Who else uses a scythe?

[FortyTwoBlades]

I think the points you're referring to are stone points. Their job is to reinforce the tip to prevent damage when accidentally driving the toe of the blade into obstacles ("lancing") although it also has other uses. As far as the set of the tang, it really depends on the dimensions of the user, shape of the snath, and the kind of stroke being used. It's actually possible to have the blade overly closed, either in certain regions or over the full length where for certain strokes it causes the edge to trail. I've been doing some modeling work for blade design recently and it's been interesting seeing how the shape of the arc, the set of the heel, and the presentation during the stroke due to the radius length all can impact the travel of the blade.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

With the help of Peter Vido, the folks at Falci, and the oldest still-living man who once worked for them, the date of that catalog has been pinned down to the very early 19-aughts. Apparently many of the patterns named for towns are now quite diminished in size from what they once were a century ago.

 

[Bladite]

can't wait for Spring... got a scythe to setup, and two more waiting for their initial yearly sharpening and then the clearing happens.

so good to finally have a big slow wheel it's just the ticket for other tools as well, going to have some very happy tools in the cart

 

[Miller '72]

can't wait for Spring... got a scythe to setup, and two more waiting for their initial yearly sharpening and then the clearing happens.

so good to finally have a big slow wheel it's just the ticket for other tools as well, going to have some very happy tools in the cart

Excellent!
I am new to the scythe and have high hopes for it around the property, low expectations on my initial and first several attempts though to be realistic
I have a few scythe I want to get ready for spring as well.
You mention a slow wheel...is that a whetstone,with 1750rpm revolution motor or foot/hand cranked? Have you used one prior for sharpening your scythe blade(s)?

I haven't considered sharpening the scythe blades on my wheel but have resurrected a few axe and hatchet bits to be more symmetrical and in proper line.
I would need a steady hand personally, much steadier than i have now-a-days, just to keep the edge on the scythe blade from going wavy on me.
Surely I would find a way to overcome that.
I like and do appreciate the ease of using my wheel when I do...I am glad I have it as a tool to turn to.
1956 Craftsman, the day I brought it home...

SPRING

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Excellent!
I am new to the scythe and have high hopes for it around the property, low expectations on my initial and first several attempts though to be realistic
I have a few scythe I want to get ready for spring as well.
You mention a slow wheel...is that a whetstone,with 1750rpm revolution motor or foot/hand cranked? Have you used one prior for sharpening your scythe blade(s)?

I haven't considered sharpening the scythe blades on my wheel but have resurrected a few axe and hatchet bits to be more symmetrical and in proper line.
I would need a steady hand personally, much steadier than i have now-a-days, just to keep the edge on the scythe blade from going wavy on me.
Surely I would find a way to overcome that.
I like and do appreciate the ease of using my wheel when I do...I am glad I have it as a tool to turn to.
1956 Craftsman, the day I brought it home...

SPRING

American, English, and Nordic blades are periodically re-beveled by grinding, and a wet grinder is the optimum way to do it. You can either grind with the edge square to the stone, which requires very steady hands or an easily fashioned roller jig, or you can grind at a slant to the stone, which was the generally preferred method since it takes the rib out of line of the wheel entirely. Grind with the heel closest to you and the blade slanted 45° to the orientation of the wheel at almost no tilt. You're shooting for around 7-9° per side with the edge's apex sitting in the center of the material. There are also grinding points out there for die grinders and drills that are specifically formulated for cool cutting vs. slow wear like most off-the-shelf ones are, and those can be used to carefully dry-grind the blade. Bevelling only needs to be done a few times a season, whenever honing is no longer getting the blade back to easy, strain-free cutting.

 

[Bladite]

Excellent!
I am new to the scythe and have high hopes for it around the property, low expectations on my initial and first several attempts though to be realistic
I have a few scythe I want to get ready for spring as well.
You mention a slow wheel...is that a whetstone,with 1750rpm revolution motor or foot/hand cranked? Have you used one prior for sharpening your scythe blade(s)?

I haven't considered sharpening the scythe blades on my wheel but have resurrected a few axe and hatchet bits to be more symmetrical and in proper line.
I would need a steady hand personally, much steadier than i have now-a-days, just to keep the edge on the scythe blade from going wavy on me.
Surely I would find a way to overcome that.
I like and do appreciate the ease of using my wheel when I do...I am glad I have it as a tool to turn to.
1956 Craftsman, the day I brought it home...

SPRING

this thing:

Grizzly-G1036-Slow-Speed-Grinder, slow and wet

as recommended by Mr 42

 

[John A. Larsen]

I watched a video on a Hay Camp in Romania and the scythes they used had two handles but the main shaft was completely straight. One interesting part was one of the Romanians had the sharpening stones, but took two scythes over to a tree, and in his hand he had what looked like a steel barrel, maybe three inches long, and two inches in diameter, with a spike going out of the middle of the barrel. He found a log lying on the ground, and hammered the spike part into the log, laid the edge of the scythe on top of the barrel, then with a hammer, went up and down the edge truing it up. John

 

[Bladite]

i'm sure 42B can refine this, but there are your two styles of blades/edge...

1) the kind that you peen to move metal - think the old russian national logo - hammer and sickle(scythe) + a peening anvil. peen, and hone (stone). hone until that doesn't work, then peen. work

2) instead of peening, the metal is harder, more tempered, and requires some light grinding to introduce a new consistent edge. hone as needed until that doesn't work, grin some more. work

i don't have any peeners. getting a nice gradual fresh hollow is a beutiful thing. keeps you on your toes.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I watched a video on a Hay Camp in Romania and the scythes they used had two handles but the main shaft was completely straight. One interesting part was one of the Romanians had the sharpening stones, but took two scythes over to a tree, and in his hand he had what looked like a steel barrel, maybe three inches long, and two inches in diameter, with a spike going out of the middle of the barrel. He found a log lying on the ground, and hammered the spike part into the log, laid the edge of the scythe on top of the barrel, then with a hammer, went up and down the edge truing it up. John

What you're describing is a typical Continental European pattern scythe. The little anvil was for peening the edge to thin it after it becomes thickened from sharpening. Continental European blades are soft, at around 45 RC, and very light, with the steel stretched tight like the head of a drum through hammer tensioning done to the blade at the factory after heat treatment. The soft steel both allows for the lightness to be achieved and allows the edge to be beveled by hammering, but also makes the blade sensitive to splits and tears in the edge.

American, English, and Nordic blades are made with very different design principles, and use very hard steel, which in vintage examples is often laminated. The blades do not require honing or beveling nearly so frequently, and are beveled by grinding, which is done only a few times per season. The blades are inherently heavier than Euro blades of equal length, though the mass is typically able to be used to advantage thanks to the more stable edge not needing as much speed to cut light materials effectively.

Both styles have good and bad examples out there, but are ultimately highly refined designs that are very effective, with different priorities in design, and which you use is largely a matter of personal preference.

 

[Miller '72]

this thing:

Grizzly-G1036-Slow-Speed-Grinder, slow and wet

as recommended by Mr 42

I can't open the picture but I like most things that have Grizzly in them

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I've just gotten finalized samples of the steam-bent shafts for the Longfellow snath. These will be ideal for folks looking to share a snath between multiple users of greatly varied heights, and should be a bit better for doing off-the-ground trimming.

 

[Square_peg]

Looks good!

 

[phantomknives]

first nice day of spring, took the harrow blade off and swapped my grass blade.. field blade? i dont know. ground it a little thinner and sanded to 1000 grit.

what really sucks is my dog was outside, he's a young german shepherd so he constantly want to play...
I set it down to take a bit of a break and he ran over to me to play, and he slashed his back left... 2nd shin? what is that lower bit of a dog's leg called?

well he cut himself pretty good and he's on his way to the Emergency vet right now. i feel awful that i let that happen to him.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Terribly sorry to hear that! A very good example of why scythes should be hung from a tree branch when taking breaks, if possible, or placed edge-down in thick grass if not.

 

[Moonw]

I watched a video on a Hay Camp in Romania and the scythes they used had two handles but the main shaft was completely straight. One interesting part was one of the Romanians had the sharpening stones, but took two scythes over to a tree, and in his hand he had what looked like a steel barrel, maybe three inches long, and two inches in diameter, with a spike going out of the middle of the barrel. He found a log lying on the ground, and hammered the spike part into the log, laid the edge of the scythe on top of the barrel, then with a hammer, went up and down the edge truing it up. John

If you still have the link and there's anything to translate, let me know.

Plenty of people in the country around here still use scythes; as a city child, I was fascinated by them, when visiting my grandparents. They were always thin yet muscular, healthy, apparently with infinite stamina, while eating what every doctor today says you should steer clear from: tons of bacon (?) - more like the fat with a thin strip of meat, I'm not sure there's a specific word for that in English, really well salted; bread, and red onions . That's the typical food while out in the fields working, very calorie-dense - more so in Transylvania; just like drinking "țuică" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Țuică is another tradition...maybe drank too much...however these people being regarded as the most chilled of all Romanians (there are a few unfair jokes about them being sloooow...), they didn't tend to cause trouble).

Contrary to what one may think, I don't remember anyone being fond of garlic.

I have a 24 year old colleague (IT guy) that grew up in a smaller village, and he's still using a scythe routinely. He was just taught like his parents and grandparents were, he didn't have to "discover" anything over Youtube, unlike I may need one day if things work out the way I intended (when I havde enough money stashed). Might need to pick his brains, instead, or make friends with some old guy, using țuică as currency.

*

Phantomknives, gosh I love dogs but they will get into trouble when you're not paying attention. How are things going? I hope - for the sake of everyone - you won't need to put an Elizabethan Collar on him, that's pure misery for everyone involved . I've had a few get revenge on me by bumping into my feet, and anything approaching 100 lbs doing that repeatedly is no fun.

 

[phantomknives]

If you still have the link and there's anything to translate, let me know.

Plenty of people in the country around here still use scythes; as a city child, I was fascinated by them, when visiting my grandparents. They were always thin yet muscular, healthy, apparently with infinite stamina, while eating what every doctor today says you should steer clear from: tons of bacon (?) - more like the fat with a thin strip of meat, I'm not sure there's a specific word for that in English, really well salted; bread, and red onions . That's the typical food while out in the fields working, very calorie-dense - more so in Transylvania; just like drinking "țuică" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Țuică is another tradition...maybe drank too much...however these people being regarded as the most chilled of all Romanians (there are a few unfair jokes about them being sloooow...), they didn't tend to cause trouble).

Contrary to what one may think, I don't remember anyone being fond of garlic.

I have a 24 year old colleague (IT guy) that grew up in a smaller village, and he's still using a scythe routinely. He was just taught like his parents and grandparents were, he didn't have to "discover" anything over Youtube, unlike I may need one day if things work out the way I intended (when I havde enough money stashed). Might need to pick his brains, instead, or make friends with some old guy, using țuică as currency.

*

Phantomknives, gosh I love dogs but they will get into trouble when you're not paying attention. How are things going? I hope - for the sake of everyone - you won't need to put an Elizabethan Collar on him, that's pure misery for everyone involved . I've had a few get revenge on me by bumping into my feet, and anything approaching 100 lbs doing that repeatedly is no fun.

they didnt give us a cone of shame, he needed some muscle repair and a tendon repair. he's still feeling the anesthetics right now

 

[Moonw]

they didnt give us a cone of shame, he needed some muscle repair and a tendon repair. he's still feeling the anesthetics right now

Was the tendon sliced clean? Hope not.

Good luck, you will both need to have lots of patience. Especially you, trying to curb the enthusiasm of a young German Shepherd to prance around like nothing happened. They probably recommended one of those wire cages?

Wish him a quick recovery!

 

[Square_peg]

Poor fella. I hope he's gonna be alright. Young dogs are pretty resilient if you can keep him off it long enough to heal.

Just a word on the Romanian folks with their scythe anvils. Don't try that with an American scythe blade unless you're certain it's not hardened. American scythes need to be honed not peened. I discovered this by cracking a really nice True Temper brush blade.

 

[phantomknives]

Was the tendon sliced clean? Hope not.

Good luck, you will both need to have lots of patience. Especially you, trying to curb the enthusiasm of a young German Shepherd to prance around like nothing happened. They probably recommended one of those wire cages?

Wish him a quick recovery!

they didnt tell me any specifics.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Poor fella. I hope he's gonna be alright. Young dogs are pretty resilient if you can keep him off it long enough to heal.

Just a word on the Romanian folks with their scythe anvils. Don't try that with an American scythe blade unless you're certain it's not hardened. American scythes need to be honed not peened. I discovered this by cracking a really nice True Temper brush blade.

Also, laminated blades will peen without much difficulty due to the iron cladding, but the single-sided bevel will have the edge comprised of iron instead of the core edge steel. Frigs it all up.