Who else uses a scythe?

A long machete works best on Himalayan blackberry. I need to make a video. Velocity is key as 42 mentioned. And the machete with its speed takes care of the old dried canes much better than a scythe does.


10 feet tall. Hundreds of intertwined canes - both live and dead.

Blackberries2.jpg


A good machete will carve a path right through the middle of them.
 
We definitely don't have anything quite like that out in my neck of the woods! Good to know.
 
I'm laughing. This looks pretty familiar. Thank goodness it isn't all I am working on, but I have demolished something that bears an uncanny resemblance to your photo. So they are called Himalayans? I wasn't sure. I just grew up with the name for them, but nobody seems to call them that anymore out there now that the old timers have passed on and the city folk have moved in.

Since I don't yet own a machete, loppers and hedge trimmers were my initial friends in the battle, with the scythe doing the final work. Who needs a gym? At least it made for a good upper body workout for the first advance on those thorny canes waiting to drop on my never-well-enough-protected self...:D

The part with the scythe was much more pleasant.

Square_peg said:
A long machete works best on Himalayan blackberry. I need to make a video. Velocity is key as 42 mentioned. And the machete with its speed takes care of the old dried canes much better than a scythe does.

10 feet tall. Hundreds of intertwined canes - both live and dead.

A good machete will carve a path right through the middle of them.
Click to expand...

I'd love to see a video when you have the time.
 
Steve Tall said:
A Euro-scythe with a short blade (around 40cm) can work great for taking down those huge blackberry thickets here in the Northwest. The weight of the rig is low enough that the scythe can easily make cuts above head level, while keeping the thorns a good distance from one's body. Every so often, the accumulating pile of cut canes can be dragged out of the way by turning the scythe over and hooking the tangled pile with the blade.

The blade edge should be kept sharp, but not as thin nor as acute as blades used for cutting grass.
Click to expand...

This is how I've been using the scythe on blackberries since reading this post. My scythe is too heavy, at least in theory, but seems to work well to keep the thorns at bay, and gives me the ability to pull the cut pile out of my way. I am almost done with the monster Himalayans, so will shortly be able to return to more pleasant work with the scythe.
 
Yeah I've been tempted to try making a facsimile of that one using some of the mountains of old iron "wagon wheel" tires in the woods here.
 
Production statistics by state, circa 1905:

books


States manufacturing scythes were as follows:

Total US Production of Scythe Blades -- 705,025
Connecticut -- 79,026
Maine -- 253,791
New Hampshire -- 72,004
New York -- 240,204
Vermont -- 60,000


National production volume 1870-1905:

books


1905 -- 705,025
1900 -- 718,453
1890 -- 795,400
1880 -- 1,244,264
1870 -- 881,244
 
The names of active manufacturers fluctuated a lot over the years from what I've seen, so that's not too surprising! The info in my previous post was data from US government census on domestic manufacturing.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Production statistics by state, circa 1905:

books


States manufacturing scythes were as follows:

Total US Production of Scythe Blades -- 705,025
Connecticut -- 79,026
Maine -- 253,791
New Hampshire -- 72,004
New York -- 240,204
Vermont -- 60,000


National production volume 1870-1905:

books


1905 -- 705,025
1900 -- 718,453
1890 -- 795,400
1880 -- 1,244,264
1870 -- 881,244
Click to expand...

Would you mind - if it's possible - posting this so that when I/we click on the info it will open into a larger window? (Easier to read.) I know I could go find it myself, but it's interesting to have it in the thread. Really appreciate you and Steve posting this info. :D
 
i've been restoring some old scythes. the hardware is pristine now, the blades are peened clean and true, the wood is lovely...

i've just got to get a proper edge on the things, it's going to take some effort. they have not been kept up for a long time.

what i REALLY need, is a scythe anvil and appropriate peening tools.

sooooon.
 
Bladite said:
i've been restoring some old scythes. the hardware is pristine now, the blades are peened clean and true, the wood is lovely...

i've just got to get a proper edge on the things, it's going to take some effort. they have not been kept up for a long time.

what i REALLY need, is a scythe anvil and appropriate peening tools.

sooooon.
Click to expand...

Pictures! Pictures! :D

I've really been enjoying the Rinaldi tall peening anvil for working my continental European blades. Gives great clearance when peening the heel of blades with very steep and/or closed tangs. I wouldn't be able to properly peen the heel of the Russian and French blades that I have without it.
 
Bladite,

I second FortyTwoBlades request. I'm sure a lot of folks who have been active in this thread would love to see pictures, including any "before restoration" photos you might have. When you have time!

(Not to mention others who will wander by and be inspired by your project.:D)
 
Square_peg said:
Don't peen old American scythe blades. They're hard unlike their European counterparts.
Click to expand...

Not only that, but if it's a laminated blade you'll muck up the edge formation! Peening in the conventional manner produces a single-beveled (chisel) edge while laminated blades need to be beveled on both faces so the edge is comprised of the hard cutlery steel core rather than the soft cladding iron. Theoretically one could attempt to double-bevel peen by using a narrow anvil AND hammer, but even a small misalignment of the anvil and hammer surfaces would create a shearing effect that would be certain to damage the blade! There's simply no need to peen an American pattern blade providing it's of good quality and heat treatment.
 
That being said, don't forget that there were (and still are) hybrid blades with American tangs and tensioned Euro-style blades that were intended to be peened but used on an American snath, and I have ones by Schröckenfux, Redtenbacher, and Johann Offner in my collection. :)
 
here's the embiggenned url:

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Logging/i-ZvP9bcd/0/O/CA_09131416343859.jpg

and forum sized:

CA_09131416343859-X2.jpg


so, i got a Seymour, works really well, though "not a grass blade" quite as much as i hoped, so i hit craigslists and found a guy selling two old scythes

one of them was a pretty nice ditch blade... heavy, but as you can see, old weathered wood, rusty hardware, and one of the nibs is ... messed up - i need to make or source a new wood bit, the hardware is fine though. finding the odd yard sale with some blades is not hard - i know a guy with a barn, that has a bunch of sad ones, but he wants WAY too much money. i figure i can score some nibs if i'm patient.

the other, more the grass blade, is the restored one. took it completely apart, used handtools (esp wire brush) to remove any rust, scraped the crud off the wood, and spent a few cycles of sanding and wiping with BLO. looks nice.

was able to get the hardware readjusted and very tight. lovely stuff that.

the blade was a "wee bit off", so i got a little hammering and fixed that. cleaned up the blade fairly well, and then converted any remaining rust to black-oxide, and uh, painted it purple. slowly but surely i'm setting an edge - it's hard. yeah, it won't peen that one. saw the references to cold water wheels and how to use a file and stone to thin it out.

hopefully, i can make it a user, not just a shower.

next one my list it to get some good quality one and two man buck and cross saws. esp the kind with the nice end hardware, and deeply tined teeth :D
 
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