Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption          Downsizer Forum Index -> Land Management tahir Why everyone should own a Scythe Have a read of Deanom's excellent article: http://www.downsizer.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=232 Bernie66 I have used one recently on plot lad and find it damn useful and theraputic too. In a sort of "back to nature kinda way" tahir Having extensively used a strimmer this year I'd say any alternative should be looked at. Bernie66 Replacing the line with steel wire, whilst obviously breaking health and safety codes galore seemed to do the trick for me with a brushcutter type of strimmer. But the scythe is closer t onature and you see more wildlife using one too. deanom Pleased as Punch Thanks for publishing the article, it means a lot to me. Just got back from the Second West Country Scything Festival. had a great time, met some new people, drank cider, didn't sleep much. Had a chance to spend some time with Peter Vido, who wrote the addendum to The Scythe Book. Learnt a lot. Just like the last thread on Scything, if anybody wants to ask questions, I would be delighted to answer if I can. If not, I hope that the article persuades some of you to give Scything a try. Bernie66 Its a good informative honest article written from the heart mate. Well done! Naomi Brilliant article Deano.I am sure it will encourage others to give scything a try. Glad you enjoyed the scything festival this year . Naomi deanom Thanks Thank you both for your comments. Naomi Hope that your holiday went well. Did you persuade him to let you have a scythe? If so, I can run a small workshop at the end of August (before the BBQ), providing that I've still got some grass to cut. Gil The offer's still there if you want to come down for the weekend. I do have one spare scythe for somebody to use, if they don't already have their own. Treacodactyl Yep, great article; do you have a photo we could add, perhaps one with you in a hooded cloak. Certainly sounds like it would be worth training myself up when we get somewhere. Naomi I have some photos of Deano and the scythes etc I can post them if he wants me to? Just let me know Deano. Yes had a great holiday thank you. No luck with a scythe yet sadly Going offline now to get my chickens locked up for the night. Catch you later dpack i will ignore all this sensible stuff and answer "for posing beside the m1" Lozzie I think that is an excellent article - thank you for writing it Deano - I think a scythe would be ideal for managing my allotment or, more to the point, the abandoned (?) lottie on one side of mine, where the grass regularly reaches shoulder-height. Also the grass down the centre of the road-track that leads further into the allotment site itself - with a little effort to keep these in trim, the allotment site looks more "occupied" and generally cared for, which seems to discourage vandas and petty theft to a certain degree. I absolutely love the idea of guerilla scything, too. My husband is pestering me to get a strimmer; I must act quickly ... deanom Pictures etc. Naomi I wrote the article before you got back, otherwise I would have asked you to post some. Please feel free to put them up, although you might need to get one of the publishing team to set it all up for you. Lozzie Try the scythe out. I have yet to come across anybody who has given one of these continental scythes a go, and been addicted. That's not to say that they don't exist, just that I haven't met any. Mind you, as I don't get out very much that's hardly surprising. could cut this grass that you're talking about, and add it too your compost heap, or use it as a mulch? Seems a shame for it all to be going to waste Penny Outskirts That's a really informative article Denom. I'm going to get my OH to read it and if he makes interested noises, I know what to buy him for his birthdy! Do you think it's a good idea to ring up the Scythe Shop and ask them for advice on what's best for him? Lozzie Well Deano I was going to see if anyone needed animal fodder or bedding. Naomi Will post clickable/enlargable thumbnails here and Tahir can copy them to the article Two types of scythe blade Dean stopping to resharpen his blade Cutting nettles down in the goat paddock Deano showing us how to sharpen the scythe whilst out in the field. The expert show us how it should be done! Talking us through the handle (snath) height for mowing or for weed cutting Peening and sharpening equipment A partly peened blade (we were able to see how peening pushes the metal forward/thins the edge, ready for sharpening with the wet stones) Deano peening using a jig (He also peens freehand) My rusty old English scythe (on the right) compared to a modern much more versatile and effective Austrian scythe(on the left) I have more piccies if you need them? Naomi x Cathryn Keep dithering about a sycthe due to hating the noise and vibration form the big brush cutter strimmer I have to use sometimes (interesting ... I had to go from we to I in the one sentence!) I bet there is a very ancient one somewhere in my Mums shed. Thought the articel was very good but still concerened that the scythe would end up being useless because of my inablilty to sharpen it properly? That's a question by the way if Dean happens to be around. Lozzie Ruby that is the one question that I too am worried about - the sharpening process looks to be a bit beyond me. There is a travelling guy who comes round a couple of times a year and does our lawnmowers, secateurs, shears etc ... I wonder if he would have the know-how? Penny Outskirts I'd be interested to know how close a cut you can get on a lawn with a scythe. We still have an area that the boys use for footie, so it does need to be kept fairly close cut, but we certainly don't want to win any best kept lawn prizes:D In fact our front gargen would probably do very well in the best patch of weeds category at the moment Jb Has anyone out there got an idea of how fast using a scythe is compared to using a strimmer? deanom Replies Lots of things to reply to: JB Speed is similar. Normally in a race the scythe wins, but for a beginner I reckon about the same. Rubie/Lozzie Sharpening is not that difficult. The second part of the scythe book explains it really well. I taught myself using the book, and by the time that I got round to doing a course, I was already beyond the beginner's stage. Penny There's some good advice about blade selection on their website, but Simon expects to be called for advice. If you want to run through what you want to use the scythe for, I would be happy to point you in the right direction. Cutting the lawn is fine. With a standard/general purpose blade it will leave a slightly uneven finish, depending on the skill of the mower, and the sharpness of the blade. If you want a tidier finish there is flatter blade (acreman), which is the sort of blade that would have been used on big lawns before lawnmowers were made. If you were not too bothered about the appearance, then a blade which will cut grass and weeds would be fine, pattern dependant on your conditions. Hope that answers some of your questions. I'm happy to show people how to use the scythe, and sharpening gear, as long as you're prepared to travel (Lincolnshire). Plenty of space for a tent deanom Ruby Just noticed that you're in S wales. There is Scything group in S Wales. I met one of the guys last weekend in Somerset. I think that they're holding an event soon. They put up a poster of an event that they held recently, and both of the contact numbers were for women. If it's still going ahead, details will be on the scythe shop website. Otherwise, call them up, and I'm sure that Simon will have a contact number. Hope that helps Cathryn I can just imagine how my OH will greet that news I will broach the subject with him later. He keeps saying we need a small strimmer - men and machines even one who is absolutely c*** with any sort of machine. Will try in the library for the book - you never know!        Downsizer Forum Index -> Land Management Page 1 of 1

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