The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Techniques and skills => Topic started by: sandspider on June 27, 2020, 09:17:21 am
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Hi all
Toying with the idea of getting a scythe to mow a bit of paddock, the odd edge of garden etc. I don't want to spend lots of money in case it's not for me. Is there any point buying any scythe that's roughly the right size for me and giving it a go? Or for it to work does the scythe need to be fitted to me properly? Can anyone recommend a place to get advice, and a functional scythe at a reasonable cost?
Thanks.
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https://scythecymru.co.uk/ (https://scythecymru.co.uk/)
I think this is where we bought our scythe. We had previously used 'any old scythe' but decided to get one which fitted us both. If your scythe is wrong for you then it is difficult to get a good sweep, and hard on the back - you would certainly have no chance of doing a day's work with a badly fitting scythe, and even for just fettling your edges it would be unnecessarily hard work. I can't see prices on the website, but it didn't break the bank
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If the scythe doesn't fit properly, isn't set up to cut properly the type of undergrowth you want it to and is too heavy, I am sure you will decide scything isn't for you very quickly Sandspider.
I bought an Austrian Scythe in France which came with French instructions obviously, so relied heavily on information kindly provided by Simon Farlie in Dorset, who also sells Austrian scythes. My blade cuts hay well, but nothing too heavy and nothing much finer. Sharpened simply with two grades of whetstone works well for me. You need to be aware that there are effectively three types of blade and edge, none of which will do everything.
We are now setting aside areas and cutting them very late to benefit the insect life. With our equipment the only way to cut those areas is by scythe, which seems to be very good exercise for my back.
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We have an Austrian scythe, bought from our local reseller (see Simon's Scythe Shop website (http://www.thescytheshop.co.uk/) for more info, including a list of all the resellers across the country), and think it an excellent purchase.
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Thanks all. I was hoping I could get one scythe to do meadow, weeds, brambles, even small trees; sounds like that's not going to be possible. I already have a small tractor and topper, but it's not subtle on corners, and I have a brush cutter, but they're both noisy and fuel consuming and a bit of a chore to get ready to go.
The price for a starter scythe kit seems to be £120 plus, so possibly not worth it. Will keep my eye open for a second hand one that's fairly suitable and give it a try, appreciating that it wouldn't be as good as one that's ideal for me.
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I was hoping I could get one scythe to do meadow, weeds, brambles, even small trees; sounds like that's not going to be possible
I got a scythe with two blades from https://scythecymru.co.uk/ (https://scythecymru.co.uk/)
Absolutely brilliant - big blade for the meadow and a "ditch" blade for rough work.
An Austrian scythe comes adjustable so you can set it up to fit your height
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Thanks all. I was hoping I could get one scythe to do meadow, weeds, brambles, even small trees; sounds like that's not going to be possible.
You might need 2 or even three blades, and to learn how to adjust the blade, but the snath is the same for all uses. So yes, with the Austrian that is exactly what you do : one snath, and a blade or blades according to the work you want it to do. We have a short ditching blade and manage all that we want to do with that. If I was going to cut a meadow for hay I would probably buy a short grass blade, (which would be longer than the short ditching blade but not as long as a bigger / stronger person would manage.) And I decided to not get a bush blade but to accept that some things I simply won't manage with my scythe, and that thickets of docks or reshes I have to go at a little bit at a time.
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Hi all
Toying with the idea of getting a scythe to mow a bit of paddock, the odd edge of garden etc. I don't want to spend lots of money in case it's not for me. Is there any point buying any scythe that's roughly the right size for me and giving it a go? Or for it to work does the scythe need to be fitted to me properly? Can anyone recommend a place to get advice, and a functional scythe at a reasonable cost?
Thanks.
I bought my scythe from ebay for £30 and its fantastic! Don't waste money on £200 stuff thats exactly the same
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Hi all
Toying with the idea of getting a scythe to mow a bit of paddock, the odd edge of garden etc. I don't want to spend lots of money in case it's not for me. Is there any point buying any scythe that's roughly the right size for me and giving it a go? Or for it to work does the scythe need to be fitted to me properly? Can anyone recommend a place to get advice, and a functional scythe at a reasonable cost?
Thanks.
I bought my scythe from ebay for £30 and its fantastic! Don't waste money on £200 stuff thats exactly the same
Well unless you got an Austrian for £30 off eBay (in which case, Well done! :D), it will not be exactly the same.
The Austrian snath has lots of adjustment and is very ergonomic.
If you have managed to find a cheap scythe that is the right size in every direction for you and is comfortable to use, I am very happy for you, but I don't think you can expect that every scythe everyone buys off eBay will fit its buyer so well, sadly. ;)
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We have an Austrian scythe, bought from our local reseller (see Simon's Scythe Shop website (http://www.thescytheshop.co.uk/) for more info, including a list of all the resellers across the country), and think it an excellent purchase.
Oops yes, that's where we got our scythe, not the link I gave further back.
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Many thanks, all.
£30 on Ebay would be perfect, but I fear you got lucky, Macro! Didn't think I'd fine one to fit. Will keep my eyes open and see what I can find.
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I bought a scythe off ebay a few years ago and it's adjustable - I was under the impression from hours of research and youtube videos, that they all were. Everything I've read talks about "fitting" it to yourself by making these adjustments.
I had to give up scything because it was knackering my knee, but as that has now been replaced (the knee, not the scythe) I plan to give it another go.
My scythe is one of those curvy metal ones, but I have to say that although it does work, it doesn't feel the most comfortable/ergonomic design. It takes a bit of practice and fettling but once you get the motion correct for you, and recognise just how often you need to sharpen it, it can really rip through the undergrowth.
There is a lot of people advising that you need different blades for different jobs, but if you watch enough videos you will find the folk who use a single blade for every job and simply make little adjustments to the scythe or their technique. If you only have a small area to work then I'd be inclined to go down that route.
I have a large lawn (which will always be my ride-on job (as much because I enjoy driving it) plus 3 acres of mixed meadow, so realistically I'm not able to do the job with a scythe, but the plan is to keep the paths clear with one and clear some smaller patches as & when required.