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Roger

The message
from (Anna Kettle) contains these words:

A couple of times each year I mow the little meadow at the end of my
garden and every time I roll out extension leads, get weighed down by
the electric strimmer which makes a horrible noise and the strimmer
line breaks and I curse loudly

I have an electric strimmer that has remained unused for well over a
decade. If yours is anything like mine I am not surprised by your
reaction. A year or two ago I bought a petrol strimmer which has a
thicker line and performs much better but when I need to cut open areas
out comes the old scythe my father bought back in 1954 to clear our new
garden. I had to buy that a new blade a few years ago and I find the new
2 foot blade much easier to use than the original 3 foot blade.

To save the ears of my ladylike neighbour there has to be a better
solution and I've been considering getting a scythe for a while now.

It happens that there are loads of scythes in my local auction on
Saturday so I might go and bid. Does anyone know what I should be
looking for in particular? Does one buy a scythe to fit the person, or
are they general purpose items? The lot descriptions include

Grass scythe (several of these)
Bramble scythe (hopefully dont need this)
Pea scythe
Scythe cradle
Allen scythe
scythette

I am sorry but I don't have a clue about the various types of scythe.
Mine is (AFAIK) a traditional scythe with 2 handgrips on a long curved
shaft.

I'm told that a scythe blade has to be kept very sharp so presumably I
will need some sort of honing stone too?

Well sharp anyway. Any good iron mongers will sell you a suitable honing
stone.

The traditional advice for using a scythe is to keep the heel down. What
that really means is that the blade needs to be kept parallel to ground
and as close as possible without actually grounding it. Easier with a
shorter blade. Don't get a modern sickle fitted with a golf club type
handle. Worst of both worlds.

Best of luck with your purchase.

--
Roger Chapman