not sure if this is in the right place please feel free to move it if not -it started off in my garden but grew (unlike my veggies) -
Some very overgrown grass a broken strimmer which i'm not keen to replace - i know i think,- i,ll buy a scythe -having read about them i decide i need to learn to use one properly -Not one course can i find anywhere near to here.
I live in the national park you'd think there would be some offering of rural skills workshops at least -ok should have know better than to expect anything useful from them, so i go to the local college - they can offer me short courses in pesticide spraying and chainsaw handling -not quite getting the picture are they.hmm i think wonder what else is lacking here - turns out just about everything there's a huge gap in skills training - dry stone walling being the only offering.

This has got me thinking i can either wait and travel a long way to do the course or try teach myself or put a notice in local post offices and see if there is some-one who knows how to do it who would be willing to pass it on.

So firstly has anyone on here got a scythe and taught themselves to use it properly - how hard is it.

secondly there is a bit of an idea coming into my head that this shouldn't be happening but what can i do -if i learnt it how could i pass it on - what else has been lost and could be passed on -what if i started a group something like a free skills swap where people could come in and teach others their particular skills - not necessarilly restricted to the garden or land but other crafts - rag rugging, jam making etc and even outside of traditional crafts - plastering, diy - maybe something the younger generation could pass on to the elder -computer skills for example._ok i,m freeforming now but you get the concept.

The first hurdle would be premises but has anyone on here tried anything like this -what other hurdles (apart from apathy which could be an issue round here) would i have to consider.

This is no help whatsoever, but ever the opportunist .... . From what Wur Doug has said as an intro to this song it is not a thing you can learn in a day. His Father was a professional gardener and it took Dougie a long time to pick up scything from him. He also gives the sound effects of the grass - ft (as it's cut) sh (as it falls). Looks really daft written down .

I like your idea of skill swapping. There was something on last week about that - I'll see if I can find it.

Here it is. Scroll down the the 'Tax Issues' heading.

I bought a scythe a few years ago from a farm sale, I struggled to buy a new one, after half an hour you soon get into the swing of things so to speak,

I have seen new ones for sale at an agricultural show. Westfalia sell them:
http://www2.westfalia.net/search/index. ... ing=scythe
as do Ascotts (about 2/3 down page)
http://www.ascott-dairy.co.uk/cgi-bin/s ... 176#aSM176

I have considered, (Mrs R has considered on my behalf) getting one to do the hay in our field but having read how long it takes an expert to do an acre, being a novice I would have to start now to get next years hay in. I have had a go with one a few times and as Bob says, it doesn't take long to get the hang of it, but I warn you it is murder or on the back muscles. You do need to keep sharpening the edge as you go as well.

We have a Scythe fair locally every year where expert scythers give demonstrations, have competitions, and let the public have a go etc - quite fun day out actually if you are into that sort of thing. Would be worth looking into if they have something similar near you.

We have one (turned up in auction for next to nowt) and used it here - OH that is, not me. One thing I can say is that it has to be exactly the right size for YOU as a person - I think they used to be virtually made to measure in the days when they were all you had to cut hay etc. An inch or two too short or too long and your muscles would soon let you know ALL about it! My OH says it took him a good while to get used to it - building up a rhythm - but it's just practice really.

Have a good look HERE - there are good links to videos etc. Personal tuition is to be preferred but if you study the vids and reads the advice notes etc it is not difficult to pick up the basics. As Aber says, the scythe needs to be sized and set up to suit an individual. I read somewhere that "a scythesman(woman) would no more lend their scythe than their false teeth". Serious back/muscle ache is more an indication of a badly setup scythe or poor technique. "Let the TOOL do the Work..!!" It is not a slashing tool - more a Micro-toothed saw. Do not try to cut too wide a swathe until you get more proficient. Concentrate on finishing each sweep so that the cut grass etc is left in a windrow clear of any standing crop and work methodically. If you "hack" at it, you will waste more energy, cut less grass and risk breaking the snath (the stick bit). The most important tip I can offer is to carefully check the area for any obstacles, particularly of the rock or metal variety. Whetting (sharpening) is a fairly easily acquired art but repairing a damaged blade is more difficult as I am learning after "finding" some partly buried wire fencing netting left by the previous owner.. Fortunately, I bought a range of blade sizes so I can still mow.

I find the scythe infinitely better than a screaming/whining engine. You can enjoy hearing the birds and insect life and feel and smell the breeze without being "all swaddled up". Mind you, at times, some bug protection is desirable. That said, it does depend on how much you need to mow at any one time which is why I am negotiating purchase of finger bar mower and hay rake. With 9 or so acres with some heavy rush area, a single scythe just ain't going to cut it.

thanks for advice i will have a good look at the links this afternoon.I wouldnt initially be cutting acres - mainly verges and a wildlflower meadow which is only about 10 square metres and only gets cut twice a year.

We have a lawn mower but it requires a pull string start which i cant do and OH is starting to struggle so eventually it could be the lawns as well (although that will be somewhat reduced too as i'm planning on extending my veg growing area next year.) That is not as regular an activity as convention would dictate it looks pretty at the moment - there is a purple flower growing in it and buttercups and quite a bit of clover which i leave for the bees.

I was hoping scything would would give the wildlife more chance with me having more time to see and avoid it - we have lots of frogs.
I confess there could be a slightly over romantic vision of swishing away in a rustic smock and straw hat listening too the birdsong - not quite as romantic with decapitated frogs flying everywhere. My work colleague argues that with strimmer they would hear it coming and move - i'm not convinced that frogs think like that.

I’ve just bought a ditch blade and adjustable snath from the scythe shop after hearing very good reviews about the place on another forum. It’s only just set up so I haven’t had a long play with it yet, but already I prefer it to the strimmer…nice and quiet!



My friend swears that a scythe isn’t as deadly as a strimmer (which he says just annihilates everything in its path!) but I don’t know for certain. But I agree, the scythe is far more romantic…and doesn’t use fossil fuels either. And you can’t do a Grim Reaper impression with a strimmer

So do we.. At our previous house, I dismembered a few frogs with both a rotary mower and a brushcutter blade.. don't recall "flagellating" any with a line strimmer but I think the problem with most mechanical mowers is that forward travel is quite fast and blade/cylinder speed is very rapid. Anything coming into contact doesn't really stand a chance. With the scythe, you should only be cutting an inch or two of the "face" with each sweep. This enables you to see something moving in the grass and you have a chance to stop. I have seen quite a few frogs whilst scything and none of them had need of crutches. I've also seen dancing damsel flies, butterflies, crickets and to be able to listen to the world whilst cutting grass is therapeutic in itself..

This is a good point I meant to raise before - if you combine your scythe with a dark coloured hooded bathrobe you can have hours of fun going round tapping on neighbours windows just after sundown...

I can feel a new hobby coming on

with my neighbors the grim reaper himself wouldn't dare do that -likely to be seen off with the help of a double barrel. One of my colleagues has already expressed a desire to visit the local nursing home with it - cruel lot.
Anyway whilst looking for a scythe i came across something else (oh dear i can see this mission getting very expensive) an Azada plenty about it here http://www.get-digging.co.uk.
Thought some of you might find a use for it.-good site by the way with lots of nice links.

Take a look at THESE - a tad cheaper and I suspect more robust.

We've got an azada and its OK for trenching and roughing up the soil surface (used sort of like a large draw hoe). Not so good for initial ground clearance though - it doesn't have sufficient weight behind it to really dig into tough ground and large brambly roots. I have to say that in the last year or so its rarely been out for me (I don't know if Tanya has been using it when I've not been around) - I tend to use my much heavier English pattern mattock for clearing land or a normal spade and fork for everything else (with the exception of muck/stone shifting, when the proper shovel comes into its own). I think for me its been one of those "nice idea, initially keen on it, now back to the real tools" situations.

have to admit i have a deep affection for my mothers "girlie" spade - small but substantial - but i have a dodgy knee not helped by said spade wondered if that was a solution -looks like garden tools could be on hold now need new light fittings i think -ours blew the fuses twice last night -they have been blowing bulbs on a daily basis for some time now.

Hurrah for a fellow muck spreader with shovel. I thought we were few and far between.