It's an exercise opportunity, or a take-a-break opportunity, and to
me it looks cool, you can mow your lawn with a European scythe
(do a couple of swaths a day) and it's not boring, each cut taking
some precise control.

http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/scythedlawn01.jpg

(the foreground is a drainage ditch, with sculpted longer grass
marking the dog's do-not-cross-without-permission line)

pictorial overkill :

http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow01.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow02.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow03.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow04.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow05.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow06.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow07.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow08.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow09.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow10.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow11.jpg

I got the scythe at http://www.scythesupply.com a ``European''
style made of softer metal that you can keep razor sharp, which
is necessary for lawn grass.

Normally you get rid of the windrow after you've done the day's
cutting with a leaf sweeper and a few trips to the back fence
to add to the enormous haystack (how big will it get?).

In the spring I have to start over at the front before I get done
in the back, but you can't stall a scythe with long grass so it doesn't
matter much.

It's not hard work and is a pleasant way to spend an hour.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Two words: "Lawn tractor"

As far as exercise, there are far better things to do to work up a sweat.


"Ron Hardin" wrote in message
...
It's an exercise opportunity, or a take-a-break opportunity, and to
me it looks cool, you can mow your lawn with a European scythe
(do a couple of swaths a day) and it's not boring, each cut taking
some precise control.

http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/scythedlawn01.jpg

(the foreground is a drainage ditch, with sculpted longer grass
marking the dog's do-not-cross-without-permission line)

pictorial overkill :

http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow01.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow02.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow03.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow04.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow05.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow06.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow07.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow08.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow09.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow10.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow11.jpg

I got the scythe at http://www.scythesupply.com a ``European''
style made of softer metal that you can keep razor sharp, which
is necessary for lawn grass.

Normally you get rid of the windrow after you've done the day's
cutting with a leaf sweeper and a few trips to the back fence
to add to the enormous haystack (how big will it get?).

In the spring I have to start over at the front before I get done
in the back, but you can't stall a scythe with long grass so it doesn't
matter much.

It's not hard work and is a pleasant way to spend an hour.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Ron Hardin wrote:

....


It's not hard work and is a pleasant way to spend an hour.

I just spent a fair portion of the last week doing the weeds out from
under the cedars and around the feedlot fences...not exactly what I'd
call a "fun" way to spend an hour, but faster and less mess a than
string trimmer. As for the yard, "thanks, but no thanks".

Ron Hardin wrote:
It's an exercise opportunity, or a take-a-break opportunity, and to
me it looks cool, you can mow your lawn with a European scythe
(do a couple of swaths a day) and it's not boring, each cut taking
some precise control.



It's not hard work and is a pleasant way to spend an hour.


To each his own. That would never suffice for the fairways I spend my
spare time on.

I used to use one of those in the Army when a lawnmower wasn't
available, or the hillside was too steep. I agree with Ron, it's
strangly satisfying. Especially when the grass is long.

wrote:
I used to use one of those in the Army when a lawnmower wasn't
available, or the hillside was too steep. I agree with Ron, it's
strangly satisfying. Especially when the grass is long.


I have two scythes that were my grandfathers. One was store bought and
one he made. I'm also privelaged to have one of his small and very worn
sharpening stones as well as the little iron block and hammer he used
for 'setting' the blade when he would field dress them. I prefer just
looking at them as opposed to attempting to use them. LOL

wrote:

I used to use one of those in the Army when a lawnmower wasn't
available, or the hillside was too steep. I agree with Ron, it's
strangly satisfying. Especially when the grass is long.

Probably you had an American scythe, which is pretty hard to use
on anything but long grass or weeds. The European style uses extreme
sharpness, so a lot of your cuts are extremely satisying.

The thing you work for, and adjust your stoke constantly for, is the
perfect stand of grass, where you touch the next eight inches of a
ten-foot-wide swath and the grass falls over and is swept into a
neat pile on your left.

If the grass sticks to the cutting edge of the blade, it needs
re-peening. If some grass simply bends out of the way, it needs
only a light going-over with a whetstone.

The going-over happens every couple of minutes, and you pace the
work to take that rest period into account.

The American scythe blade is high-carbon steel and doesn't sharpen
with hand tools as far as I know, and doesn't re-peen at all.

Peening (hammering the cutting side of the edge to make it very thin
again, where the whetstone has finally worn the cutting edge back
into thick metal) you have to do every couple of hours, with lawn
grass.

It's not a pleasure for everybody, but somebody might like to try it
and find they like it.

I really hated the power mower noise and pointless lost two hours
of the day, and it was always a bear in long grass when I let it go
too long a time. Hand push-mowers were a nice break from that but
took yet another hour, wound up boring though not repulsive, and you
still needed the power mower for too-long grass.

The scythe does it all, but if you don't like the feeling of it,
it really isn't for you. If you like it, it beats TV.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Ron Hardin writes:
It's an exercise opportunity, or a take-a-break opportunity, and to
me it looks cool, you can mow your lawn with a European scythe
(do a couple of swaths a day) and it's not boring, each cut taking
some precise control.

As your next step in turning back the wheels of progress, try doing
your laundry on an old washerboard... much more satisfying than
putting it all in those nice new sexy front-loaders

Wow, that is quite an area you scythe! How long does it take total for
how much area?
Also I'm amazed how short and even you cut. I've used one of the
european scythes before and I didn't end up with that. I'm pretty sure
the blade needed to be tuned up alot better to get your results.

Ian

Ron Hardin Wrote:
It's an exercise opportunity, or a take-a-break opportunity, and to
me it looks cool, you can mow your lawn with a European scythe
(do a couple of swaths a day) and it's not boring, each cut taking
some precise control.

http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/scythedlawn01.jpg

(the foreground is a drainage ditch, with sculpted longer grass
marking the dog's do-not-cross-without-permission line)

pictorial overkill :

http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow01.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow02.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow03.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow04.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow05.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow06.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow07.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow08.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow09.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow10.jpg
http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/windrow11.jpg

I got the scythe at http://www.scythesupply.com a ``European''
style made of softer metal that you can keep razor sharp, which
is necessary for lawn grass.

Normally you get rid of the windrow after you've done the day's
cutting with a leaf sweeper and a few trips to the back fence
to add to the enormous haystack (how big will it get?).

In the spring I have to start over at the front before I get done
in the back, but you can't stall a scythe with long grass so it
doesn't
matter much.

It's not hard work and is a pleasant way to spend an hour.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.


--
IndyIan

blueman writes:
As your next step in turning back the wheels of progress, try doing
your laundry on an old washerboard... much more satisfying than
putting it all in those nice new sexy front-loaders

now you know that's not all there is to it.
working with a finely tuned hand tool can be rewarding.

Sure, I'd have fun with a CNC 3D router, but there is something
satisfying about plaining/sawing/etc wood by hand.

Personally, I'd enjoy the lack of noise more than anything else.
I sometimes use my reel mower when it's too early for me to be
disturbing my neighbors. (before 9am in my book)

I sometimes wish my neighbors and their guests (honking horns) were as
considerate.

*Those* are the times i wish i had a nicely tuned scythe.

--
be safe.
flip
Ich habe keine Ahnung was das bedeutet, oder vielleicht doch?

IndyIan wrote:

Wow, that is quite an area you scythe! How long does it take total for
how much area?
Also I'm amazed how short and even you cut. I've used one of the
european scythes before and I didn't end up with that. I'm pretty sure
the blade needed to be tuned up alot better to get your results.

It's about an acre. The rule is said to be a man can cut an acre a day.
I guess a day is 10 hours or so, I don't know.

I just go out and do a couple swaths when I need a break from something,
and over the course of many days, the whole thing is done and I start over,
if there's been enough growth.

The cut is sort of automatic - the cutting edge is just off the ground
when the body of the blade rests on the ground. You get unevenness left-to-right
if it's not sharp enough, or needs peening (edge is sharp but not thin enough).
It needs sharpening every couple of minutes, peening every couple of hours.

Not burying the tip and not taking out divots doesn't take long to learn; learning
the effects of the various angles you can control maybe takes longer.

I use a pretty long blade (32" or 36") which makes things more even, and is possible
on flat enough ground. In really heavy going or on an uneven surface a 26" blade.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Ron Hardin wrote:


It's about an acre. The rule is said to be a man can cut an acre a day.
I guess a day is 10 hours or so, I don't know.

I just go out and do a couple swaths when I need a break from something,
and over the course of many days, the whole thing is done and I start over,
if there's been enough growth.

How short can you cut with a scythe?

wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:


It's about an acre. The rule is said to be a man can cut an acre a day.
I guess a day is 10 hours or so, I don't know.

I just go out and do a couple swaths when I need a break from something,
and over the course of many days, the whole thing is done and I start over,
if there's been enough growth.

How short can you cut with a scythe?

You get a spread of grass heights, some being cut right at the ground pretty
much, and some bending over enough to keep varying longer lengths.

Avoiding the power-mower lawn look is one of the charms.

The bottom face of the blade is curved, so the edge winds up a quarter inch or
so above the ground, and that will be the shortest length. You cut with the
blade riding on the ground (that's responsible for the odd geometry of the
scythe and snath that holds it, to keep the blade flat on the ground).

The sharper the blade, the shorter the average length. What gives the spread is
grass not immediately being sliced but rather being carried with the blade,
which prevents successive grass from seeing the blade until it's bent over a bit.

If no resharpening reduces this effect, it's time to re-peen the edge. In the
worst case of a too-dull blade, grass at the end of the stroke on the left isn't
cut at all. Also resistance goes way up so it becomes hard work
instead of an interesting time occupation.

Peening takes maybe ten minutes; sharpening takes maybe 30 seconds, and is
done very very often as you go.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Ron Hardin wrote:

Avoiding the power-mower lawn look is one of the charms.

Could it really be used to "mow" a small lawn?

I'm looking for green alternatives to buying a power
mower

On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 16:30:22 -0500, wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:


It's about an acre. The rule is said to be a man can cut an acre a day.
I guess a day is 10 hours or so, I don't know.

I just go out and do a couple swaths when I need a break from something,
and over the course of many days, the whole thing is done and I start over,
if there's been enough growth.

How short can you cut with a scythe?

I'm only 4 foot 6 and I use one.

I think my father took a new one and cut it down for me.

wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:


Avoiding the power-mower lawn look is one of the charms.


Could it really be used to "mow" a small lawn?

I'm looking for green alternatives to buying a power
mower

I think a push mower is a much more practical option. It's good for the
grass, and good for the pusher. I think a scythe, should you be able to
find one, would be hard to maneuver around the edges of your lawn and
would produce, at best, a raggedy look that, at least around here, would
have you on a first name basis with the building inspectors.

We had a traditionalist around here who decided he wanted his yard
naturalized, as it would have been had people never come here. After a
lot of complaining and citing and woofing, the city just came out and
mowed his weedpatch for him, and billed him for the service.

"Not@home" wrote:

We had a traditionalist around here who decided he wanted his yard
naturalized, as it would have been had people never come here. After a
lot of complaining and citing and woofing, the city just came out and
mowed his weedpatch for him, and billed him for the service.

Understand

But I was thinking abt uisng one at a remote cabin

see link

http://www.scythesupply.com/

Not@home wrote:
I think a push mower is a much more practical option. It's good for the
grass, and good for the pusher. I think a scythe, should you be able to
find one, would be hard to maneuver around the edges of your lawn and
would produce, at best, a raggedy look that, at least around here, would
have you on a first name basis with the building inspectors.

http://www.scythesupply.com has everything you need.

It will run into a couple hundred dollars.

I've found the lawn looks nicer if scythed than if mowed; the drawback is
that it takes LOTS of time, and you have to deal with the neat rows of
clippings you produce. (I do a swath up and back, producing a pile
between them, and leaf-sweep the pile up to the back fence; and call it
a day until tomorrow. I do an acre that way.)

Other drawbacks are that you have to develop some skills in cutting,
and figuring out what's wrong when it's not working right, which is going
to take about a year.

Mostly you do neatly right up to the edge, as well as a string clipper, except
for corners that restrict you from getting into them. Certainly better than
a mower, as to edge closeness.

Going out and mowing a couple 10' wide swaths has to be a regular hobby for
you, each day, or you won't like it.

On the plus side, the grass never grows too long for a scythe. It beats a
power mower even, in that regard.

A push mower leaves you in trouble once the grass is too long for it.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Ron Hardin wrote:
http://www.scythesupply.com has everything you need.

It will run into a couple hundred dollars.

I could add, a lot more than that, if you get into it as a pasttime, as there's
no blade you want to leave untried, and they run about $60 each.

And then it's handy to have multiple snaths for your multiple blades, to save
mounting and unmounting time (easily two minutes wasted), as you proceed out
to the yard in search of the perfect blade for the grass condition and lawn
flatness, multiple setups in hand.

The perfect stroke knocks down all the grass at a touch. You can spend hours
getting various approximations.

It keeps your mind busy.

Try doing that with a reel mower.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Ron Hardin wrote:

The perfect stroke knocks down all the grass at a touch. You can spend hours
getting various approximations.

It keeps your mind busy.

Try doing that with a reel mower.

So are you advising AGAINST a scythe?

wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:

The perfect stroke knocks down all the grass at a touch. You can spend hours
getting various approximations.

It keeps your mind busy.

Try doing that with a reel mower.

So are you advising AGAINST a scythe?

It depends, is all I'm saying. I find a scythe makes the chore a pleasant
hour in the yard each day, instead of a mindless back and forth you have to
do when the grass needs it (less than each day!).

If you won't find that interesting, then a scythe is not for you.

On the other hand, I look forward to lawn season because there's always grass
to scythe for a break from work in the house, day in and day out.

Incidentally, rain is no obstacle. A scythe works great in the rain.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Ron Hardin wrote:
Not@home wrote:

I think a push mower is a much more practical option. It's good for the
grass, and good for the pusher. I think a scythe, should you be able to
find one, would be hard to maneuver around the edges of your lawn and
would produce, at best, a raggedy look that, at least around here, would
have you on a first name basis with the building inspectors.


http://www.scythesupply.com has everything you need.

It will run into a couple hundred dollars.

I've found the lawn looks nicer if scythed than if mowed; the drawback is
that it takes LOTS of time, and you have to deal with the neat rows of
clippings you produce. (I do a swath up and back, producing a pile
between them, and leaf-sweep the pile up to the back fence; and call it
a day until tomorrow. I do an acre that way.)

Other drawbacks are that you have to develop some skills in cutting,
and figuring out what's wrong when it's not working right, which is going
to take about a year.

Mostly you do neatly right up to the edge, as well as a string clipper, except
for corners that restrict you from getting into them. Certainly better than
a mower, as to edge closeness.

I have no problem edging with my push mower; I just run one wheel in the
flower beds. And since I have no corners, I don't even own one of those
noisy polluting string trimmers.



Going out and mowing a couple 10' wide swaths has to be a regular hobby for
you, each day, or you won't like it.

On the plus side, the grass never grows too long for a scythe. It beats a
power mower even, in that regard.

A push mower leaves you in trouble once the grass is too long for it.

That is true, but I've read that cutting off more than a third of the
length of the grass blade stresses the grass, which is why well kept
lawns have to be mowed often. Another advantage is that the clippings
don't have to be picked up; they can be left to decompose.

The people who sell push mowers assert that the scissors action of the
mower produces a cleaner cut than a rotary mower, which is supposedly
better for the grass. I wonder what they would say about a scythe,
which appears to cut (or tear, as they would say) in the same manner as
a rotary mower, but slower?

We used to have our family reunions at the farm of one of my great
uncles, and he always brought out a scythe to demonstrate the ways of
his youth, but it was not practical for his lawn (farmers don't have a
lot of free time for hobbies), so the single day demonstration was the
only time he actually used it.

For someone with a lot of time who enjoys it, a scythe is not a bad
thing. It's sort of like golf, without greens fees, and you don't lose
any balls, I would hope.

Not@home wrote:
We used to have our family reunions at the farm of one of my great
uncles, and he always brought out a scythe to demonstrate the ways of
his youth, but it was not practical for his lawn (farmers don't have a
lot of free time for hobbies), so the single day demonstration was the
only time he actually used it.

For someone with a lot of time who enjoys it, a scythe is not a bad
thing. It's sort of like golf, without greens fees, and you don't lose
any balls, I would hope.


He very likely had a scythe with an American-style blade, which is too
hard a steel (and stamped) to keep sharp enough constantly.

The softer steel hammered European-style blades peen and sharpen easily,
and for short grass you need an absurdly thin and sharp edge.

I sharpen every 10-30 strokes, not that it slows you down, for that rest
period is known to be coming up, and you can work harder in the meantime.
Sharpening takes about 15 seconds. It's a regular rhythm.

For cutting brush, you'd peen a much thicker edge than for lawn grass,
and sharpness is only necessary if you want to reduce the effort at some
point, rather than to get it to cut at all.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Ron Hardin wrote:

It depends, is all I'm saying. I find a scythe makes the chore a pleasant
hour in the yard each day, instead of a mindless back and forth you have to
do when the grass needs it (less than each day!).

I see

Ok thanks!!