SHARPENING Our SCYTHE & Our SKILLS - Ep. 061

[@FortyTwoBlades]

The snath was made by the Sta-Tite Snath Co. of Shelbyville, Indiana, and was made for the European style of blade that's mounted to it. The ring is currently upside down, and should have the set screw running in the cast iron groove on the top of the snath, and you want it as close to the end of the snath as possible for it to best resist the leverage forces occurring. The European style blade should be beveled by peening, while the American type ones shown toward the end should be beveled by proper grinding. Cutting late-season goldenrod can be challenging but mowing in general should be fairly easy work and breathing hard when mowing grasses is usually a sign that something is wrong. Both types should be able to mow with ease and feel like they're sweeping the vegetation from the earth like a broom.

[@peterellis4262]

When I saw the three blades side by side, I looked for you in the comments ;)

[@shellywilks883]

Andy, is such a great guy and excellent neighbor. Loving these episodes with him❤💛💚

[@1d1hamby]

Maybe talk to Jim Kovaleski, he's taught many people to use one. He mows several acres of hay with it. I'm pretty sure you need an expert with lots of experience to reference to get you started. I know Jim peens his edge and uses a stone in the field .

[@serenityfarm9508]

He is an interesting character that is full of knowledge for sure.

[@jenn6838]

Jim has some great tutorials for scything on green dreams you tube

[@creative227]

I did a quick Google on the scyth and the grim reaper: Grim Reaper. In modern-day European-based folklore, Death is known as the Grim Reaper, depicted as wearing a dark hooded cloak and wielding a scythe. ... The scythe is an image that reminds us that Death reaps the souls of sinners like the peasant who harvests corn in his field.

[@jenn6838]

"if your not breathing hard your not doing it right" - not from my experience, I'm a novice at scything but it's not as aggressive as Andy is implying. It should be a gentle experience walking through the field while mowing. Stand up straight, shoulders back, and twist your torso allowing the tool to do its job. Check out Jim Kovaleski - he has some great videos on youtube or get in touch with him and he might be able to join you when he is summer farming in Main.

[@ja-uh9gz]

What a great find by your father. It looks old, even though still functional...after each use, display it on a wall. It's a cool piece. Great neighbors in your area...helping each other out. :)

[@catsgillhillbilly]

Yes, proper peening of your scythe blade will increase it's effectiveness and greatly increase your mowing experience. It requires special equipment and lots of practice. Venturing into scythe use is a journey. Try to keep the entire blade on the ground through the whole swath; all the way from right to left. Bend your knees and move your feet apart more to achieve this. Your snath length might be a bit short for your height. Keep trying!

[@brianmorris8045]

Best if she, and her partner, look at doing a scything course wherever she is. I did years ago, but the instructor was using an English blade..and the grinding crap...so after learning the and scything technique, I heard about the European blades, and it was a blessing...so bought a shorter Falci blade for my backyard.

[@moses2652]

It's nice to see you are covering a variety of topics on this channel 😍

[@jayjohnson3724]

If you let the blade rest on the ground, as you swing gently, it will cut easily. It's a slice not a chop.

[@saltyragequit1234]

i think the main problem was that it was not sharp enough (but im just guessing - dont know anything about scythe)

[@cdcramer42]

The technique is supposed to be more of a rotation than a chop. The blade stays at ground level and parallel to the ground -- which I found fairly easy on grass but tougher on heavy weeds. Back in the day, the go-to resource on the tools, sharpening, care, technique, etc. was The Scythe Book: Mowing Hay, Cutting Weeds, and Harvesting Small Grains with Hand Tools by David Tresemer. I probably have a copy around somewhere that you can borrow if you'd like. I think I even have a Tresemer scythe buried in the shed somewhere.

[@LaviniaDeMortalium]

Andy's a delight! I hope we see more of them!

[@Aethalops]

Common / Tradition is to use Linseed (aka flax seed) oil for tool handles. "Boiled" linseed oil these days is prepared by adding heavy metal hardeners, so you may want to avoid those. If you don't want to hunt down the one or two brands that are actually boiled, you can uses raw oil. It takes slightly longer to polymerize ("dry") but results in a finish that's a joy to handle. Every time I get a tool that's finished in plastic like Polyurethane, I scrape that off and replace it with linseed oil.

[@FortyTwoBlades]

Most boiled linseed oil these days doesn't use heavy metal drying agents.

[@sandylee1717]

I bet his workshop is a treasure trove

[@AdamQII]

You should contact Jim Kovaleski from Maine about scythes. He is someone who use them on daily basis and probably the most acurately I have seen from people in States.

[@peterellis4262]

Think of using a scythe not as a swinging action, but a rotating action. You cut across your forward path, rotating your hips and shoulders, keeping the heel of the blade on the ground through the entire pass, both forward and back. The grass will be sliced as it passes along the length of the edge. You aren't chopping with a grass scythe, it's a slicing cut. It's an easy, gentle motion with the power coming from your legs and torso rotation, your arms are just to hold the tool in position, not to drive it. FortyTwoblades is an expert on American scythes in particular and a terrific resource. I have an American pattern bush blade that I got from him and it's a terrific tool for our brushy, wooded homestead.

[@catsgillhillbilly]

I know he means well, but your neighbor is going to break either the tang of your blade or your snath with his rough technique.

[@samueldougoud3289]

+1 If so much force is required, it is definitely the proof that the blade is not sharp as it is suposed to be. The tip of the blade being lifted up should not be considered a flaw, it will help prevent it from digging into the ground (which would quickly make the scythe dull).

[@travisdavis1042]

Great info. Glad I bought a scythe this season now!

[@jeanneamato8278]

A good tool is a work of art.

[@SequoiaElisabeth]

Proper care of your tools will pay off in spades! I think linseed oil is used on the handle at least once a year depending on how much it is used. Once you get the hang of using the scythe you will find the "zone" and the work will be done forthwith.

[@lindabeaulieu6770]

Is he wearing two different cowboy boots?! One looks brown and the other is black. Love this man, he wastes nothing. 🤣❤

[@seiashun]

I use a European scythe to cut my backyard lawn with and it's really fast and a good workout. A lot of people make the mistake of really swinging that thing around (like you guys did), where all you really need to do is keep the blade on the ground the entire time and rotate with your hips. There's really not a lot of force used at all. Even grass blades should cut those weeds in the video like butter when properly shaped with peening, sharpened and used correctly. Once you get the hang of it, it's really easy and you can tell when you have to sharpen it with the stone in the field because it starts cutting less precisely. I definitely wouldn't use a file. A whetting stone is easy to use and won't damage the blade like a file would. As for peening, all scythe blades need peening, regardless of thickness, since you really want that tapering effect at the sharp edge to cut properly. It's easier with a peening jig instead of an anvil. You also take the blade off the snath when peening, you don't have to rest it on the wall like that lol.

[@jonathanleonard1152]

Scything can be so relaxing. I have not done it in decades, but I had a good time at it. Do not try to cut with the full blade length. You almost want to fees as though you are cutting from back to front may be 1/4 - 1/3 the length of the blade. Others will know better than my memory.

[@grannyplants1764]

This was fun, I love old tools and thinking about who had them before! But I’m not young anymore, I’d use a tractor cutter instead of my back!! 🌿🌱🧙🏻‍♀️

[@vlong7112]

Very entertaining to watch everyone give it a go 😂

[@hausplanttherapy]

Enjoyed watching this video. Lots of love from Sri Lanka!

[@michaelm.6043]

@16:15 if you learn to “peen” the blade you can hammer out a thin edge to hone with a stone Stones also come in coarse to extra fine grit Cold peening check out scythe supply instructional info. It IS like martial ARTS you will be “ dancing with the scythe” Should be almost effortless

[@Leitz_kraft]

Look up Jim Kovaleski on you tube. He's very experienced with scythes.

[@subsidized2778]

The blade probably needs peened and you should keep blade on ground whole time through swing.. The sharpening and arc swing are all an art. It took me 2 years to get it. Your blade is an Austrian style for grass. way better than the other 2 on bench that are american style. There are also plenty of canoe stones on internet to sharpen with.

[@lavender7710]

Check out "Nomadic Farmer, Jim Kovaleski!"

[@markmanuel8429]

Justin Rhodes highlighted him on great American farm tour.

[@grisespino5342]

That is so dangerous 🤤. Just saying Andy is a great neighbor and a hottie 😎💪.

[@adelheidsnel5171]

Yours is a european scythe, Andy’s is american style with the bend in it. You should look at the video of mr. chickadee where he explains and shows in detail all about scythes!

[@_JanetLouise]

yay Andy!

[@sandragoerlich7134]

Nice tool, you’ll get a good workout!!

[@altamiravivencias9868]

Nice like always! When you’re geting interns let me be the first to know! And yes I can handle a scythe. Wearing gloves though…..Think about how strong peoples back had to be.

[@alexiapons2883]

Wao!! Once I turn my cell on one of your videos, for me, is like opening a page of " A Book of knowledges". Not many fields being mowed with scynthes in my Country. The only one I knew was the one carried by...you know who...The Reaper💀☠

[@nicolamarini]

I lost the momory of this place. Always linked to that kind of tools.

[@ramthianthomson601]

Cool!.

[@valtaoimatsukase6072]

Mag ingat Ka po nakakasugat Yan..malaking gunting na Lang po.

[@daveyfromdownsouth7889]

The grim reaper is symbolic of sythes mowing grain. So it's a symbol of the fact we are all growing in the field and our time is limited and one day when we are mature and our days of the growing season is over the grim reaper comes to harvest. It's dark but I thinks it's kinda sweet. That's the whole joke about the grim reaper he comes to harvest your soul.

[@anastasiahedstrom6979]

So cool I used one when I was 6

[@tusuzupuvlogs]

Very nice cuter

[@suburbanhomestead]

Doesn’t it work the body too asymmetrically, though?I have a broken scythe that I tried to fix and miserably failed…so I’m in the market for excuses….

[@FortyTwoBlades]

No, if you use proper technique it uses both sides of the body in roughly equal degrees, despite the tool being asymmetric.

[@seiashun]

When using it correctly, you're only really engaging your core muscles a lot, so it shouldn't be asymmetrical to your body at all.

[@leviathanmdk]

Yoir scythe is.not dancing and thus you are doing something wrong. The angle of the cutting edge is to steep. You have to follow the spine. Also the shape is wrong. It needs a concave edge and is indeed best peened. Peening both shapes stretches and hardens the verry edge of the blade. Taking the rust of will also help the glide through the grass. Soft swings and keeping the blade on the gounds works better. Hope it helps. Edit to add. You seem to use a realy old dutch or belgium snath. A long Thande angeld towards the bladel is ussualy attached to the top of the snath and held close to horizontal with the snaths top almost resting on the iside of your elbow.

[@aldas3831]

Watch Pete canaris recent video with Jim kovaleski.

[@eszterlakatos1051]

you have to keep the scythe closer to the ground. watch the youtube video below.

[@lizgessnermcallister4884]

Shouldn’t you rest the file on the back ridge of the scythe so you remove less metal and get the best edge?

[@botanyboy5454]

As I watched, I wondered could a Scythe be a topical collection in Philately? Sure enough globally. However, U.S. Scott 1323 National Grange represents. Cool.

[@aldas3831]

You are not supposed to raise it from the grown. It has to always touch the ground and do not use the arms to make movement, just the body. 😀

[@greenfingers3327]

A bit painful to watch. Cleaning the blade with the file is ok, but that has to be followed by PEENING, then sharpening WITH A WHETTING STONE. If you fail to do that, you are mistreating your scythe, and it will never be cutting the way it should. Also: both Summer and Andy used the wrong grip with their left hand - the palm of the left hand should be FACING UP.

[@plainsimple442]

It was painful to watch. I wanted to jump thru the screen.

[@jasontwynn7356]

Slide it on the ground,don't swing it like a hockey stick. Sharpen it more,and keep it Sharp. Remember slide it on the ground both ways, also twist your hips,not your arms.

[@jeffprice8739]

Dime piece

[@userthor7386]

Maybe should have paid a bit attention to the grand father. The sythe is supposed to be peened indstead of grinding it sharp. That way the edge will hold a whole lot longer. once peened, it will have to be honde it with a stone once you feel it gets a bit dull. After a while another peening will be necessary. The scythe is to be held at ground level - watch a few youtube videos and train using it - once you have it going its fairly easy, and best of all - its quiet 🙂

[@riawhetstone3725]

*paused to order manga where a fallen priest kills zombies with scythe 🙃

[@trafalgar22a8]

140723 💚💙💜 Thank You Cheers from Australia

[@WildPiatra]

11:01 🤣🤣 That's an Austrian Scythe. You have to hold that Scythe in a different way.

[@samueldougoud3289]

Eastern Europeans hold it that way, as such this is not wrong. Main issue here is that the blade is not sharp enough, it needs peening.

[@TheManfet]

A file really is not the right tool for this job.

[@goatfarmmb]

that is a European blade that ya have to peen with a small anvil

[@johnduffy6546]

Not too bad... Get your tip leading your stroke

[@judymckerrow6720]

Hope know one has back problems. Although you may end up with some. 🌺💚🙃

[@were05andrey]

красотка забавная и реакция на косу забавная

[@patti3573]

I enjoy you content, but please let people finish a sentence and quit interrupt the person you are talking to. Also hearing you say ya or oh is so distracting. I want to watch your channel but your interview style needs to slow down Give up control and let it flow more naturally.

[@alessazoe]

This! I couldn’t put into words what it is that sometimes rubs me the wrong way in these videos. I love them and at the same time, something feels very off. This is a big part of it, I guess.

[@heyphilphil]

juicy.

[@JoannaLouise200]

All that knife sharpening makes me a little edgy (pun!).