Scythe?

[rideon66]

So was thinking about going back to basics with the clearing of the under crap in the back woods. So my yard is only about half or less grass in the back and the rest is wooded. Unfortunately Japanese stiltgrass came up from the clearing they did many years ago to put in a pipe through the woods behind my property. I guess it somehow gets into that green spray seed they use like on the sides of the road when they do work and reseed. Anyway it takes over down here and I am tired of spraying round up 3 to 4 times a season as that is the only thing that kills it. Grows about 3' high and thick covering the entire woods and up into the yard.

So a weed eater doesn't really cut it that well either. I could buy a heavy duty one that has a blade attachment, but don't really want all that.

I was thinking about going old school and getting a scythe. Any ideas or options. Anyone else use one? I can get a good one from Europe for about the price of a gas powered weed eater shipped.

 

[Ad Astra]

Monitoring with interest. Get out there swinging it with a black hoodie ...

I rely on Roundup; would use Agent Orange if I had it.


AA

 

[rideon66]

Have thought about agent orange myself. My dog eats the Japanese stilt grass sometimes and of course I end up getting the spray on me sometimes too so I just want to try a different approach that may not kill me or the dog as fast.

 

[Bakker1964]

Machete? Requires less radial space to swing and likely just as effective.

 

[rideon66]

Machete? Requires less radial space to swing and likely just as effective.

Yeah I would have to lay on the ground swinging that thing for days to get through all this stuff. Plus you want to get as close to the ground as possible. Which would probably not be too good for a machete. Scythes are made for that.

 

[John Rose]

I'd be looking for a brush scythe, with the shorter blade, for tall weeds with woody stems.

This guy did fairly well with a long scythe on tall grass.

 

[emwolf]

it would be nice to have a scythe, if only to hang on the garage wall.

 

[rideon66]

I was actually looking at a 28" light weight strong ditch blade that is good for grass mature weeds and light brush. The brush blades are much smaller 16"-20" and seem to be more for culling saplings in a woodlot and will easily cut saplings 3/4" diameter. That seems a bit over kill blade wise and I can clear more faster with the larger blade.

The guys in the video above crack me up. I like how the guy with the brushcutter has full protective gear on including helmet and face shield while the guy with the scythe doesn't even have a shirt on.

 

[rideon66]

I should clarify that it is a European style scythe I am looking at and not American style. They are different. I miss typed in the original post not from Europe. It is from Maine but European style.

Sharpening is a combination of hammering (peening) and honing with a whetstone. These blades are NOT GROUND on a grindstone. The cutting edge is drawn out thin using a cross peen hammer and a small anvil. This is done occasionally to restore the working edge. In the field the blade is frequently and quickly dressed with a water-soaked stone.

The American pattern scythe lacks the refinement of the European model. The blades are heavier and do not have the curves or tension of the European style. Mounted on a heavy bent-wood snath (also an American pattern) this scythe is hard to use and less efficient. These blades are sharpened on a grindstone.

 

[rideon66]

Another option maybe a japanese sickle. Much smaller and would take more work, but easier to sharpen and much cheaper.

 

[vanacres]

I have, and regularly use, a scythe with a European style snath. I got it several years ago from a maker in Canada, but I don’t remember the specifics. It is very well made, and probably my favorite tool. I have yet to peen it, but it really does need it (with several dings and chips on the edge). I just keep it touched up with the stone.

Buy a quality scythe. You will love it.

 

[ackvil]

The one I had was rather heavy and was exhausting to use. I ended up getting a machete and used that. However, I had over 500 feet of field grass and brush to clear.

 

[simon1]

This is what I use for the heavy stuff.

Oh, that wasn't any help was it?

Here's my manual one, but it's not what you are looking for and not near the quality. I don't think it would cut small saplings but that's not what you want anyway. I've never had a regular scythe. Tiring to use, but I need the exercise.

 

[rideon66]

This is what I use for the heavy stuff.

Oh, that wasn't any help was it?

Here's my manual one, but it's not what you are looking for and not near the quality. I don't think it would cut small saplings but that's not what you want anyway. I've never had a regular scythe. Tiring to use, but I need the exercise.

If it will take care of Japanese stilt grass it is a viable option. Cheaper is cool with me. Don't see those at my local home improvement store though.

 

[Rhody]

Monitoring with interest. Get out there swinging it with a black hoodie ...

I rely on Roundup; would use Agent Orange if I had it.


AA

i just had a large section of brush professionally cleared and now weeds are coming. Usually in the past i went for roundup but the link to the big C scares me now

 

[ajkel64]

In the video the man with the scythe made it look easy. Talk about a machine. I still use Roundup. I don’t use it everyday so I feel fine with using it.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

A reckon an Austrian scythe would be perfect for this job, especially if you can find somebody in your area who offers courses on how to prepare and use them. They're lighter and handier to use than the traditional English scythe, and can be sharpened on the spot, rather than requiring a grinding wheel back at base. Because they're so portable it's easy to cut back any unwanted weeds as soon as you see them, rather than putting the job off until you can find the time to prepare some more elaborate measure. Also, once you have the knack they're very precise, so you can slice off what you don't want right down to the ground.

 

[Ad Astra]

In order to not alarm folks when you're using it ...

AA

 

[Raissermesser]

I should clarify that it is a European style scythe I am looking at and not American style. They are different. I miss typed in the original post not from Europe. It is from Maine but European style.

Sharpening is a combination of hammering (peening) and honing with a whetstone. These blades are NOT GROUND on a grindstone. The cutting edge is drawn out thin using a cross peen hammer and a small anvil. This is done occasionally to restore the working edge. In the field the blade is frequently and quickly dressed with a water-soaked stone.

The American pattern scythe lacks the refinement of the European model. The blades are heavier and do not have the curves or tension of the European style. Mounted on a heavy bent-wood snath (also an American pattern) this scythe is hard to use and less efficient. These blades are sharpened on a grindstone.

The blade of a European scythe isn't quite as robust as with an America. Note that the blade is thin, and, IIRC, has a curve in the blade itself. The American blade is flat, IIRC, and stouter. That sounds like more what you'd need for small brush. The curve of an American scythe is different from a European, and that's been criticized in some circles. Will note that the American scythe could be mounted with a cradle to catch grain; don't know if that's possible with a European scythe.

A powered option would be a sicklebar mower. For smaller stuff, maybe a trimmer mower, which is essentially a trimmer with thicker line powered by a four-stroke engine and mounted on a wheeled frame. If your land is rocky, that will break the teeth on a sicklebar.

 

[Raissermesser]

A reckon an Austrian scythe would be perfect for this job, especially if you can find somebody in your area who offers courses on how to prepare and use them. They're lighter and handier to use than the traditional English scythe, and can be sharpened on the spot, rather than requiring a grinding wheel back at base. Because they're so portable it's easy to cut back any unwanted weeds as soon as you see them, rather than putting the job off until you can find the time to prepare some more elaborate measure. Also, once you have the knack they're very precise, so you can slice off what you don't want right down to the ground.

American scythe maintenance is sort of similar to straight razor maintenance. In the field, you touch it up with a whetrock as you mow. Grinding is for when it needs a bit more.