Who else uses a scythe?

FortyTwoBlades said:
Hate to break it to you, but that probably won't work so hot for scythes. The wet wheel on that one is for flat bevels on things like chisels etc. and the other wheel is way too small and doesn't have suitable clearance from the housing. For a cheap option Harbor Freight has a wet grinder with good clearance for long blades for around $60 but I'm not sure what the quality is like. I've heard tell of folks using a flap wheel on an angle grinder (and using a soft touch) as well, though that's far from my first choice of options! The Angelo B. manual grinder is a good high-quality unit at a reasonable price, and the Grizzly G1036 is the best powered one I've found. For a bit over $200 I plan on cobbling together a purpose-built belt grinder so I can restore heavily worn or damaged edges on vintage blades faster and easier.
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i do have a lot of chisels to restore

supposed the guard can be taken off the side flat stone, and the edge of that used vertically. mebbe. yeah. it was a though.

still looking ;)
 
Things to look for in a wet grinder for scythes is clearance of the housing for blades 30" long or longer (up to 48" or so!) and a wheel diameter preferably 10" or larger to grind further back into the edge for an equal angle relative to the stone's radius. The ability to attach a jig is also something to consider. :)
 
good to know

i spotted a fairly modern scythe set for $35 the other day. looks like a seymour wood handle, not sure about the blade. couldn't tell, but it was longer than what i already had - might be worth scoping out
 
At that price it could very well be a steal. Most Seymours need a lot of shaving down and a consequent reshaping of the nib bands, but if you tune them up properly they can work quite well. The Austrian-made "American" blades are quite off-form, but they still cut if you rig them right. A bit weak in the heel for my preferences, though, as I like a wider beard for a good strong clinch at the end of the stroke.
 
Steve, thanks for sharing that. Over at the YouTube site it says that National Film Board of Canada films featuring Ti-Jean were among their most popular in the 1950's! Magical (farming) powers in a young boy; really delightful.:D
 
And he does the mowing with a bush scythe fitted too largely for him, no less! :D Not bad chops on the kid for his age and the adjustment of the tool, actually.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
And he does the mowing with a bush scythe fitted too largely for him, no less! :D Not bad chops on the kid for his age and the adjustment of the tool, actually.
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He had done it before, I think; not perfect, but better than a novice. My own son has a hard time with it, and I let my neighbors kid try also. They both lift far too much at the beginning and don't seem to understand the end purpose. On the other hand, they do pretty good job with sparse, big weeds, and they seem to enjoy that work, so I turn them loose on ragweed in paddocks and the like with the sn9 and a heavy blade. My favorite part was where Ti-Jean whetted his blade...he acted like a pro!
 
BG_Farmer said:
He had done it before, I think; not perfect, but better than a novice. My own son has a hard time with it, and I let my neighbors kid try also. They both lift far too much at the beginning and don't seem to understand the end purpose. On the other hand, they do pretty good job with sparse, big weeds, and they seem to enjoy that work, so I turn them loose on ragweed in paddocks and the like with the sn9 and a heavy blade. My favorite part was where Ti-Jean whetted his blade...he acted like a pro!
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Yeah I suspect that the kid they cast for the role was either a genuine farm kid or had a truly significant amount of coaching in the use of hand tools for all of those videos. Possibly both. Kudos to the directors for that attention to detail.
 
That's some pretty funny stuff! If those two old timers had been worth their salt, one of them would have been carrying Ti-Jean's water while the other came along behind thrashing. :D

I need to get me one of those go to h ll hats... I believe it would help my form. :cool:
 
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18th C scythe. Handholds may be later. The blade has crack. I think the writing on blade indicates this was part of an early collection, a museum acquisition number possibly. I don't know much about these. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
crown & hammer said:
...18th C scythe. Handholds may be later. The blade has crack. I think the writing on blade indicates this was part of an early collection, a museum acquisition number possibly. I don't know much about these. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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I would guess 19th century, blade made in Europe, angled brace welded on later by user. Looks like the snath and ring attachment are upside down (the flat part of the ring should be contacting the flat tang of the blade), and the brace interferes with the mounting on the snath.

If you remove the blade from the snath, there's probably a stamp on the tang that should identify the maker.
 
crown & hammer said:
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18th C scythe. Handholds may be later. The blade has crack. I think the writing on blade indicates this was part of an early collection, a museum acquisition number possibly. I don't know much about these. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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Actually looks relatively modern to me. The nibs (side handles) are definitely post 1920 due to the aluminum nib blocks. I'd guess that it's late 19th century at the earliest, more likely later. If I had to pin it down further my estimate would be somewhere between 1910-1930 for the overall unit. It's a European blade, rather than American, but the nibs are American pattern tech, so it's a bit of a mish-mash. Possibly brought over by an immigrant and the grips replaced with American nibs later on since they were readily available to them.

Dismounting the blade will tell us more, but it looks like it may be the marks found on some Redtenbacher blades.
 
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Thanks guys. I said I didn't know much about these! It did not occur to me it could be European. The brace is pinned, and I'd say original. I'll definitely be taking a close look for any marks on blade.
 
The brace is almost certainly user-added, but it is fully possible that it was done by the original owner. :)
 
crown & hammer said:
How were these blades made during early 20th C? Stamped, cast, forged?
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Forged. There are some examples of stamped blades out there that were riveted to a forged tang, but they're comparatively rare other than in late-period English "patent tang" blades, and they were a "cheap" alternative to proper blades. I have a few such stamped blades, and actually keep an eye out for them as they're a bit of a curiosity, but the overwhelming majority were forged. European blades were done in whole steel, while American, English, and many Nordic blades were laminated in the highest end examples, but whole steel in more run-of-the-mill ones.
 
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