In need of "Scythes 101"

[patandchickens]

I know Free uses a scythe, probably others do too.

Educate me please?

I have two scythes, one wooden and one aluminum, both in reasonably good shape and clearly having been cared for well and used a lot before being left in a barn for several years to get a bit rusty. (Bought them for $2 for *both together* at a farm auction last fall, neener neener)

First, how do I sharpen them -- they are not in terrible shape but need more than just a light touch-up.

And second, more important, got any pointers for effective scything technique? Just swinging 'em any which way does not seem likely to get much done so I am pretty sure there are important Things I Am Missing Here.

Thanks,

Pat

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Hey Pat,

When I first looked into scything, I found this website . They have pretty much everything there you might ever need to know. If you have a good scythe, then you can mow pretty efficiently by twisting your body, rather than using your arms to power the scythe. Scything can be relaxing and it is certainly quieter than using a weed whacker or most lawn mowers.

 

[freemotion]

I have a European scythe blade and snath from Scythe Supply Co in Maine. It was custom made for my height, as you need to stand in a comfortable position so the blade just skims the ground, and that you are neither bending nor holding the scythe blade up. Most of these tools were designed for the average man, so I felt I needed to get one made just for me so that I wouldn't injure myself using it....I can't afford injuries that keep me from my job that pays the bills! And a sore back is enough to impact my work with my clients.

You will need to give it a good peening with a peening hammer and anvil, or with a peening jig set into a log and a regular hammer. Then you need to have a sharpening stone with a holster that holds water for while you are in the field. You will touch up the blade every row or two, depending on the length of your field.

There are a few videos on youtube that are very useful, so do a quick search. There are more and more added every year, so you should get a good education just by putting in a few words in the search like peening scythe, etc.

My scythe paid for itself the first time I used it, compared to what it would've cost to have my field mowed.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I am still looking for one, cheap!! I used to watch my Grandfather scythe the field. He showed me how to do it and I hope I remember how, when I finally "find" mine.

 

[freemotion]

Although it is a bit of work, I now know every square inch of my pasture and every plant that grows in it. It is so nice to be out there early in the morning while the dew is on the grass (easier to mow with a scythe in wet grass, not so easy in dry grass) and it is me and my blade and the birds. It takes me a week to mow my little pasture because I try not to mow more than 45 minutes...try. It is quite addictive.

With the spring we've had, hay being 2-3 weeks early and all the stuff going on here, I haven't even touched the field yet other than to cut a tub-full of fresh grass when I lock Mya up in a stall for a few hours. I need to get out there, seriously! I'm itchin' to mow!

 

[patandchickens]

Thanks folks!

The scytheconnections.com page scares me. It makes it sound very rocket-science-ey. Eeep. OTOH I have read the same sort of "Cult of Sharpening Things Just Exactly *so*" articles in a lot of woodworking publications re: chisels and knives, and I know from experience that although the sharpening job I do is not like what the cultists are describing it is sufficient to get the job done. So maybe I can manage this

I will have to see if Lee Valley has a peening jig, or if not maybe I will try doing it freehand.

I did emery-cloth the rust off the blades yesterday and do a little experimenting. While the blades were sort of 'average kitchen knife' -sharp, they did not cut my tall reed canarygrass very well after the first few swipes, but I can see how it'd work if I can get the edge working better.

Thanks very much, will let you know how it goes if I can come up with a way of properly sharpening the blades,

Pat

 

[DrakeMaiden]

The scytheconnections.com page scares me. It makes it sound very rocket-science-ey. Eeep.

I know! But like most things . . . I personally find it best to learn from the obsessively technical folks and then find what works for me and go from there. Right now, I leave the sharpening of my scythe to my husband. The scythe that I inherited (fabricated in the 1980's or early 1990's) is more of a cheap knock-off, so I haven't bothered to study up too much about the proper use of scythes, since I don't have a model that most of that info would apply well to (mine is not adjustable to body height, has a short blade and is probably best used as an edge mowing tool). A well-made scythe is on my long-term must-have list.

Anyway, good luck finding what works best for you, Pat.

How big is your pasture, Free? You don't plan on trying out for any of those scything competitions now, do you?

 

[~gd]

Thanks folks!

The scytheconnections.com page scares me. It makes it sound very rocket-science-ey. Eeep. OTOH I have read the same sort of "Cult of Sharpening Things Just Exactly *so*" articles in a lot of woodworking publications re: chisels and knives, and I know from experience that although the sharpening job I do is not like what the cultists are describing it is sufficient to get the job done. So maybe I can manage this

I will have to see if Lee Valley has a peening jig, or if not maybe I will try doing it freehand.

I did emery-cloth the rust off the blades yesterday and do a little experimenting. While the blades were sort of 'average kitchen knife' -sharp, they did not cut my tall reed canarygrass very well after the first few swipes, but I can see how it'd work if I can get the edge working better.

Thanks very much, will let you know how it goes if I can come up with a way of properly sharpening the blades,

Pat

Lee Valley had stones made for sharpening Scythes- I got mine there. I think they even had a pricy inported modern Scythe. As a young man I used one, we carried the stone and refreshed the edge often as needed or even as an excuse to take a break. It was done freehand and is much like refreshing the edge on a kitchen knive using a steel. A keen edge is a must!