Ron,

That's a very interesting link. I have 2 scythes that were my
grandfathers. One is 'store bought' (snath) and the other is a straight
one that he made all of the wood parts for. I even have a few wood
parts for another one he was making, along with the small ball peen
hammer and piece of steel he would he use as an anvil to 'set' the
blade. I also have his original well worn wetstone. I would think both
of these scythes are at least 60-70 years old but they are still in
great shape and used for decoration now.

Ron Hardin wrote:


http://www.scythesupply.com has a nice outfit, you need snath (I suggest
straight, which works best with long grass blades), blade (26" grass is
good general one; the 36" is good on easier spring grass), sharpening
stone (Begrenzer medium grit is good), bar peen hammer and wide anvil
(for thinning the edge again after you've sharpened it away enough); and
stone-holder, since you stop and sharpen every 5 minutes or so, for a few
sharpening strokes. A lot of stuff but a nice pasttime. They have
a package deal on price, the last I looked.

With a European scythe, you're slicing grass, not whacking it. It's a very
smooth activity. The blade rides flat on the ground, the curve of the back
keeping the edge just off the ground, and the odd shape of the snath that
holds it is to keep that geometry through the stroke.