I kind of want a scythe now.
- Thread starter Legion
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Having used one quite a bit when I was a kid, I can tell you that while they aren't difficult master, there is definitely an art to using one well.
Really makes the year 1980 seem incredibly far away
I almost got a sythe years ago to deal with all the Japanese stilt grass in my yard. Turns out there is a website that sells different types for different uses and explains everything. Unfortunately they are very pricey to get everything you need so just ended up getting a brush cutting blade for the gas weed eater. I would like to have one though.
Oh, that's interesting. In Europe, at least, they are still pretty cheap as long as you go for vintage ones. A few years ago, it was quite easy to find them for free even. Nowadays, that's not the case but they can still be found for free if you know where to ask. My grandfather, for example, always used one and he even went out the whole day together with his friends while disapproving every time they saw someone showing up with gas trimmers. Times have changed really quickly.
Go ahead and get one, you’re worth it. It may cost a little more but think of the time savings!
I've got one hanging in my garage. Got it for $5 at an estate auction, probably 25 years ago. I showed it to my grandpa and he said "put a motor on that thing" with a look of disgust. He didn't have any fond memories of scything and threshing.
I should peen and hone the edge, actually have some spots in the back yard where it would be useful.
I should peen and hone the edge, actually have some spots in the back yard where it would be useful.
Unfortunately for my property I would also need multiple blades. One for a ditch, one short and one long. Around $80 each for just the blade not including shipping from Europe. Even then I have too much stuff hiding in the tall grass that I think would mess up the blades periodically. There is also the need for a Peening jig and that cold hammers the steel edge thinning and sharpening it. They require a lot more knowledge and work then most people think I believe. Each item you need seems to be about another $80 it adds up quick.
Picked up a vintage one a couple years back to clear out pokeweed in my yard... Got it nice and sharp... took a swipe... and the handle snapped off right at where it bolted together... So it's been sitting; waiting for me to get around to retapping the handle and making it 2" shorter.
This is another thing to be aware of if one ever wants to buy one. You need to measure yourself height, elbow to finger tip, ground to hip and these all correlate to the Snaths setup so you are not hurting yourself and joints and also getting the proper cutting height. The motion you move in if not set up correctly will mess you up over time. Not going to want to reuse an old one or shorten one for any real work. There are also bent and straight version. I don't remember what the difference there was.
I thought it would be cheap and simple, but turns out it is incredibly more complicated and difficult than just putting a $12 attachment on the current weed eater. Growing up my parents had my grandparents old tools and we had a grass whip double edged serrated blade. Kind of a manual weed wacker. You can still get them for like $25 free shipping on Amazon. Probably work, but swinging that for a few hours would kill me and my back. Also not sure how well any of this would work on Japanese stilt grass. That stuff is evil. It even sometimes gets wound up on the gas powered blade.
Yeah it’s a lifestyle choice with a lot of overhead. I totally get it, but can’t resist a chance to be cheeky.
My dad taught me how to use one when I was young. He used his a lot and it was not until his latter years he used a weed wacker. I was actually thinking about it a while back and how cool it would be to get one and use it. However, it would not make much sense to use one where I live on just 0.5 acre. I came across this YT channel and this guy is big into it and covers just about every aspect of it.
https://www.youtube.com/@slattergubben6702
https://www.youtube.com/@slattergubben6702
I think they're cool. I had an old Scythe Stone around here for a long time, I think I gave it away.
Their reasonably priced around here but I just don't have a need. It would be more trouble than it would be worth for cutting my grass. I have thought about it.
The stones are damn scarce here though. I seen one the other day in a antique store for $50, hard pass.
The stones are damn scarce here though. I seen one the other day in a antique store for $50, hard pass.
I own two snaths and 4 scythe blades in deferent lengths. I have 4 stones in different grits and one of them is a natural blade to keep edge sharp while mowing. I also purchase a circular water grindstone since my scythes are the American type. I have to use grindstone once or twice a year. I bought them during the lockdowns to cut my lawn and to keep in shape since gyms were closed. I really like using them. I have 3/4th of acre an takes me about hour to cut the lawn. 2 hours if I have to rake. Kinda neat to cut the grass at 6am and not bother the neighbors. 
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Nope! Had to google it!I’m guessing you’ve not been to Fermanagh then…?
That could’ve been filmed yesterday!
Here in the Vosges mountains of France, a lot of folks use scythes to knock off a random, grassy out-cropping as needed. My wife's aunt asked me to do this for her one time. She had a scythe and a Norton medium India that was shaped like a short canoe from side to side and flat on the top and bottom. Her neighbor, an old-timer, showed me how to sharpen the scythe. It's a one-sided bevel. One sharpens from the bevel to the edge using sweeping strokes that follow the interior arch of the scythe with the canoe-shaped sides of the hone, dipping the hone into a bucket of rain water from time time to time to lift off swarf as needed. Then one uses the flat top or bottom of the hone to remove the burr that has accumulated on the flat, non-beveled backside of the scythe. Pretty easy to do.
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The hones in the video look like a big sweet potato!
The one I used was something like this: https://www.leroymerlin.fr/produits...ox-norton-diam-240-mm-54231996.html?megaBoost.
