Who else uses a scythe?

42,
That is more like what I do, with minor differences.ie your blade there is wider an flatter along its length, whereas mine is narrow and crowned. Yours is therefore pitched to lie flatter on the ground, whereas mine is less pitched and I can lift the heel a little more at the beginning of the stroke and still get a relatively level cut. The advantage in my conditions is that on rough ground only a small portion of the blade is on the ground at any instant, almost like it is rolling, whereas with a flatter blade, the entire length is on the ground and the tip vulnerable to irregularities, especially in the second half of the stroke. But very close, I think. And I am admittedly making stuff up as I go along, in a process of constant improvement :).

I agree the stroke you show on the angle video is good for light growth on fairly level even ground. When my son uses it, against my advice (it is hard on blades in the wrong hands under bad conditions), I started asking him if he was mowing his Majesty's lawn or cutting hay :). Now all I have to say is "your majesty" to get him back... It is hard on my back, but my back was going south 20 years ago!

Thanks for the discussion.
 
Yeah--for uneven ground a strong crown to the blade is of definite advantage. I have a few blades tuned up for those kinds of conditions.
 
Oh by the way, the reason I use those old guys example is that I was ashamed a couple of 80 year olds could outcut me in grass that was tougher than most of mine. Your videos are always helpful and informative, but I didn't feel the same shame not keeping up with you at your age!
 
The ones with right-handed threads might be Eastern Handle Co. snaths. I've restored a couple of those and they had a standard thread on the nibs, which threw me for a loop just like they did with you!

The Seymours (when either older models with correct collar orientation or current ones built from parts like I'm doing now) can be slimmed down to make an excellent light grass snath, it just requires a bit of time with the spoke shave getting them down to dimension. I actually use a MicroPlane rotary shaper for hogging off a lot of material during the initial stages of slimming them down and it speeds things up significantly.
 
I found 2 of these scythes at my local store and 1 says Isiah Blood. They have old wooden crooked handles like an old scythe, think it's worth picking up? They are going for $10 each.
 
New scythes have curved handles as well, not just old one! Isaiah Blood is a comparatively scarce maker and they're of good quality. The largest question is the overall condition of the pieces, but even if the snaths happened to be garbage (cracked and rotted wood, broken hardware, etc) they'd be easily worth $10 just for the blades if they're not cracked or heinously bent out of shape.
 
The wood is old and would give you splinters, however, the blades look fine, they have surface rust, no pitting, I cannot make out the other maker the logo is blocked. I have no intentions of using it, dont have tall grass where I'm at, But would make a killer wall hanger, looks grim reaper'ish :D
 
Well, if you ever decide that Isaiah Blood blade needs a home you just drop me a line. :D
 
Sounds good I will go pick it up today, will most likely go your way. Is there any brands I should be looking out for, like the Holy Grail of brands?
 
I wouldn't say as there are in particular, so much as there being notable quality makers. Emerson & Stevens, David Wadsworth & Son, North Wayne Tool Co., Kelly, etc. are all commonly seen but quality makers, among many others. "Holy Grail" would be more reserved for specific models or styles that are rare or unusual or in spectacular new old stock mint condition, etc.
 
Ok i picked up the Isiah Blood Scythe for $5 and also got a Barco FSS Pulaski for $5. Was a pretty good day today, will sleep good tonight :D
 
would gladly trade the Isiah Blood Blade for a nice condition Hewing Hatchet. It's stamp says

ISAIAH BLOOD
BALLSTON, NY
 
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A new prototype of a snath inspired by the Seymour B-5 and Sta-Tite No.20 models that I'm calling the Longfellow. It's here shown with a 100cm Arti blade and a Euro-style ring but it's outfitted with my custom universal heel plate and a bearing plate for use with my North Star rings--I'm just waiting on the machine shop to get some taller ones done so the tangs can slip in properly, so the Euro ring is standing in for now. At 72" end to end, it's intended to be able to fit tall and short users alike.

LongfellowSnath_4.jpg


LongfellowSnath_3.jpg


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LongfellowSnath_1.jpg
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
A new prototype of a snath inspired by the Seymour B-5 and Sta-Tite No.20 models that I'm calling the Longfellow. It's here shown with a 100cm Arti blade and a Euro-style ring but it's outfitted with my custom universal heel plate and a bearing plate for use with my North Star rings--I'm just waiting on the machine shop to get some taller ones done so the tangs can slip in properly, so the Euro ring is standing in for now. At 72" end to end, it's intended to be able to fit tall and short users alike.

LongfellowSnath_4.jpg


LongfellowSnath_3.jpg


LongfellowSnath_2.jpg


LongfellowSnath_1.jpg
Click to expand...

Honestly, my first reaction was not very positive, but after some thought it is obvious you know what you're doing with that snath!

I really like that blade! Have you written it up anywhere? I realize it is probably mostly or at least some what Euro, but nice shape/profile!
 
I've actually been enjoying using it way more than I had anticipated. Will take some video once I have grass long enough to show up well on camera, which should be within the upcoming week, I expect.

The blade is an Arti (Russian) 100cm model, and I've been extremely impressed with its edge retention for a Euro-style blade. The Arti scythe blades are the only Euros I've used that I can tolerate in that respect.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
A new prototype of a snath... At 72" end to end, it's intended to be able to fit tall and short users alike.
Click to expand...

A 72" one-grip snath would typically fit someone up to 6' tall. Russian snaths were typically sized up to 2 meters length (about 79 inches).

Did you consider adjusting the tang steepness of the blades (using your induction coil) instead of having the snaths steam-bent?
 
As far as tang steepness goes, the bend in the neck minimizes how much of a bend is required in the tang. It's the whole reason why bends exist in snath necks at all. The less angle that has to be introduced by bending, the better, as it allows more of the material of the tang to be directly aligned with the forces acting on it. Also less force is required during bending the tang for a small adjustment and so risk of damaging the blade in the process of adjustment is reduced. This is still just the prototype, though, and it'll be easy to have a longer one done up should it prove necessary for folks above 6ft. The heel plate on it is designed to accept both American and European style tangs, as well, which is a factor when it comes to angle adjustment.
 
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