The End of Cheap Oil and The Rise of the Scythe

*Note: See also the updated version-- a couple of scenes have been re-edited and I was unable to replace the old file with the new one, so I posted the new here:
• The End of Cheap Oil a...
You can post comments to either page. Enjoy!
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A 14-year-old girl with a scythe cutting circles around a tractor equipped with a mowing machine! Far-fetched? Today - perhaps. Tomorrow - the use of simple hand tools will make increasing sense in direct proportion to the rising costs, economic and otherwise, of operating oil-dependent machinery. Long live the power of human bodies!
There is no trick photography in this video; it is a genuine documentary of the efficiency of this ecological tool, the scythe.
Not all scythes are created equal, however, and many viewers may wonder how the heavy old scythe hanging in the shed could be used like the one in this video. For more information, please visit scytheconnection.com
Credits: Alexander Vido, Greg Hemmings, Jesse Cottingham.
"Blowin' in the Wind" copyright Bob Dylan

[@kaivido]

On the contrary, cutting with a scythe is easier in the early morning. This has far less to do with the dew than with the internal moisture content of the stems. If you try scything at mid-day, you will need to whet your blade AT LEAST TWICE AS OFTEN to achieve the same ease of cutting as if mowing at daybreak. No exaggeration. I have proven it many times, and the scythesmen of old knew it to be true: they would mow from daybreak until perhaps 9 am and do other things the rest of the day.

[@bluemoondiadochi]

that young lady knows what she's doing. nice

[@SirJosephOxford]

Everything about this video is awesome.

[@jf99151]

I bet she's got killer obliques and abs . I'm impressed.

[@kaivido]

@darmokandgalad This video was shot in Lower Kintore, NB, Canada

[@Howtoisfun]

The rhythm is kinda hypnotizing...

[@amishcar]

Very Very cool video. I was thinking of buying a Scythe from Lehmans & this video has pushed me more in that direction. That girl rocks with a Scythe. Great start & finish.

[@danouttatown]

that was beautiful, just the rhythm of the movement of the scythe. it was really cool. thanks.

[@Ryannn93]

I love a girl who knows how to use a scythe

[@kakudmi]

We are all going to be learning this very very soon. Wanna drink that milk, eat cheese, enjoy your ice cream, how about butter....? Well, cows need food in winter, so one of us has to cut down some grass to secure enough. Watch and learn. It takes several weeks of such work for a single human, to feed two cows the whole winter.

[@Azathoth43]

absolutely hypnotic!

[@wyrdbrew]

Whetting the blade is required for proper use of the scythe. After a few minutes a burr develops on the blade which reduces the effectiveness and makes it harder to draw through the grass. Her technique is flawless. While it looks uncomfortable it is very easy to mow for long periods of time if your have good technique. If she had two scythes and someone to whet the blade while she was mowing with the other one she could probably mow for three or four hours straight before taking a break.

[@ckc232]

Beautiful video.

[@coyot2103]

If every craftsmne would do his work the same eay, wouldn't be this world different? Thank you very much for this example :) Frank Vinkler, Czech, carpenter PS: Since I was a kid, I grow up - thanks to my father - with scythe, but I'm only a disciple, but the next spring I'll find some meadows which will need to be mowed... And make my own snath of course:)

[@kaivido]

Efficiency is relative. Did you ever try to cut tall grass like that with a bicycle lawn-mower, or any lawn-mower? The girl IS using her leg muscles to power her side-to-side movement. The strain on her arms is minimal with this technique. Of course, the scythe must be the right size for the user, and keeping the blade SHARP is crucial. Not all scythes are the same: the Continental European ("Austrian") design is far more ergonomic than the American pattern, but there's more to it than that...

[@Azathoth43]

As beautiful as any ballet.

[@drasechrisu]

Very well done! As Walter Blumauer says "impressive"!! And the mowing is just as easy as it looks - I can tell. Chrsitiane Lechner, Austria

[@RainMan34]

Wow, interesting. You appear to be very skilled.

[@atemporal9081]

Might sound dumb, but never before I've seen someone using the scythe...well as a farm tool at least.

[@jfuite]

Okay, clearly we are watching a someone who has done this before. Nice skills. By watching her work, I sense that I would be stopping to sharpen the blade often - more to rest than anything else. But the cost of oil would need to be, shall we say, VERY high for us to go back the the "good old days".

[@guyglowmore1]

inspiring

[@jjcproducer]

Thank you for making this video! It is the shape and color of the world we are facing with the dual destructive forces we face: peak oil and global climate change. Kind regards, John

[@kathynsam123]

she awesome she cant put men to shame

[@Masterzec]

thats amazing... i want to try :)

[@kervennic]

If all ladies could do the same, the world would be a great place to live in.

[@dodgecowboy65]

I hope to be able to operate mine as well as she does hers, minus the twirls and loops over the head, lol

[@IonOtter]

Yo, dude! KZbin killed the audio on your video! You'll have to fix it or use something else, I guess.

[@mopbrothers]

What is a "doable"size of land for one person? A couple of acres?

[@guaigean]

@gezelligtexas You may be thinking of a "grass whip".

[@UnderseaCaveman]

Ok, we just need to invent one (Scythe) which can be "swung" clockwise as well. Today, we know we need a balanced workout (since we are getting one "involuntarily"...sort of). Great Video

[@ShitboxHeaven]

Especially considering that farmers could make their own biofuel using biomass or cooking oil. How much fuel do you really need to run a tractor each season?

[@RockTheOcean4me]

@nielsaamand Beautiful

[@JohanDee]

And what about men? Sit at home and drink beer? Get off your lazy bum and start working! ;-)

[@k6iii842]

Seems very inefficient. A bicycle lawn-mower could be much more efficient, particularly as it would target the much stronger leg muscles.

[@ggmorvaj]

I don't mean to be rude, but hereabouts, even the Amish use horsepower to harvest hay & grain. Better to utilize the ultimate cheap labor(non human). Just because the oil runs out, doesn't mean we'll run out of human ingenuity. We'll still be looking for the most efficient way to do farm work .And that's not like peasants(with a scythe).

[@Fektthis]

Reason for no oil - Girl wasting it setting her scythe on fire to play with it at night. You reap what you sow girl.

[@944own]

I feel sorry for these poor people for God's sake get a brush cutter and some shoes.

[@hgdge]

why isnt she using the lawnmower its so much faster