Wanted to thank you, started watching your videos a week and half ago and really vibed with the benefits you associated with scything. Ordered one, it came yesterday, today I spent 8 hours scything my overgrown meadow. It was the most enjoyable day I’ve had in a while and I agree wholeheartedly with you that this is a wonderful activity. An hour in today and I am glad I’ve resisted buying a tractor, I believe this will be a permanent solution for my small farm. Your videos have made a significant improvement in my situation and I’m very grateful.
I love the silent aspect of scythe mowing. I wish more people appreciated the silence. I think people really take pride in how much noise they make, sometimes.
I am 77 and still work with my scythe every year, I am teaching my grandsons this year, and We are having so much fun cutting buttercups in the horse meadow, Thanks for your work So pleasing to watch
I`ve been scything most of my property this year and already I can`t imagine doing it any other way. I have some swamp-like areas which I think I will mow a bit earlier next year. The flat laying grass makes it a serious work out, but I`ve never been able to cut it this clean any other way. One of the top reasons I wanted to learn mowing this way , was saving the reptiles that live here. Using the bush cutter there was no escape and lots of casualties every year... That just made me feel terrible. This year I don`t think I killed a single animal. I also had time for a break here and there without wearing protective clothing, to enjoy nature in the early hours, and the kingfisher even stayed when I was working...how cool is that...? Thanks for being an inspiration 👍👍
Thanks! Glad to hear this! Good for the future! Which country? Should do a film about laying grass but the playful mower already figures out how to "fish" it up by just letting the tip of the blade take thin strokes! And always come from behind. Glad less animals is killed. I do kill some with the scythe each year.
Im in the Netherlands. Yea, grass laying flat is one, but when it`s all wet and rotting and there`s a meter tall new grass on top of that....👀👀 Also there`s a lot of moles here... that`s no fun mowing through. Is shipping your snath overhere possible? @@slattergubben6702
how much land? i have 50 acres how the hell could you do this 2 to 3 times a year? I mean it has to be a great workout and I love the history but HOW is it practical?
@@slattergubben6702 I am trying to protect a wetland within the critically endangered vegetation type known as Cape Flats Sand Fynbos. There is a lot of plants to protect but also a lot of invasive grasses and other plant species that need to be dealt with. Some invasives have been removed or managed already. I believe applying the right tools to particular species and sitatutions can yield the best results. I am very happy I stumbled across your channel.
@@RaderGHAs a South African who's spent a good few years volunteering in animal care and rehabilitation , I'd like to extend a sincere thanks to you for your conservation efforts. Keep fighting the good fight sir. Lord knows sometimes it's not a venture to be undertaken lightly.
There was an a-ha moment when I saw you use a vertical, upward stroke with the edge of the blade facing skyward. I can see doing that against our back fence where the tall grass pushes through the spaces between the fence boards, along the bottom quarter of its height. 👍😁
Told you I'd be back for more! And I'm just as captivated as was on the last video of yours, which also happened to be he first of yours that I saw. Thank you for taking the time to put this together. I appreciate the window into a world that I was otherwise completely ignorant of. And to top it off, your presentation style is super chilled and welcoming. I cannot ever conceive of a situation wherein I'd ever find this information useful to me, because this could never be me. But my god I'd be lying if I said I weren't fascinated. Loved the video.
Thank you so much for your kind words, you're more than welcome to hang out here. I don't know your circumstances, but don't give up on your dreams, whatever they might be.
I like very much the aspects you are pointing on: no disturbtion, lovely body-work, fast done, lovely biodiversity! When ever I can I'm mowing with scythe in my garden and with sikle for the more complicated areas alternating with elektrik lawnmower sometimes. I observed that I cause very less damage to little animals like frogs, slow worm, bees and bugs working without lawnmower. And the result cuted gras its much more usefull in my permacultur way to garden. Thank for your god and competent videos. Very helpfull also tecnicaly!
Thanks for the video. I find scything videos are very relaxing to watch. I've bought a scythe myself and hoping to have more practice this spring. Greetings from Australia.
Great video you are doing excellent work spreading this information to people! While I don't own a scythe I do own a reel mower and I love it! So much better for my yard, sanity, and the enviornment than a gas mower lol.
That large stone wall she had was absolutely gorgeous. As an American, I'm incredibly jealous how Europeans get to enjoy structures like that dotted throughout the countryside.
That's a very nice snath : ). I'm 71 and have been scything since the 80's on my own properties. Working by hand keeps me healthy and benefits the local wildlife as well as my garden. Deer sleep in my yard and sometimes this is the only house in the area with fireflies. Looks like a jungle sometimes but it all makes good compost.
Very cool. My granddad used sthe short scythe (stuttorv) for all the trimmings around bushes and poles and such. I rarely saw him with the proper length scythe that he used for the field.(langorv). He taught me how to use the short scythe and maintaining it. Something about the old ways that is so fullfilling to watch.
That is very nice! I picked up scything this year and your videos really helped me improve faster than on my own. I just sold my string trimmer since scything is actually faster and much less noisy. I hope that scything culture grows here in canada since it is IMO superior than motorised weed wacking. Keep up the good work!
Great video as always! That sort of light, dry, sparse grass can be a real annoyance to mow! I always find a crisp-but-toothy edge works best on it compared to softer vegetation. All of that wire fencing had my anxiety up--like you said, it's always a risk of snagging it by accident when mowing near it.
Always a pleasure to watch you work and glean some hints and tips. Love your benefits at the end and the biodiversity message part way through, I think it’s brilliant that biodiversity is the backbone of your company! Thank you! On a side note I’m sure you’ve tried this in your years of scything, but have you ever tried cutting one row onto uncut grass, then doubling back on yourself/finishing the row and turning 180 degrees and cutting the next row. So you end up with two cut rows and one ‘wind row’ of stacked grass. It’s hard to ensure all the grass is severed but great fun to try! I believe the Austrians or Swiss use this method at times. All the best, Jake
Thanks! Yes we apply it on one meadow we cut where it's very flat and very low and scattered grass, only for the reason that it is beneficial for the raking in that specific case. As you say, quite fun, but I regard it very very seldom useful.
I saw sparks when you struck the rock -- definitely a better chance to snuff a fire than if a motorized mower blade struck it and sent sparks flying everywhere.
Thank you for all your videos. I really enjoy them and find them really useful in improving my technique. It is useful to see quite how close and neat grass can be mowed when done by an expert. I'm in my fourth year of learning to scythe, your videos make me realise how much more I still have to learn, but also is exciting to see how much more potential there is for improvement and to keep experimenting. I have never seen anybody else cycle with a scythe. I like the idea of using a towel to wrap the blade. I have a 3m length of 12mm synthetic hemp rope that I use to tie the snath to my back so I don't need to hold it whilst cycling, this is quite comfortable and can work with a backpack. I have an Austrian style scythe, so I'm not sure if it'd work as well for the nordic snath - I find if, I tie the rope around both handles then I can create a loop that can be worn like a satchel with the end sticking up like an aerial. I then loop the remaining rope around my waste to keep it secure. It is fairly hilly where I am from and so like to have both hands free when cycling. May I ask how you are able to peen your blade so thin that it slices through the grass so cleanly, but you are also able to slice through the cherry tree branches without damaging the blade?
Man that's quicker than normal size lawn mowers! We often use our garden as a meadow too (in Norway), to give insects half a chance during tough years. I use a lawnmower that throws the grass right out the side, but sometimes it grows so tall it requires maintenance with a scythe. I don't have honing stones though, so my scythe's aren't even nearly as sharp, as a result I've taken on the bad habit of never doing full swipes just so I can quickly cut that one tuft of grass, resulting in blisters from stopping the scythe mid swing. Seeing this I do want a couple of honing stones, might even make it slightly enjoyable 🤣
Great that you have meadow! The best type of birdfeeding. Why not buy a whole set and a scythe you really can use? We often sell and ship to Norway, WWw.slattergubben.se
Else's garden is beautiful and the scythe is the best tool for this job for sure. I'm just learning to use the scythe to mow my 3 acres. I have ~ 50 fruit trees and several big garden areas nestled in many oaks. I lot of obstacles so the scythe makes sense - I just need to build my skills.
Du hade mer än gärna fått lära mig hur man använder en lie. Min grästrimmer gick sönder, och jag skulle uppskatta tips och råd om hur man kan använda en lie för att snygga till vägkanter!
Thank you for sharing your video. I have been learning to use the scythe on my own for a while now . I have learned a few details. It is just enjoying watching your video. Kind regards, Juan
Thanks for posting these videos. Clearly a lot of people are tuning in! It's great to see the sort of area where I should be in scything. I did do a short course years ago, but still need a lot of improvement! 😂. The grass where I live is difficult - wiry, dry and tough, and the ground very stony. Seeing a professional mowing is like...wow!👍
Yes, it's great to see the interest growing :) We all start somewhere and keep improving every year, just keep going. The scythe is especially great in areas where a lawnmower doesn't quite cut it (no pun intended) and we have a video coming out soon about mowing among stones, that I hope will be helpful to you. Stay tuned! :)
Motivated to go take the rock damage out of my bush scythe tonight. I filled those out. Tomorrow I'll do some penning. No jig though. Just an anvil and hammer
Instead of honing stones, a two foot long uniper wooden stick can do the trick. My uncle always had one of those stuck down his rubber boot when doing this
I was initially confused how you could always be cutting such that the already-mowed part is on the left. I thought "surely he doesn't walk clear across a meadow each time without cutting anything just to start another row?". Because you almost never show it. But this video I think I caught a glimpse of that "wasted" walk, so that clears things up. I bet it gives you a nice short break too. It doesn't really matter in a 300 m^2 meadow but with the larger ones I can see where it would seem like a waste to walk too far not doing anything.
If an area is completely flat and you do not need to take raking strategies in account you can actually mow in a spiral inwards. But usually rows is more efficient, and that walk in between is a good release for the body. My next film is about the attempt to mow one hectar in a day. There I am running to the next row.... As fast as the ground is not flat it is always efficient to mow downwards or along the slope, if the grass is not leaning
Wish i knew about this or saw ur vids 13 years ago, wouldve invested into scything. Instead of lawnmower and weed whackers. This year i want to build a rabbit hutch. Would be nice to take that home for them. And tbh, my folks would probably be ashamed of me scything. They already were embarrassed of me buying a $2000 bicycle instead of a car, then buying 6 acres of land in a french place forcing me to learn french, then building a trailer to haul behind my 2004 giant nrs2. Bcoz of their shame i suffered heart failure stroke and hypoxia 12 years ago and have been recovering from it the past 7 to 8 years. I hate depending on power equipment esp if i can do the job with my own strength. Then at the end of each day the only things that matter are food, shelter, bath, clean clothes, clean bed. No need to buy gas, change engine oil, maintenance, insurance, license, storage. Even now that i have a 2 stroke moped and weed eater, i use canola oil as the two stroke mix. 50 parts gas to 1 part canola oil. Never have trouble. Been doing it for 5 years now. GMO oils are great for this application bcoz it never stays long enough in the engine to turn into sludge bcoz it get burned, and it does not smell bad at all when burnt. Still, my legs were better. I really hate where my life is right now and watching your videos make me regret not fighting back to save myself.
@@slattergubben6702 hard to watch. Would b better if i just tell u my build and you set me up. Sry, but hypoxia has robbed me of smthn i loved to do, reading. I cannot concentrate as much as i use too.
I am glad I found your channel! I scythe myself. I love everything about it, the quiet sound, the rythm, the satisfaction, being able to hear the nature around me, the calm, the smell, the harvested resources, all of it! I mainly scythe regrowing bramblevines, nettles and all other growth, which I feed to my pigs. I want to prevent the property from being overgrown again with the brambles but cant let the sheep in because I am also planting trees where I can. So scything is the best option. Also the pigs completely devour everything I scythe and throw into their pen. Here is a little video about it: th-cam.com/video/Eaz_o4YGVz0/w-d-xo.html
So what's worse - mowing by the chain fence or by the plastic swimming pool filled with water? 🤪 Nice job! Looks like the more skilled one is the more is leading with the dominant foot, right? Starting from the Tai Chi position at first. But the bare feet, oh my! I hope you have your tetanus shot up to date 😀
He he, the fence for sure. Awkward sound when the blade catch a protruding metalthread. Yes - one tends up to have the right foot little more forward with a right-handed snath. The more tricky area the more forward with right foot - usually. Bare feet is the best when grass is soft!
I wonder if this was the only time that this area was schyted this season? I've been working on transforming part of my garden (in Östergötland) to medow for the last years, and this years schyting was a struggle. The gras was long and was leaning in different directions and I thought maybe I should schyte it more than once every season? Thanks for the great content you're puttning out. 👍
No , I will do a late mowing as well in September/okt. The first was in June and is I general considered to be to early for meadow. But same areas with higher and well nutrient grass can be cut two or three times! Nice to hear about your meadow, join a course if you want do develop!
Nice video, thanks for the information. A couple of questions:- First, why do you carry 2 honing stones? Second, how often are you honing. I tend to get about 30 to 50 strokes before I notice the dulling, then a quick hone makes a big difference for another 30 to 50 strokes.
One finer and one courser stone. If you have ambitions with your mowing I would say it is very necessary. See more in my long honing video. Honing every one or maximum two minutes. Could be in the range of 20-60 strokes. There are many depending on. A thinner and freshly and correct peened blade holds perfect sharpness longer than the one starting to get thicker. And then things like how fast you do the strokes, how much grass you grab each stroke, your ground pressure and the lay matters of course. Can also be expressed as honing no less than every one or two minutes. You never see one hone too often. Needed to say also when you are experienced a quick look for damages along the edge and a maintenance honing is a matter of seconds. And a short rest if you cut with pulse and speed in between. All gear you find at www.slattergubben.se
@@slattergubben6702 many thanks for the reply and the advice, I will watch the long video. I started scything about a year ago and find it fascinating, this year I hope to save some hay and make my own bales.
Simple question i hope, but for the best biodiversity benefits, how often and when would you recommend mowing ordinary grassland - not marsh or alpine or anything, just normal British/northern European grassland?
Väldigt annorlunda teknik än vad jag fick lära mig av äldre släktingar. Din teknik fungerar men kräver mer energi för att göra samma jobb. Är det bättre att använda brynstenar istället för libbsticka? Vilka typer av stenar rekommenderar du?
Hej! Ytterst tveksamt om den skulle kräva mer energi. Jag har ändå haft det här som yrke i 15 år. Det är kanske svårt att förstå hur mycket gräs jag avverkar i varje lietag om man jämför med någon som inte ser ut att anstränga sig. Men låt säga att det är 4 ggr mer i alla fall, då ska du ta summan av 4 drag till ett och då är det inte så konstigt om det ser lite mer kraftfullt ut. Till knackliar kör man aldrig vispesticka. Kolla in utrustningen på www.slattergubben.se
We are in Sweden around midsommer. Although this is in southern Sweden it is not that far from the polar circle where there start to be midnight sun at the same time!
In this garden i mow parts of in early summer, saving some plants and small flowerrich areas. That's 1 hour , a little bitt less than 1000sek for the customer exclusive the rut-subsidue where the government pays half of that cost for people how afford to have people working for them in and around the house. Then I do an autumn mowing of the whole garden around 2.5 hours that is a little less than 2000 sek for the customer ex rut-subsidue. So all over the season the customer pays from private pocket less than 1500 sek
Earlier there was a general thought that it was healthier for the meadow plants with a clean cut. But that is not true. So for the plants basically nothing. But: nothing else that a scythe can cut so low and close to obstacles. And still have just long straw of grass that enables easy raking. Else we just need to repeat arguments (unless you have a tractor) as it is, faster, silenter, better smelling, cheaper, you hear angry wasps before they sting you (most often), no vibrations, no wet or dangerous debris flying around. Does not ring bark the trees, always start, doesn't break, does not need fuel or charging, does not leave plastic in nature , you do not need protection clothes. Such things
@@slattergubben6702 All the excuses I needed :) Recently bought a small property far away. It had multiple rusty lawnmowers, none of which were in working condition. I needed to get rid of an invasive "blomsterlupin" and in the shed there was old, rusty scythe. I scythed over 200 square meters in one go before breaking the scythe into a rock hiding in the tall brush. But... I think I might have gotten bitten by a scythe bug. That's how I found this channel, as I could not stop thinking about it. I've never liked lawnmowers but scything by hand felt great. I never peened it or honed it, and my technique was probably awful, but it did a wonderful job during that short time. Do you have a recommendation? For a scythe good enough to be a long time companion.
@@Anomalous-Plant Nice bug to be stung of! Must have got a proper bite back in the days as well! Just look into my webshop, we provide the best gear available on the market today. www.slattergubben.se
May I ask you a question? With most scythes i see the grips pointed into the opposite direction as the blade. On your snath the grips are pointing forward in the direction of the blade. Is this just your preference, a different snath geometry or am I missing something?
@@paulweiterer6630 there are many solutions that works, I have tried most of them. This is my own developed snath that is now sold over the world and many professional mowers regard it as the best.
Differs from place to place, but sell it is never a profitable way as it is very very small scale and not effective. If someone wants to take care of the grass for hay or making compost it's welcome as it saves time for us or the gardenowner
@@anthonydenning5988 average mow one minute and then hone. Can sound short but then you have not been out there working . You need to surf on the wave of sharpness.
Please look on the honing video and peening video on my channel. Stones is available in our webshop www.slattergubben.se If i start to explain its half a book...
Va, spänner jag inte åt hjälmen? Jag som brukar va så noga med det. Pappa har en historia om när de åkte motorcyklar som ungdomar och en vän till han dog just därför.
If you don't have animals to make the grass into hay, what would you recommend doing with the rest? I have roughly 3000m². I will use some for mulching and some for compost, but it seems to much for compost due to the high nitrogen level? (would need carbon to balance it out, no?)
Good question and that is something to make film about as well. I now use grass from my own garden that is little larger, one big grasscompost that I move every year in a crop- rotation. And one field where I just keep the soil covered with grass. After 15 years of that system there are so many hungry worms ....they eat a lot. And the soil and the crops are absolutely fabulous. As long as you do mainly cut long mature grass it is a good balance. Maybe to little N. Shorter fresh grass is more N.
would enjoy a film about that, too. Ive got "only" 400m² and what I mow shorter I used for mulching. Still, that plus the longer patches created so much stuff, its insane. started small compost and thinking about a rotation system over the next years too. still not to sure
@@odn7769 there is also a less intense system where you do not move the compost. Just grow pumpkins and so the first year, cabbage next then potatoes and then carrots and others. The drawback is weeding and slugs can be problematic
I would suggest : offer it for free or for a scant price through your local social media. Knowing that your hay will be put to good use is more rewarding, and it is an occasion to get acquainted with people you did not know. Be generous, and there is a chance that the others will be generous too...
As the others say, and in smaller areas like this there is no machine whatsoever that can compete. The difference is even bigger if taking costs and annoying noise in the calculation!
Haha. Yeah, it's weird, isn't it? To get a person from A to B, he use a bike!!! WTF. Use a car like all other car slaves. Make more sense to use a thing that can carry 5 persons.
Barefoot is how you have most control, power and contact. And least weight to carry. When the grass is soft it is very pleasant. In second hand barefoot shoe and in third any shoe you are comfortable with. It's not a big deal.
Thank You. I agree, barefoot gives you better "feel" and "awareness". Best wishes. David from Southwest Scotland (Usually Falci 75cm Rough Meadow blade on Austrian snath) @@slattergubben6702
There is no risk of cutting yourself in the foot while mowing. Using helmet is just an insurance, used almost always when biking during 30 years but never really feel that it has done any certain help at crashes. But, you never know - that's the nature of accidents.
Wanted to thank you, started watching your videos a week and half ago and really vibed with the benefits you associated with scything. Ordered one, it came yesterday, today I spent 8 hours scything my overgrown meadow. It was the most enjoyable day I’ve had in a while and I agree wholeheartedly with you that this is a wonderful activity. An hour in today and I am glad I’ve resisted buying a tractor, I believe this will be a permanent solution for my small farm. Your videos have made a significant improvement in my situation and I’m very grateful.
Thanks! Glad to hear I have helped you through. Scythe is really wise tool to master!
I love the silent aspect of scythe mowing. I wish more people appreciated the silence. I think people really take pride in how much noise they make, sometimes.
You are so right
I am 77 and still work with my scythe every year, I am teaching my grandsons this year, and We are having so much fun cutting buttercups in the horse meadow, Thanks for your work So pleasing to watch
Great to hear!
I`ve been scything most of my property this year and already I can`t imagine doing it any other way. I have some swamp-like areas which I think I will mow a bit earlier next year. The flat laying grass makes it a serious work out, but I`ve never been able to cut it this clean any other way. One of the top reasons I wanted to learn mowing this way , was saving the reptiles that live here. Using the bush cutter there was no escape and lots of casualties every year... That just made me feel terrible. This year I don`t think I killed a single animal. I also had time for a break here and there without wearing protective clothing, to enjoy nature in the early hours, and the kingfisher even stayed when I was working...how cool is that...? Thanks for being an inspiration 👍👍
Thanks! Glad to hear this! Good for the future! Which country?
Should do a film about laying grass but the playful mower already figures out how to "fish" it up by just letting the tip of the blade take thin strokes! And always come from behind.
Glad less animals is killed. I do kill some with the scythe each year.
Im in the Netherlands. Yea, grass laying flat is one, but when it`s all wet and rotting and there`s a meter tall new grass on top of that....👀👀 Also there`s a lot of moles here... that`s no fun mowing through. Is shipping your snath overhere possible? @@slattergubben6702
how much land? i have 50 acres how the hell could you do this 2 to 3 times a year? I mean it has to be a great workout and I love the history but HOW is it practical?
@@jakeMTSU sounds better with as machine /tractor for that area if possible !
Well said. And I agree completely. I will never go back to powered mowing.✌😁
I don’t know how i stumbled onto this channel or why YT recommended this video, but I like it.
Glad to hear it!
5:45 You have just demonstrated why I want a scythe. When you saved those flowers it made me very happy, I want to do the same.
That makes me happy! The more meadows we create in our gardens the more flowers and insects we will have!
@@slattergubben6702 I am trying to protect a wetland within the critically endangered vegetation type known as Cape Flats Sand Fynbos. There is a lot of plants to protect but also a lot of invasive grasses and other plant species that need to be dealt with. Some invasives have been removed or managed already. I believe applying the right tools to particular species and sitatutions can yield the best results. I am very happy I stumbled across your channel.
@@RaderGH Thanks! Good job you do! Together with the bladehoe the scythe is magic!
@@RaderGHAs a South African who's spent a good few years volunteering in animal care and rehabilitation , I'd like to extend a sincere thanks to you for your conservation efforts. Keep fighting the good fight sir. Lord knows sometimes it's not a venture to be undertaken lightly.
There was an a-ha moment when I saw you use a vertical, upward stroke with the edge of the blade facing skyward. I can see doing that against our back fence where the tall grass pushes through the spaces between the fence boards, along the bottom quarter of its height. 👍😁
Happy to hear it! Yes it's a really helpful technique
Told you I'd be back for more!
And I'm just as captivated as was on the last video of yours, which also happened to be he first of yours that I saw.
Thank you for taking the time to put this together. I appreciate the window into a world that I was otherwise completely ignorant of.
And to top it off, your presentation style is super chilled and welcoming.
I cannot ever conceive of a situation wherein I'd ever find this information useful to me, because this could never be me. But my god I'd be lying if I said I weren't fascinated.
Loved the video.
Thank you so much for your kind words, you're more than welcome to hang out here. I don't know your circumstances, but don't give up on your dreams, whatever they might be.
@@slattergubben6702 Hey sir, and a thanks to you for your most warm welcome. Wishing you and yours health and happyness.
I like very much the aspects you are pointing on: no disturbtion, lovely body-work, fast done, lovely biodiversity! When ever I can I'm mowing with scythe in my garden and with sikle for the more complicated areas alternating with elektrik lawnmower sometimes. I observed that I cause very less damage to little animals like frogs, slow worm, bees and bugs working without lawnmower. And the result cuted gras its much more usefull in my permacultur way to garden. Thank for your god and competent videos. Very helpfull also tecnicaly!
@@vheidiheberhard2590 thanks wish you best scything!
i love the clip clop sounds his honing stones makes when he walks
Thanks for the video. I find scything videos are very relaxing to watch. I've bought a scythe myself and hoping to have more practice this spring. Greetings from Australia.
Thanks for watching! Yes, I find scything meditative to do as well. Good luck, let us know how it goes!
Great video you are doing excellent work spreading this information to people! While I don't own a scythe I do own a reel mower and I love it! So much better for my yard, sanity, and the enviornment than a gas mower lol.
love to hear it!
That large stone wall she had was absolutely gorgeous. As an American, I'm incredibly jealous how Europeans get to enjoy structures like that dotted throughout the countryside.
Yes, they are beauiful.
Agreed. Eastern states get to enjoy a lot more of that old-world charm than those of us in the middle of the country.
@@1FISH I appreciate the recommendation! I'm in NC, so that's doable for a trip sometime down the line. Thank you!
That's a very nice snath : ). I'm 71 and have been scything since the 80's on my own properties. Working by hand keeps me healthy and benefits the local wildlife as well as my garden. Deer sleep in my yard and sometimes this is the only house in the area with fireflies. Looks like a jungle sometimes but it all makes good compost.
Very cool. My granddad used sthe short scythe (stuttorv) for all the trimmings around bushes and poles and such. I rarely saw him with the proper length scythe that he used for the field.(langorv). He taught me how to use the short scythe and maintaining it. Something about the old ways that is so fullfilling to watch.
That is very nice! I picked up scything this year and your videos really helped me improve faster than on my own. I just sold my string trimmer since scything is actually faster and much less noisy. I hope that scything culture grows here in canada since it is IMO superior than motorised weed wacking. Keep up the good work!
I agree with everthing you said and am happy to hear you are giving it a go!
Great video as always! That sort of light, dry, sparse grass can be a real annoyance to mow! I always find a crisp-but-toothy edge works best on it compared to softer vegetation. All of that wire fencing had my anxiety up--like you said, it's always a risk of snagging it by accident when mowing near it.
Always a pleasure to watch you work and glean some hints and tips. Love your benefits at the end and the biodiversity message part way through, I think it’s brilliant that biodiversity is the backbone of your company! Thank you!
On a side note I’m sure you’ve tried this in your years of scything, but have you ever tried cutting one row onto uncut grass, then doubling back on yourself/finishing the row and turning 180 degrees and cutting the next row. So you end up with two cut rows and one ‘wind row’ of stacked grass. It’s hard to ensure all the grass is severed but great fun to try! I believe the Austrians or Swiss use this method at times. All the best, Jake
Thanks! Yes we apply it on one meadow we cut where it's very flat and very low and scattered grass, only for the reason that it is beneficial for the raking in that specific case. As you say, quite fun, but I regard it very very seldom useful.
Wonderful video. I applaud all your effort and showmanship. Scything is such a beneficial skill.
Beautiful ! Just beautiful craftsmanship ! Thank you for your efforts and best greetings from Switzerland to Sweden !
These videos are very informative and demonstrative videos about scything. But they also seem to be about how to be a better person.
I can’t scythe barefoot here in Texas. We have goat-head grass burrs, fire ants, and venomous snakes. Good times!
Adopt after conditions! Yes
Yeah them fire ants will ruin your day
Good job! Amazing how fast you went
I saw sparks when you struck the rock -- definitely a better chance to snuff a fire than if a motorized mower blade struck it and sent sparks flying everywhere.
okay this is super relaxing for a Saturday morning :D
Happy to hear it!
Stumbled upon your channel after work today and went on a binge! Great job and good luck from America!
Love to hear it! Thank you :)
Thank you for all your videos. I really enjoy them and find them really useful in improving my technique. It is useful to see quite how close and neat grass can be mowed when done by an expert. I'm in my fourth year of learning to scythe, your videos make me realise how much more I still have to learn, but also is exciting to see how much more potential there is for improvement and to keep experimenting.
I have never seen anybody else cycle with a scythe. I like the idea of using a towel to wrap the blade. I have a 3m length of 12mm synthetic hemp rope that I use to tie the snath to my back so I don't need to hold it whilst cycling, this is quite comfortable and can work with a backpack. I have an Austrian style scythe, so I'm not sure if it'd work as well for the nordic snath - I find if, I tie the rope around both handles then I can create a loop that can be worn like a satchel with the end sticking up like an aerial. I then loop the remaining rope around my waste to keep it secure. It is fairly hilly where I am from and so like to have both hands free when cycling.
May I ask how you are able to peen your blade so thin that it slices through the grass so cleanly, but you are also able to slice through the cherry tree branches without damaging the blade?
Man that's quicker than normal size lawn mowers! We often use our garden as a meadow too (in Norway), to give insects half a chance during tough years.
I use a lawnmower that throws the grass right out the side, but sometimes it grows so tall it requires maintenance with a scythe.
I don't have honing stones though, so my scythe's aren't even nearly as sharp, as a result I've taken on the bad habit of never doing full swipes just so I can quickly cut that one tuft of grass, resulting in blisters from stopping the scythe mid swing.
Seeing this I do want a couple of honing stones, might even make it slightly enjoyable 🤣
Great that you have meadow! The best type of birdfeeding. Why not buy a whole set and a scythe you really can use?
We often sell and ship to Norway, WWw.slattergubben.se
Love your video Sir!! I wish I had one scythe to experience
Thanks! Take a look in our webshop www.slattergubben.se and it can be yours. We ship worldwide.
Else's garden is beautiful and the scythe is the best tool for this job for sure. I'm just learning to use the scythe to mow my 3 acres. I have ~ 50 fruit trees and several big garden areas nestled in many oaks. I lot of obstacles so the scythe makes sense - I just need to build my skills.
Du hade mer än gärna fått lära mig hur man använder en lie. Min grästrimmer gick sönder, och jag skulle uppskatta tips och råd om hur man kan använda en lie för att snygga till vägkanter!
Jamen kolla in våra, liar, liekurser och alla instruktionsfilmer på www.slattergubben.se
Nice work 😎🌻
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your video. I have been learning to use the scythe on my own for a while now
. I have learned a few details. It is just enjoying watching your video. Kind regards, Juan
Thank you! There is an entire Beginner's Guide on this channel, if you're interested in learning more.
Thanks for posting these videos. Clearly a lot of people are tuning in! It's great to see the sort of area where I should be in scything. I did do a short course years ago, but still need a lot of improvement! 😂. The grass where I live is difficult - wiry, dry and tough, and the ground very stony. Seeing a professional mowing is like...wow!👍
Yes, it's great to see the interest growing :) We all start somewhere and keep improving every year, just keep going. The scythe is especially great in areas where a lawnmower doesn't quite cut it (no pun intended) and we have a video coming out soon about mowing among stones, that I hope will be helpful to you. Stay tuned! :)
Отличная работа.👍 С удовольствием смотрю ваши видео, и желаю вам здравия.
Motivated to go take the rock damage out of my bush scythe tonight. I filled those out. Tomorrow I'll do some penning. No jig though. Just an anvil and hammer
Love to hear it!
You work so late! And it's very bright for that time. Must be due to living so far north.
Exactly! Not that magic in wintertime though....
6:56 You need to buy a hand scythe for those details.
Instead of honing stones, a two foot long uniper wooden stick can do the trick. My uncle always had one of those stuck down his rubber boot when doing this
The barefoot Scyther Love it 😊
I was initially confused how you could always be cutting such that the already-mowed part is on the left. I thought "surely he doesn't walk clear across a meadow each time without cutting anything just to start another row?". Because you almost never show it. But this video I think I caught a glimpse of that "wasted" walk, so that clears things up. I bet it gives you a nice short break too.
It doesn't really matter in a 300 m^2 meadow but with the larger ones I can see where it would seem like a waste to walk too far not doing anything.
If an area is completely flat and you do not need to take raking strategies in account you can actually mow in a spiral inwards. But usually rows is more efficient, and that walk in between is a good release for the body. My next film is about the attempt to mow one hectar in a day. There I am running to the next row....
As fast as the ground is not flat it is always efficient to mow downwards or along the slope, if the grass is not leaning
Wish i knew about this or saw ur vids 13 years ago, wouldve invested into scything. Instead of lawnmower and weed whackers. This year i want to build a rabbit hutch. Would be nice to take that home for them. And tbh, my folks would probably be ashamed of me scything. They already were embarrassed of me buying a $2000 bicycle instead of a car, then buying 6 acres of land in a french place forcing me to learn french, then building a trailer to haul behind my 2004 giant nrs2. Bcoz of their shame i suffered heart failure stroke and hypoxia 12 years ago and have been recovering from it the past 7 to 8 years. I hate depending on power equipment esp if i can do the job with my own strength. Then at the end of each day the only things that matter are food, shelter, bath, clean clothes, clean bed. No need to buy gas, change engine oil, maintenance, insurance, license, storage. Even now that i have a 2 stroke moped and weed eater, i use canola oil as the two stroke mix. 50 parts gas to 1 part canola oil. Never have trouble. Been doing it for 5 years now. GMO oils are great for this application bcoz it never stays long enough in the engine to turn into sludge bcoz it get burned, and it does not smell bad at all when burnt. Still, my legs were better. I really hate where my life is right now and watching your videos make me regret not fighting back to save myself.
Wise words! But never too late to start scything!
@@slattergubben6702 u have a video on how to choose a scythe?
@@rashadabdullah9769 Yes, it's a couple of years old now but you can check out this video: th-cam.com/video/F9nGY3cIgIY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=UDo7qWOr2IUPabgS
@@slattergubben6702 hard to watch. Would b better if i just tell u my build and you set me up. Sry, but hypoxia has robbed me of smthn i loved to do, reading. I cannot concentrate as much as i use too.
СПАСИБО ЗА ВИДЕО, ДЛЯ ВАС НЕБОЛЬШОЕ СТИХОТВОРЕНИЕ: Смотрел в окно, туда вдаль,
Там вдали, черный ворон,
Кружил, кончился этот год.
nice work, don't need the gym, question what do u do in the winter?
Selling organic birdfeed, and prepare all courses and agreements for Next year scything
@@slattergubben6702 class thing your doing 👏 🙌 keep it up
I am glad I found your channel! I scythe myself. I love everything about it, the quiet sound, the rythm, the satisfaction, being able to hear the nature around me, the calm, the smell, the harvested resources, all of it! I mainly scythe regrowing bramblevines, nettles and all other growth, which I feed to my pigs. I want to prevent the property from being overgrown again with the brambles but cant let the sheep in because I am also planting trees where I can. So scything is the best option. Also the pigs completely devour everything I scythe and throw into their pen. Here is a little video about it: th-cam.com/video/Eaz_o4YGVz0/w-d-xo.html
So what's worse - mowing by the chain fence or by the plastic swimming pool filled with water? 🤪
Nice job!
Looks like the more skilled one is the more is leading with the dominant foot, right? Starting from the Tai Chi position at first.
But the bare feet, oh my! I hope you have your tetanus shot up to date 😀
He he, the fence for sure. Awkward sound when the blade catch a protruding metalthread.
Yes - one tends up to have the right foot little more forward with a right-handed snath. The more tricky area the more forward with right foot - usually.
Bare feet is the best when grass is soft!
I wonder if this was the only time that this area was schyted this season? I've been working on transforming part of my garden (in Östergötland) to medow for the last years, and this years schyting was a struggle. The gras was long and was leaning in different directions and I thought maybe I should schyte it more than once every season?
Thanks for the great content you're puttning out. 👍
No , I will do a late mowing as well in September/okt. The first was in June and is I general considered to be to early for meadow. But same areas with higher and well nutrient grass can be cut two or three times!
Nice to hear about your meadow, join a course if you want do develop!
Any tips for someone starting a sything business? Love your work. :)
Just go for it. Keep curiosity and never stop to be open for relearning what you earlier thought you knew best.
Nice video, thanks for the information. A couple of questions:-
First, why do you carry 2 honing stones?
Second, how often are you honing. I tend to get about 30 to 50 strokes before I notice the dulling, then a quick hone makes a big difference for another 30 to 50 strokes.
One finer and one courser stone. If you have ambitions with your mowing I would say it is very necessary. See more in my long honing video.
Honing every one or maximum two minutes.
Could be in the range of 20-60 strokes. There are many depending on. A thinner and freshly and correct peened blade holds perfect sharpness longer than the one starting to get thicker. And then things like how fast you do the strokes, how much grass you grab each stroke, your ground pressure and the lay matters of course.
Can also be expressed as honing no less than every one or two minutes. You never see one hone too often.
Needed to say also when you are experienced a quick look for damages along the edge and a maintenance honing is a matter of seconds. And a short rest if you cut with pulse and speed in between.
All gear you find at www.slattergubben.se
@@slattergubben6702 many thanks for the reply and the advice, I will watch the long video. I started scything about a year ago and find it fascinating, this year I hope to save some hay and make my own bales.
Just good. Försöker
Simple question i hope, but for the best biodiversity benefits, how often and when would you recommend mowing ordinary grassland - not marsh or alpine or anything, just normal British/northern European grassland?
August. Usually mowing and remove grass once a year is most beneficial for biodiversity. But there is many depending on.
@@slattergubben6702 Thanks for the reply. Appreciate there's a lot of variables but interesting as a guide!
Catching your blade on a wire fence does more damage than hitting a rock. It is horrible and takes lots of work to repair.
I know it too well! But there are rocks that can damage a lot, small ones with steep edges you do not expect to be there.
Väldigt annorlunda teknik än vad jag fick lära mig av äldre släktingar. Din teknik fungerar men kräver mer energi för att göra samma jobb. Är det bättre att använda brynstenar istället för libbsticka? Vilka typer av stenar rekommenderar du?
Hej! Ytterst tveksamt om den skulle kräva mer energi. Jag har ändå haft det här som yrke i 15 år. Det är kanske svårt att förstå hur mycket gräs jag avverkar i varje lietag om man jämför med någon som inte ser ut att anstränga sig. Men låt säga att det är 4 ggr mer i alla fall, då ska du ta summan av 4 drag till ett och då är det inte så konstigt om det ser lite mer kraftfullt ut.
Till knackliar kör man aldrig vispesticka. Kolla in utrustningen på www.slattergubben.se
what rates do you charge to make this sustainable for yourself?
@@MulroePhoto like normal garden work, little more as I know I am skilled.
Going to start selling a range of scything shorts :)
Maybe, you have using small scythe for cutting grass on narrow place/space...
How can there be so much sunlight at 22:10? Some oddity with the timezone there?
We are in Sweden around midsommer. Although this is in southern Sweden it is not that far from the polar circle where there start to be midnight sun at the same time!
How much would you charge for a work like this? are you coming several times a year or just once?
Inspireing and nce work.
In this garden i mow parts of in early summer, saving some plants and small flowerrich areas. That's 1 hour , a little bitt less than 1000sek for the customer exclusive the rut-subsidue where the government pays half of that cost for people how afford to have people working for them in and around the house.
Then I do an autumn mowing of the whole garden around 2.5 hours that is a little less than 2000 sek for the customer ex rut-subsidue. So all over the season the customer pays from private pocket less than 1500 sek
What makes scything so good for areas kept as meadows? Compared to other cutting methods
Earlier there was a general thought that it was healthier for the meadow plants with a clean cut. But that is not true. So for the plants basically nothing. But: nothing else that a scythe can cut so low and close to obstacles. And still have just long straw of grass that enables easy raking.
Else we just need to repeat arguments (unless you have a tractor) as it is, faster, silenter, better smelling, cheaper, you hear angry wasps before they sting you (most often), no vibrations, no wet or dangerous debris flying around. Does not ring bark the trees, always start, doesn't break, does not need fuel or charging, does not leave plastic in nature , you do not need protection clothes. Such things
@@slattergubben6702 All the excuses I needed :)
Recently bought a small property far away. It had multiple rusty lawnmowers, none of which were in working condition. I needed to get rid of an invasive "blomsterlupin" and in the shed there was old, rusty scythe. I scythed over 200 square meters in one go before breaking the scythe into a rock hiding in the tall brush.
But... I think I might have gotten bitten by a scythe bug. That's how I found this channel, as I could not stop thinking about it. I've never liked lawnmowers but scything by hand felt great. I never peened it or honed it, and my technique was probably awful, but it did a wonderful job during that short time.
Do you have a recommendation? For a scythe good enough to be a long time companion.
@@Anomalous-Plant Nice bug to be stung of! Must have got a proper bite back in the days as well!
Just look into my webshop, we provide the best gear available on the market today. www.slattergubben.se
Wouldn't a frozen herring be just as effective?
For what?
May I ask you a question? With most scythes i see the grips pointed into the opposite direction as the blade. On your snath the grips are pointing forward in the direction of the blade. Is this just your preference, a different snath geometry or am I missing something?
@@paulweiterer6630 there are many solutions that works, I have tried most of them. This is my own developed snath that is now sold over the world and many professional mowers regard it as the best.
do you take the grass with you ? i think if the grass is clean you can sell it as a hay from making your own haybale.
Differs from place to place, but sell it is never a profitable way as it is very very small scale and not effective. If someone wants to take care of the grass for hay or making compost it's welcome as it saves time for us or the gardenowner
How often do you think the scythe needs to be honed when you are working
@@anthonydenning5988 average mow one minute and then hone. Can sound short but then you have not been out there working . You need to surf on the wave of sharpness.
Is there a particular time of year that you do scything
@@anthonydenning5988 when there is anything to scythe!
Traditional it is used for harvesting hay and grain so in Europe june-sept.
where do you put your stone, or how is it called?
What type of coarser stone do you us for sharpening and how often bt the fine stone?
Please look on the honing video and peening video on my channel. Stones is available in our webshop www.slattergubben.se
If i start to explain its half a book...
Do you play chess?
(Ingemar Bergman - The seventh Seal, poor scythe joke...)
Hello. Do you have any tips on dry scything? A lot of times, I cannot scythe till after work and grass is dry. Thanks.
Just sharpness, sharpness sharpness. Hone maybe every 20 strokes to never lose it!
@@slattergubben6702 thanks friend.
Händer det att gnistor sätter igång små bränder när det är torrt ute?
I have 8 000m2 to lawn, would you help?
Va, ska Else räfsa själv? 😂
Också: hjälmen gör ingen nytta om du inte knyter remmen ;) be safe
Va, spänner jag inte åt hjälmen? Jag som brukar va så noga med det. Pappa har en historia om när de åkte motorcyklar som ungdomar och en vän till han dog just därför.
If you don't have animals to make the grass into hay, what would you recommend doing with the rest? I have roughly 3000m². I will use some for mulching and some for compost, but it seems to much for compost due to the high nitrogen level? (would need carbon to balance it out, no?)
Good question and that is something to make film about as well. I now use grass from my own garden that is little larger, one big grasscompost that I move every year in a crop- rotation. And one field where I just keep the soil covered with grass. After 15 years of that system there are so many hungry worms ....they eat a lot. And the soil and the crops are absolutely fabulous. As long as you do mainly cut long mature grass it is a good balance. Maybe to little N. Shorter fresh grass is more N.
would enjoy a film about that, too. Ive got "only" 400m² and what I mow shorter I used for mulching. Still, that plus the longer patches created so much stuff, its insane. started small compost and thinking about a rotation system over the next years too. still not to sure
Where did you get the beautiful snath ? Nice craftsmanship! Or did you make it?
@@odn7769 there is also a less intense system where you do not move the compost. Just grow pumpkins and so the first year, cabbage next then potatoes and then carrots and others. The drawback is weeding and slugs can be problematic
I would suggest : offer it for free or for a scant price through your local social media. Knowing that your hay will be put to good use is more rewarding, and it is an occasion to get acquainted with people you did not know. Be generous, and there is a chance that the others will be generous too...
Don't you run into burrs or nettles or hornets? I don't think I would survive barefoot in the meadow I scythe.
You start at 910 pm?
This time, yes. Meant to start a bit sooner, but there was a slight hiccup as you might have seen in the video :)
Why do you mow meadows by hand? Any specific regulations in Sweden?
Did you not see the video? He explains why
Another good reason for doing it is to do it for ecological reasons. But no regulations concerning this.
As the others say, and in smaller areas like this there is no machine whatsoever that can compete. The difference is even bigger if taking costs and annoying noise in the calculation!
Have you seen his thighs? Lot's of mowing to get this buff! Great exercise with no noise 😅
Surely you mean 3000 square mètres,??
Oops! That's one zero too much. Thanks for your alert observation!
Lawn mower
why do you ride a bike?
Haha. Yeah, it's weird, isn't it?
To get a person from A to B, he use a bike!!! WTF. Use a car like all other car slaves. Make more sense to use a thing that can carry 5 persons.
:D
Even Swedish hippies are more motivated to do things and make money while they're at it truly a foreign concept
is there a reason that you go barefoot? seems dangerous, no?
Barefoot is how you have most control, power and contact. And least weight to carry. When the grass is soft it is very pleasant. In second hand barefoot shoe and in third any shoe you are comfortable with. It's not a big deal.
@@slattergubben6702 makes sense. OSHA in the states has made me safety paranoid..
Thank You. I agree, barefoot gives you better "feel" and "awareness". Best wishes. David from Southwest Scotland (Usually Falci 75cm Rough Meadow blade on Austrian snath) @@slattergubben6702
dude, screw the neighbors, im starting a weed eater.. its cool watch tho...
I prefer to be respectful. Thanks for watching
You scythe barefoot - that's cool and at your own risk - Why do you then think it's neccessary to ride along a quiet road with a helmet on?
There is no risk of cutting yourself in the foot while mowing. Using helmet is just an insurance, used almost always when biking during 30 years but never really feel that it has done any certain help at crashes. But, you never know - that's the nature of accidents.
Get a car man.
Who says I don't have one? Having a car doesn't mean you can't use any other means of transportation. In this case, the bike was the better choice.