I Bought a scythe today

[colhut]

Well, the bit of field the sheep have not got needs mowing, it would be nice to make some hay, and a field grass cutter costs £600, so the decision is not that hard.

so I go thome excitedly with it and put it together, and although my first attempt looks like some frenzied slasher attack there are bits where it really worked. There is a definate skill needed, but it does not seem as hard as I thought it would be.

I seem to have developed a large blister on one hand too, at exactly the time I had a play with it, I doubt they are related though

[Shirley]

I want to get one too - great exercise :) Where did you get yours?

[wulf]

As I recall, Nev was learning about scythes a while ago - perhaps he will have some useful bits of information for you (let that blister heal is probably the first one!)

Wulf

[Thurston Garden]

I did an acre of grass last year, and might have tackle it this year too. The blade needs to be very sharp. Mine was just getting sharp at the end of the acre!

Stonehead is the Master of Scything! Look on his blog for a guide...

[Stonehead]

Well, the bit of field the sheep have not got needs mowing, it would be nice to make some hay, and a field grass cutter costs £600, so the decision is not that hard.

so I go thome excitedly with it and put it together, and although my first attempt looks like some frenzied slasher attack there are bits where it really worked. There is a definate skill needed, but it does not seem as hard as I thought it would be.

I seem to have developed a large blister on one hand too, at exactly the time I had a play with it, I doubt they are related though

Welcome to the club!

There are a few things to get right when using a scythe - it must be set up correctly for your height and hand spacing, it must have the right blade for the job (short, heavy blade for brush; long, light blade for a good meadow; short, medium blade for banks and around trees); it must be razor sharp and you should start slow and learn control before charging full-tilt into the field.

Having said that, the real skill is not in cutting the grass but in laying the swathe in neat lines so it can be easily turned.

Carry a good scythe stone in your pocket and give the blade a hone after about 10 minutes work (less if working on bracken and gorse). Lightly peen the blade (with a hammer on a peening anvil) every hour or so. At the end of the job, file out any knicks (a diamond file is good for this) and give the blade a good peening, followed by a hone with a stone, and then oil it.

It's also worth keeping the handles in good shape by rasping and sanding them to fit your grip exactly, then wiping them down with boiled linseed oil after each use.

As for blisters, if you haven't used hand tools much for prolonged periods then you will get a few. I have thick callus at the top of my right palm from my little finger to my middle finger, and then on the base of my index finger as this is where the weight of my scythe falls.

And whatever you do, don't share your scythe with anyone else. Keep it tuned to you and you'll find it much easier to use.


PS I do around a day's scything a week in the grass growing season. I use it in the coppice, to keep the tracks clear, for keeping the grass down along the fence lines, for topping weeds, for clearing bracken, for working around the soft fruit, and for general grass cutting.

[Wombat]

Hey Gang!

I found "the Scythe Book" to be good too. From the US, but still good!

Nev

[colhut]

I want to get one too - great exercise :) Where did you get yours?

I got it from James Bowdens & Sons in Chagford, an amazing shop, it stocks just about everything on the planet (seems to anyhow) and if they don't have it then a quick enquiry normaly ends with "we can get one in by wednesday".

I plan to buy the scythe book as soon as I find something else to order with it so I get the free delivery from Amazon

[Stonehead]

I should have posted this link earlier - it has one of the better guides to using a scythe to mow grass with minimum strain and maximum result. And as they say, good scythework is akin to both dancing and tai chi.

I have it bookmarked but completely forgot it. Sigh. Must be my age!

Do remember that this technique is for mowing grass on reasonably level ground with no obstacles. Clearing rough ground, trimming around obstacles and working on hills and banks require different techniques that can require a lot of upper body work. (I spent six hours today clearing bracken, cutting tracks, clearing fence lines and tidying banks - this is hard work.)

Oh, and one more thing. If you're mowing good clean meadow with nothing sharp, prickly or stinging underfoot, then try scything with bare feet on a cool but sunny morning with a light dew. Absolutely fantastic!

[colhut]

Thanks Stonehead, I've had sytheconnection in my favourites for a while, I never jump onto something new without researching it as best I can first (although scything websites are few and far between). The video on their website is very good and well worth watching a few times. They even show mowing round complex obsticles ( they trim in and under an old trailer as well as hedges).

I think I'll skip the barefoot scything, I'd hate the conseqences of disturbing an adder from basking in the sun !

[Muddypause]

...try scything with bare feet on a cool but sunny morning with a light dew. Absolutely fantastic!

There was a hit in the early seventies which ended with the line "Me, I'm just a lawnmower - you can tell me by the way I walk" (your chance to Name That Tune, viewers).

When fields and meadows would be mowed by teams of men with scythes, foot injuries were not uncommon. The trick was for the line of mowers to set off one at a time, so that the first man would have advanced enough to be out of the way of the next man's blade by the time he set off. But apparently it didn't always go according to plan. And hence (I guess) the children's rhyme "One man went to mow... Two men went to mow... etc,

[Stonehead]

There was a hit in the early seventies which ended with the line "Me, I'm just a lawnmower - you can tell me by the way I walk" (your chance to Name That Tune, viewers).

I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe), Genesis, from the Selling England by the Pound album, 1973, on the Atlantic label, cat no SD 19277-2. Yes, it's one my extensive collection of vinyl albums!

When fields and meadows would be mowed by teams of men with scythes, foot injuries were not uncommon. The trick was for the line of mowers to set off one at a time, so that the first man would have advanced enough to be out of the way of the next man's blade by the time he set off. But apparently it didn't always go according to plan. And hence (I guess) the children's rhyme "One man went to mow... Two men went to mow... etc,

The important thing is to have the strongest, fastest mower go first; then the second strongest and so on.That way you don't have mowers passing each other.

[Stonehead]

The video on their website is very good and well worth watching a few times. They even show mowing round complex obsticles ( they trim in and under an old trailer as well as hedges).

It's a shame they don't showing topping with a scythe - although they may not do it. It's quite tricky maintaining a cut 4 to 6in off the ground so that you remove the taller weeds while leaving the grass to grow.

Another tricky one is working in confined spaces, as when the bloke on the video is working inside the trailer. One of my mowing jobs is to cut the one-metre wide paths between our raised beds, edged with wood. There's a real knack to doing it without sinking the scythe into the wood or yourself.

PS I also have big white shirts, bandanas and a beard, although the latter is not as impressive as that of the bloke in the video!

[Wombat]

Good site Stoney!

Nev

[Stonehead]

And now the hazards of using, or rather carrying, a scythe...

I was walking up the hill earlier today, carrying my scythe in my left hand, when I slipped on a patch of damp grass. Nothing serious and the sort of thing that happens dozens of times every day.

But it was enough to make the scythe sway in my grip, dip slightly and brush against my right hand. There wasn't even a feeling of impact and I thought nothing of it until I noticed my hand felt wet.

I looked down to find blood gushing everywhere. The scythe, which is sharp enough to split a hair, had slit the end of my thumb to the bone and gashed the knuckles on three fingers.

I applied pressure and walked back to the house holding my hand in the air - must have looked really odd. I closed the cut up with butterfly clips, then applied a dressing and used a strip of plaster to apply more pressure.

It should be fine but while it didn't hurt at the time or for a while afterwards, it's now begun to sting (well, ****** hurt actually!).

But I was back out mowing again within 10 minutes. So, be careful with your scythe at all times!

[Shirley]

I looked down to find blood gushing everywhere. The scythe, which is sharp enough to split a hair, had slit the end of my thumb to the bone and gashed the knuckles on three fingers.

OUCHIES!!! You obviously do a good job of keeping it sharpened!