BOYS TOYS

Every year, our extended family congregates on some woodland in Devon and we play with axes, chainsaws and chisels and mess about vaguely with 'woodland crafts'. Last year (2008), one of my brothers showed me his new toy. He pulled out a curved piece of wood, a metal blade, some stones and a few nuts and bolts. Very soon, he had assembled... a scythe - in fact an Austrian scythe. This wasn't the type I had normally seen - the main stem (the snath) was square in section and much thinner than the standard English scythe. He demonstrated it on some long grass on the river bank.

OK, so it cuts grass. I wasn't really taken with it as it didn't have that traditional look. I've got two lawn mowers, why would I want a scythe? Well, I could cut the path on my allotment, but I take the lawn mower down to do that. Well, actually, I haven't done that for over two years now as it's heavy and it's hard work getting through thick damp grass.

I could use a strimmer but I have never found them entirely satisfactory. I found that I spent more time searching for fresh swear words as I tried to get it started than I did on clearing the ground. They are also noisy and you should wear protective clothing.

I searched eBay for scythes and ignored the traditional scythe as being too heavy and... well, antiquated. I was very taken with the Oxford Allen scythe, as it fulfilled my interest in ageing machinery and I loved the practicality of its aesthetics (this means that I liked the look of it!). The prices they were fetching and the bother of keeping it maintained and running put me off - and owning one would require me to search again for new expletives.

And then ... the light came on - I could mow the grass on the community orchard on Cottonmill Allotments and my path with an Austrian scythe.

Christmas came and went and, courtesy of my sons, I was the proud owner of a new scythe - albeit in bits. So, what do you get? The snath (main stem) is light and square in section, predrilled to take the two handles (called grips or nibs) at varying heights. You get a light blade and some fittings to fix it to the stem of the snath. It takes a little while to set up as your height and forearm length determine where the handles (nibs) go. You also need to modify the lay of the blade - it can be adjusted in three dimensions - this is the bit that I found slightly taxing. You also need some whet stones to keep it sharp. And I had also asked for a little anvil. More on that later.

I haven't looked at a typical English type recently, but the blade I have is Austrian and is light and thin. It is hand-forged rather than pressed like the typical blade so it is light and very sharp. The lightness also means that the snath (handle) can also be light. It does also mean that it is not best used for heavy duty grass and scrub cuttting.

FIRST ATTEMPTS

Being winter, I had little to test it on, but come spring, I tried it out without much success on my lawn and the paths bordering my allotment. But in May, I decided to have another go at the paths and also tackle the community orchard on Cottonmill. Paths are a bit tricky as, being narrow, it's difficult to get a reasonable swing. The scythe works better at arms length, not close to your feet. But it is effective. An allotment nearby was running wild with very long grass and dandelions. The open bits were an absolute pleasure to deal with - nettles, grass, dock all fell with a very satisfying swish. The problems were accurately scything around poles, bushes and planks - the tip of the blade can get quite stuck. The other annoyances are small stones - these are mildly irritating; bricks and large stones more so. Hidden metal is the worst enemy.

THE ORCHARD

Satisfied that the weeds were felled, I moved onto the orchard. This was extremely satisfying, especially when there was a large uninterrupted section to tackle. When mowing a meadow, the mower should be able to cut a swathe and leave the cuttings in neat rows down the left. Mowers used to work in lines the correct distance apart - apparently this is why there are few left handed scythes around. The orchard didn't really allow for this orderliness, but I will consider my next attack more carefully.

TECHNIQUES

There are various techniques to learn. There is one in using a scythe correctly - I'm still working on this. The main thing is to make sure that the blade rests on the ground as you swing. If you have set the blade up correctly (I won't go into this here), the cutting edge of the blade is slightly above ground as the the blade is concave from front to back. The best way to see the technique is to look on YouTube. Peter Vido has some hypnotic videos and there are plenty of others on YouTube.

SHARPENING

But there are other mysteries to uncover. The first is sharpening. This is the dangerous bit. I decided not to go with the recommended coarse and fine stones, but a medium and fine - as I do a bit of sharpening at home anyway. These stones are long and curved and need to be used wet - you can buy special sheaths that attach to your belt filled with water. You keep your whetting stone in your sheath to be used when required. I made a wooden one - but it leaks - so is untried. I just keep the stones in a plastic bottle of water. One recommendation which I try to adhere to is to resharpen every five minutes. It only takes a minute or so - so it is not a burdensome chore - in fact it becomes part of a strange and satisfying ritual.

PEENING

The other mystery and technique is called peening. This is what the anvil is for. You can also get peening hammers, but I decided to stick with an ordinary carpenter's hammer. The idea is that you can repair the edge, nicks, dents and splits by cold forging the blade on the anvil. I am struggling with this and am considering buying a peening jig - two bits of metal that fit either side of the blade. The theory is that the edge can be repaired by carefully hammering the blade and thereby moving the metal from the fat part of the blade back to the edge and also into the nicks. Yes - search me - but I will persevere and report later if I master this.

COSTS

60 cm Austrian Blade	£36.00
Adjustable Snath	£49.00
Bar Peen Anvil	£17.00
Medium Grit Stone	£9.00
Fine Natural Stone	£9.00
TOTAL	£120.00

I got mine from The Scythe Shop so if you're interested, check prices as they do sets that work out a little cheaper. The prices above include VAT (at 15%) but not postage. You also get a leaflet on setting it up. They also do courses and there is a load more information on their site.

VERDICT

So, what was my verdict? Mowing from the front of the orchard to the shed and the bamboo stacks took about an hour (the second time I did it took about 2 hours - much longer vegetation). I think that was a good result. It was hot work - but it was a beautiful sunny day, but I did not feel overly tired. I haven't used a strimmer for years; I've always found them hard work, frustrating when they conk out, and messy - they seem to mash the vegetation. I think I would have been hotter using one as I would have needed ear defenders and face protector. And they are... noisy. We are getting to the poetic bit soon. Scythes are quiet. I could hear the gentle swish as the blade cut through grass, nettles, ash seedlings, onarpordums etc. and I could also hear the two frogs that I might have decipitated. I could also hear two fellow allotmenteers about four allotments away - strimming. I bet they couldn't hear me.

But the best bit is the most difficult to explain. I felt at one with the tools. I felt in tune with what I was doing. If I was a better wordsmith I would go on. Suffice to say - it was all just so enjoyable. That evening I was tired - but it was that very satisfying type of tiredness - like having a pint of beer after a days fell walking. It was exhilarating.

And I can't wait for that grass to grow back again! Now I need a hay rake - but they cost money. Keep checking the Hints and Tips pages for the solution.

Signed
The Dim Reaper

Click images for larger view

Devon

Oxford Allen Scythe

Snath and Nibs

Assembled Scythe

Orchard Before and After

Whetting Stones

Peenimg Anvil and Hammer

Our aim is to support full cultivation of the allotment plots.

Last updated 28 Aug 2009