Who else uses a scythe?

Seems like grass blades tend to cluster around 32" ish looking? Do any of the documents you have list range of lengths?

I've got one that's 37", but it is hard to take advantage of extra length in most conditions. Of course at this point my technique is so far from textbook, who knows. Seems like every acre or so I pick up a bad habit that makes the job easier :).

PS question was for 42 vaguely in reference to Gpigs question
 
John A. Larsen said:
I just watched an old (1930's) Finnish film of some farmers getting ready to work a field. Take some blades to the blacksmith who works on them. Then use what looks to be long strips of wood, maybe from a branch to secure the blade to the handle. The handle is of a different shape, more rounded. At about 5 minutes you can see their technique, looks like the roll the handle over in their hands, as the cut in both directions. www.youtube.com/watch?v=30APRyNWwdM
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More information about those old scythes from Finland:

http://scytheconnected.blogspot.com/2014/01/zero-grip-snaths-from-finland.html
 
I have a blade in my collection with a Finnish style cross section, though if I remember correctly it was made in Sweden. It's shaped just like a razor blade, with a symmetrical hollow grind.
 
The best video I've seen to date on the English scythe, though I disagree about wanting a burr on your edge. A medium to coarse scratch pattern, perhaps, but not a burr--it should be properly apexed and burr-free.

[video=vimeo;132324740]https://vimeo.com/132324740[/video]
 
Also, don't stoop like he does at the beginning of the video--towards the end he shows better stance, though. :)
 
For those interested in making their own snath for American blades or doing restoration work, I've managed to get just the grips for nibs and No.1 snath collars from Seymour.

seymour-hafting-collar-for-no-1-snaths-4.gif
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Getting closer to the final stages of having custom rings and heel plates done up, too. We had a few strangely warm days recently that thawed all the snow, and now I'm itching for mowing season. :p
 
That's the fun with the collar--it doesn't even need to be a classical steam-bent American pattern snath that you make with it. It's just American-style hardware. So you could, in theory, make a Nordic overarm snath, a single-grip Russian style snath, or an Austrian Y-style snath just with an American loop bolt and heel plate on it. I can get just the rough-sanded snath blanks from Seymour as well, and will have those listed for folks doing restorations using vintage hardware, but I'm waiting on the factory for more to be available since it's dependent on their production schedule.

I have some photos of a blade I bent the tang on for a 6ft tall fellow for use with a No.8 aluminum snath, but need to host them on something more permanent than Facebook to share 'em here. Will try to remember to do that tomorrow (today, I guess, technically--I need to get to bed earlier!)
 
I don't use a scythe,but would love to for how talk the weeds grow in my backyard ( if nothing else just to have a connection to the past, and feel what it was like back then )
 
Here are the pictures of that restored blade with the steeply pitched tang. It would only be considered a moderate pitch for a Euro blade, but on an American blade this is pretty severe, especially since it's matched with a Seymour No.8 snath, which has a very strong amount of lift in the neck.

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Also, here's a snath blank I'm working on truing up and fitting.

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No clue what it is re: quality, but saw this in an antique store recently. Just thought the scythe guys might like it.

 
Oh nice--a Seymour Ironclad with both labels! Those were generally nice snath although the hardware was heavy. Once shaved down a bit they make a good all-purpose snath.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Oh nice--a Seymour Ironclad with both labels! Those were generally nice snath although the hardware was heavy. Once shaved down a bit they make a good all-purpose snath.
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Yeah it did look pretty chunky. I didn't get a pic of the blade, but it appeared to be in good shape as well...big, too.
 
What did you ever do with a full scythe from out in MN we did some trading on a couple years ago? Was it decent and were you able to do anything with it?
 
I've been saving that one to do a "hot rod" restoration on it. Just haven't had the chance yet. :)
 
I didn't read all 77 pages but I'll throw in my 2 cents. I lived in Ukraine for 9.5 months in a village house. I mowed our lawn with a scythe and sickle. I used what I found locally. My co-worker tried mowing his lawn with a scythe and gave up in frustration because he couldn't get the scythe to cut the grass consistently. I told him to sharpen with a file instead of a stone. He just shook his head and said if a stone edge won't do it a filed edge won't either. He gave me the scythe. I filed an edge on it and it cut wonderfully. Sometimes a mini-serrated edge of from a fine file is better for grabbing the lawn grass and cutting it than a polished edge in my experience. A stoned edge will slide over some grasses that a filed edge will grab and cut. I stoned edge may be better for for staying sharp longer for weeds and brush, but my experience in mowing lawn says to file the edge.
 
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