this is experience (or lack thereof on my part), but from last year to this year and from cut to cut, I notice the same issues in the same places. Although I am better at anticipating and trying to compensate for problems as I learn, there remain problem areas that are simply much more difficult than others and I suspect may always be. I attempt to trust the momentum of the snath/blade rather than applying varying force (which I think stresses the snath as well as me), so the extra weight actually seems to work to my advantage much of the time.
 
If you ever get a good local deal on another snath try experimenting with shaving it down. The snath is still heaviest at the bottom end and the blade weight is unchanged, so there's still plenty of momentum action goin' on. :D Then you'll still have the trusty Seymour snath if you find that you really do prefer the extra heft. :):thumbup:

It's nice seeing you put that unit to work! Keep it up--ol' bendy has a beautiful curve that looks like it's positively begging for the grass! :cool:
 
Did some heavy-duty mowing yesterday. We're moving to a new place on a bigger allotment and I've been doing some work out there in preparation for the move. Behind the back pasture space, which is currently overgrown with goldenrod, burdocks, and other weeds, is another small pasture space behind the tree line and I wanted to get a peak at it. Started mowing at 12:50 and ended just a few minutes after 3:00.

This was at the start, where there weren't as many weeds:
10526174_10204332956392472_6157080791849961274_n.jpg


An animated .gif of the photos on the way back. The photos were taken 20 paces apart. At an average pace length of 3ft I estimate I mowed roughly 700 feet.
PathMowing8-7-2014.gif
 
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I have really enjoyed this thread since its inception. I have a small piece of ground out in the country and have often thought that cutting the meadow on it with a scythe rather than the push mower would be much better for my piece of mind. Interesting moment the other day. I had gone out to take care of an emergency for one of my customers by making a delivery to a jobsite in a small mennonite community. I always make a habit of stopping off at old hardware stores in small towns. Well, this town had one. In the front window were 3 scythes that looked brand new - dusty, the wood sunburnt with a patina on the metal parts. I asked the owner how long they had been there. His reply "As long as I have." He said they were new and unused and had been put in the window when they quit selling them for lack of interest. I asked if he would be interested in letting one go "Not unless you want to buy the store." I am going to make a couple of trips back there and see if I can wear him down. To my untrained eye, they looked tremendous.
 
Take some photos next time you're there! I'd love to see them.

I've been spending some time playing around with a Russian scythe blade by Arti and I've been enjoying it. Very hard steel to the point where I couldn't move it with a conventional peening hammer and had to resort to my 40oz. Plumb cross pein. I had some success with it but after rough-peening the bevel on it and then filing the edge back smooth I decided to just take it to the wet grinder. 48-54 RC hardness, which is really quite decent.

I also got my hands on a hand-cranked wet grinder and once I'm done moving into our new location I'll be converting it to a treadle powered one.
 
I stumbled across one of John Muir’s inventions: The Scythe Clock.

“Inventing and whittling faster than ever, I made another hickory clock, shaped like a scythe to symbolize the scythe of Father Time. The pendulum is a bunch of arrows symbolizing the flight of time. It hangs on a leafless mossy oak snag showing the effect of time, and on the snath [handle] is written, ‘All flesh is grass.’ This, especially the inscription, rather pleased father, and, of course, mother and all my sisters and brothers admired it. Like the first it indicates the days of the week and month, starts fires and beds at any given hour and minute, and, though made more than fifty years ago, is still a good timekeeper.”

You can see a picture of it here: http://www.martinezhistory.org/html/muir_history.HTM

It would be useless for cutting hay. :D
 
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