Scythe

[Saw-sick Steve]

Anyone still use one, or know where to get hold of one? Used to use one ages ago to cut the orchard on the estate I worked on, and fancied cutting a small meadow with one, rather than using the tractor. IIRC, it was a 'Turk Scythe' I used before, be interesting to see if I'm still up to using one. Are they still making them?

[Brushcutter]

Anyone still use one, or know where to get hold of one? Used to use one ages ago to cut the orchard on the estate I worked on, and fancied cutting a small meadow with one, rather than using the tractor. IIRC, it was a 'Turk Scythe' I used before, be interesting to see if I'm still up to using one. Are they still making them?

 

Used these Austrian scythes to cut an orchard many years ago. Scythes - Tools | Green Shopping keep them very sharp.

[Stumpy Grinder]

Sickles and Scythes at M W Partridge & Co Ltd, Traditional & Independant

[peatff]

I made a one handed scythe out of an old sickle and it was really good for taking down the Knotweed over the wall at the bottom of the garden. I cut the blade off the sickle and welded it into a piece of conduit with a handle on the top. A friend of my uncle was using a proper one to cut some nettles on his allotment many years ago and he let it slip and cut his calf muscle. He has walked with a limp ever since.

Edited June 3, 2017 by peatff

[Ilnumero]

Who needs a strimmer.......

 

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[SteveA]

I got mine from The Scythe Shop http://www.thescytheshop.co.uk Austrian Scythes for sale. and Mr Simon Fairlie gave me a free lesson, ...setting it up, sharpening & basic demonstration. Top bloke

 

Somebody was on a course 'peening' whilst I was there too so picked up a few tips with that as well.

 

They are amazing tools. Was using mine this morning with a ditch blade to cut soft rush in around our recently planted sweet chestnut coppice.

 

I tend to use the ditch blade 90% of the time as its a bit shorter & stronger than the grass blades.... happily chops through gnarly bramble & saplings.

 

Peening is an art to master and does make quite a difference.... after a fresh peen it feels like the blade is refreshed to an 'as new' level of sharpness. Although some people don't bother and just use a file followed by stones.

 

cheers, steve

Edited June 3, 2017 by SteveA

[Fredwardclarke]

Who needs a strimmer.......

 

 

 

 

Now this is something I'm interested in. I'd be very interested in seeing a comparison of the effects on the operator between the brushcutter and the scythe. Would the adverse effects of the brushcutter outweigh the fatigue of using the scythe.

On another note, can anyone see scythes being brought back into mainstream use?

[Chris Day]

Guessing the bloke in the video has done that a couple of times before. To be fair he may be faster but he's visibly tired at the end of the clip. Be interesting to see scythe versus brushcutter on a couple of acres, guessing scythe would lose that one.

 

Looks efficient though the way it stacks the grass ready for bailing or collection.

[Daniël Bos]

Guessing the bloke in the video has done that a couple of times before. To be fair he may be faster but he's visibly tired at the end of the clip. Be interesting to see scythe versus brushcutter on a couple of acres, guessing scythe would lose that one.

 

Looks efficient though the way it stacks the grass ready for bailing or collection.

 

Who would use a brush cutter on two acres?

 

The advantages of the scythe​ (in my opinion) are silence, it's a very wholesome excercise as it moves the whole body in a rhythmic motion and can be quite mentally relaxing, it's safe (no chance of anything sent flying), no fumes, no fuel and you can cut right against trees without any damage.

 

There's a scythe in my toolkit, but the comparison with brushcutters isn't always valid. You can't annihilate a patch of 8ft high brambles with a schtye for example. A test against a finger bar mower would be more appropriate in the above video, or a scythe with a heavy short blade such as you'd use in the circumstances the brushcutter is made for.

[Ilnumero]

To be fair he may be faster but he's visibly tired at the end of the clip.

 

The brushcutter worked for 100% of the time, the scythe operator worked for 50% of the time, so is able to do the same job in half the time and have a rest and recover.