How to set up and use an American Scythe (full tutorial)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.ค. 2024
- This tutorial focuses on the American Scythe, what to look for, how to set up and sharpen and how to use with good form and results.
For new American Scythes and other accessories, try baryonyxknife.com/
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In 1973 I spent a few months on a small farm in the mountains of West Virginia, where I learned to swing a scythe, cutting our hay field and those of our neighbors. I found it a wonderfully relaxing and contemplative experience - except for the times I found rocks hidden in the hay, and when I mowed over a yellow jacket nest! You brought me back to those days. Thanks so much!
Excellent video, and thanks for the shout-out! A few minor additional notes:
•The blade you identified as a Western weight blade is actually a Dutch heel blade. Western weight blades are the same idea, but they're about as wide and heavy as weed blades are, but they're grass blade length. This was because as settlers moved west they had more wild and ungroomed growth to deal with, and they needed a heavier and wider blade to pass through the thick and resistant stalks with ease. The long blade you have is a New England pattern, being narrow along its full length, and better suited to well-groomed fields where the broad heel is unnecessary.
•When shaving down snaths, the shaft of the snath should taper continuously from one end to the other and be a good true round shape. Often one will find them in oval cross section due to cost-cutting measures in manufacturing, but you can't properly adjust the nibs' rotation if the shaft isn't properly round! After shaving the snath down you'll need to re-shape the bands to be a snug fit again. There should be space in the top of the nib iron's loop for it to cinch down when tightening the grip, and it should be a fairly snug fit on the shaft of the snath *before* tightening the grip down.
•Grinding points you can buy at the hardware store are often formulated with an emphasis on holding their shape rather than cutting cool. They're usually used for grinding welds or auto body panels, where there's no heat treatment to ruin. There are cool-cutting grinding points out there, but you'll have a somewhat hard time finding them sold by the piece since they're usually sold to industry rather than as consumer tools. If unable to track a suitable model down, the type A3 resin-bonded grinding points I was able to source for my shop are specifically made to cut cool on thin sections of heat treated steel. The apex of a scythe edge is foil-thin and the higher friction of common hardware store grinding points is more likely to cause flash-heating at the edge.
•Many antique blades are laminated, so it's best practice to make sure that blades are ground evenly on both sides. Otherwise you can end up with the edge comprised of the soft cladding iron instead of the hard steel in the center. If you treat every blade as if it's laminated, you'll always be treating it right!
•When adjusting tangs, make sure you don't quench it when you're done! Allow it to air-cool with a wet rag over the edge at the heel to fend off the spread of the heat. Using either an induction heater (many mechanics have them) or an oxy-acetylene torch is preferred, as they put the heat more where you want it and in less time, which minimizes the spread of the heat. Some older laminated blades with relatively thin tangs can actually be bent cold without too much effort, which eliminates the possibility of drawing the temper out of the edge at the heel entirely! The old guideline of the edge elevation you want is about a finger's thickness off the ground when in your active mowing stance.
Don't know if I'm ever gonna use a scythe, but it still was a pleasure to watch your tutorial!
I already knew you could talk. I remember you sharpening saw blades. This was your usual top-notch content. Thanks, Josh. Your vids always lower my blood pressure. lol
Yesterday, I mowed about a third of a hectare with an old weed-eater. Eventually I ripped the pull cord spring (I think) and decided to finish the job with the scythe that my father gave me when I got my piece of land. As far as I know, he inherited the tool with his farm. I had replaced the blade and the nib over the years, but the snath was the same old straight piece of wood, bleached and very light, like driftwood. The single nib broke off the snath before I finished mowing. Guess which tool I repaired.
Thanks for videos, the new format of you sharing knowledge is enjoyable and valuable.
Excellent tutorial! It is the best one I have found on TH-cam to explain the proper use of a scythe. I had tried my dad’s scythe about 40 years ago and no amount of youthful vim and vigour could make up for the fact that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and I’d not touched a scythe again until this past week. There is a lot more to it than just a blade attached to the end of a stick.
Earlier this week I picked up an old scythe. It has the identical connection type as your Derby and Ball snath. It has a 27-inch Swedish blade that seems like it is going to be ideal for cleaning up around my old apple orchard. I tore it apart, sanded, oiled, scraped and painted it. I tried it out in my back yard lawn at home this evening… I think my present skills will be good enough for the apple orchard… but I will need a few hours more practice in the backyard before I tackle the front lawn.
I understand from your video that the Derby and Ball connection can be used to swing the blade in or out. If you ever do a follow up scythe tutorial a good topic to cover might be a demo of when you would want to do this.
In the meantime, thanks again for the video. I’ve watched it probably a half dozen times so far and will likely come back to it a few more times as I start to gain some experience with it. Cheers from the east coast of Canada. JV
tool tutorials in general would be very cool hewing axes, hand planes, saws, any of the classic traditional tools would be fun to learn about.
I second this. Your tool upkeep is second to none that I have seen. Always deadly sharp and ready to cut into something nicely.
WOW! A week or so ago, I watched your video of you clearing the hay in your new orchard and I commented my difficulties in setting up my scythe. You were so good to give me a detailed reply full of excellent suggestions! Every idea you gave me is in this video and so much more! It is jam PACKED with useful information. I will get that sweet baby dialed in yet! Thank you!
I love the idea of keeping old technology alive this way!
I just found a vintage Derby & Ball scythe to use in my orchard. Yours is the first good video on the American scythe. Really appreciate you! Apparently sometimes the old ways are still the best...
Something funny: of all the first videos you put out(a lot of them) you never said a word. Always just action - no words. Now, watching you give tutorials is a little strange. But in a good way! Enjoyed this video, I’m 74 years old and never saw or heard anything about the use & purpose of the scythe. Good job and I hope it doesn’t die out like a lot of old tools have. The people who created those old tools knew a whole lot about “purpose” of tools and not just how to get out of work.
I’ve dug up a lot of these metal detecting near the railroad tracks
Great video for posterity. I still have an American scythe and a collection of blades I used for quietly cutting overgrown weeds at the church I attended many years ago.
Okay now that makes sense! I always woundering why the Tang was straight on some blades and bent on others now I can set them up right. Thanks for that!
Mr Chickadee speaks for the second time , first I remember is while giving an interview about sharpening the giant saw... that was wonderful.
I absolutely love that this video is now on the wide web
This feels like one of those invaluable historical reenactments that should be preserved in an archive. Incredibly informative and well presented. I just came across an American scythe much like yours and will be adopting your instructions as I bring it into use. Thank you.
I'll admit, one of the main reasons why I liked your videos was the lack of talking.
That being said. You are very well spoken, an excellent presenter, and I feel I learned everything you tried to teach.
Thank you.
Same here, and when talking is required, he does do that well also, doesn't he? I'm in total agreement.
As always, an excellent video. Thank you.
Don't know if anyone already told this but in the northern Europe (Sweden in my case) the traditional scythe is the same as the one you call the American style scythe. Its a hard steel core for the edge, forged with softer steel for the rest of the blade. At flee markets and yard sales and such, you only see this type of scythe in Sweden. I don't think the softer steel type blade have ever been much used in our area of Europe. In my view its a central European thing.
Sweden is actually one of the few places in the world where both styles were manufactured in the same factory! Igelfors Liefabrik was a major scythe manufacturer in Sweden and they produced various laminated Nordic and American pattern blades (both for domestic use and for export to the USA) but also made some continental European-style knacklie (peened blades) in the same factory! I actually finally got my hands on an example of such just recently. American, English, and Nordic traditional patterns all follow the high-hardness approach to prioritized design.
Thank you for this video! Great information! The strange thing is your timing couldn't have been more perfect. My wife acquired an American style grass blade a while ago and just this week we were talking getting a snath and setting it up to use. Thanks again! This will be added to my favorites.
That is awesome!
Thank you heeps some of us younger generation have no one left alive to learn this stuff from guys like you keep the knowledge alive and being passed on keep up the great work you're making great great great grandpas proud🖒
my grandfather loved to scythe . i will sharpen his and give it a try
Great tutorial! Several years ago I acquired a grass cutting and weed cutting scythes along with an extra snath. They sharpened beautifully and are so fun and meditative to use. When our mower was on the fritz (carb needed cleaning) I made quick work of a long grassy area and later when I had to quickly clear another area behind our house for some maintenance and the string on my trimmer kept breaking I finally had enough and grabbed the scythe with the weed cutting blade and once again couldn't believe how fast and easy it worked. I haven't gone back to the string trimmer since.
"... and the most important tool, a potato."
mmmm. smells like french fry
Joe?
Thank you Mr. chickadee!!! I am 58yrs old and have an American Scythe. It was passed down to me. My father was somewhat talented with tools (but) had no idea how to get an edge good enough to justify using this tool.It hung on a wall for 50 yrs. 👍 Knowledge is power!! I will get at it and most importantly pass on the knowledge with the tool
Rock on!
My neighbor is moving and set a scythe out at the curb for free. It’s like I hit the lottery. Thanks for teaching me how to get it tuned up. I’m excited to use it in the coming weeks to cut down my winter rye cover crop.
Best tutorial I have found on the American scythe. Thank you
you say you were just too stubborn to give up, well for someone to engage with hand tools on the level you have you have to posses a given determination. respect sir!
Yes! Your instructional videos are the best around! I have an old scythe blade from my grandparents that I’ve wanted to fix up and get working. I’ve been neglecting to do anything due to lack of knowledge. No excuses now.
To stubborn to quit was a motto for me too... its turned more into “too stupid to quit”...
The chalkboard graphics helped me understand what you explained. Thank you for that extra bit of visual teaching. I have done auger bits that I'd like to you with my braces. If you could do a tutorial on how to sharpen them, it would help me get started.
I'd love a tutorial on sharpening auger bits. Just found a whole wooden tray of them (approx 35 bits) at the flea-market last weekend for my choice of $1 each or $10 US for the whole tray (tray and all), so if course I took the whole tray. Would love a good tutorial on how to sharpen them.
Thank you for teaching ❤️ about the American scythe and well it work.I am looking forward to owning and using one of these for cutting our lawn. I have to close the windows when my husband cut the grass because of the noise and smell.
Thank you for sharing this 🙏 awesome 👌 👏 👍 tutorial video.
Glad it was helpful!
I have a riding mower, a weed eater, and an edger; I prefer to use my scythe. I’ve been mowing for two years and have encountered the struggles you mentioned with using the tool. Thanks for the helpful information. God bless.
this guy knows what he is talking about ... respect for understanding this art
Thank you for remembering the old ways and teaching us what we surely need to know
A tutorial on hand saws would be great. You seem very skilled in this area. types, proper technique, uses. could turn it into a whole series.
This is one of the most comprehensive videos I've seen on it!
I have an American scythe, but couldn’t cut well with it. I thought about peening the blade, which would have been a mistake. I think I need to bend the tang to get the angle right for cutting grass. Great to have the proper body mechanics explained. thank you.
Great tutorial. I bought an Austrian scythe a couple years ago and was clueless about how to use it and found it difficult. It did come with a canoe hone. So I'll work on sharpening and stance, attack, etcetera and see if I do better. Thank you!
Love it. I use an Austrian style scythe. I've several different blades for various tasks. I do have to hone often. And peen once every 6 to 8 hours of use.
One tip you didn't mention, and new scythe users often don't learn right away is how much grass to cut with each stroke. Too much and the blade binds. Too little, and the efficiency goes down. Most strokes are only cutting 25mm. The advantage is the swath is over 2 meters. Sometimes 2.5 meters. That winds up being a lot of material in you windrow. Of course taking a little more or less depending on the lay of the grass.
Thanks for the video.
Very true, I guess I felt this was something everyone will see as they go! ;)
Thank you so much. That was about the most information packed few minutes I have encountered in a long time. Like you say there was so little information written down and Grandpa just assumed everybody knew it. This was great.
Fantastic! Just finishing up restoring an old scythe and was excited to see your video so I can make use of it. I love this video format, you are full of info!
Mr. Chickadee my man crush.
Brilliant!!
Thank you for doing another great tutorial, quick but very informative. I inherited a vintage scythe a few years ago, now I am inspired to dig it out, sharpen it and try it out.
Can you do a tutorial on bending a new handle? I have an old American scythe with handle but the rotten woods almost styrofoam feeling now.
The people who hit the thumbs down use weed eaters!!! I have one, but love to Scythe! Great vid again!
Thanks Mr. C for this video. I found a scythe in my barn when I purchased my home nearly ten years ago and wanted to try to use the scythe but could not figure out how to use it. With your excellent video I will give a try again. Thank you.
Used the American-style for years. Very handy tool.
New subscriber property and American Scythe owner !Went no mow May last month for pollinators valuable prey insects and now time to incrementally cut portions of my lawn that do not contain flowering plants Thnx for the valuable info here !
Very informative! And perfect timing too. I've recently gotten into scything, purchasing a vintage American grass and bush blade. I was a bit leary of bending the tang but now I see it's not so bad
Love the tutorials! I’d honestly like to see tutorials on pretty much everything y’all do.
Noted!
Thank you! Very useful and informative, probably the best set up tutorial scythe video I've come across!
A great and timely tutorial. I have an American scythe but sharpening and setup was what I needed. Thanks for explaining the processes. I'll be trying my hand at mowing the longish wet grass of my suburban yard not disturbing my neighbors on a Sunday morning.
Thank you for this video! Just bought my first scythe, and you answered all my questions.
The first time after all the videos that I've ever heard your voice wow! It suits your demeanor well saidl sir strong and intelligent 😊
He speaks!! Always a pleasure to see your videos👍🏼
Awesome! Very useful content, I learned a lot. I use a scythe for cleaning out ditches that a lawnmower is way too dangerous to take into. It's great to have a quiet, efficient tool for this.
Wow takes me back. My dad had an aluminum handle (probably 60s/70s) he would go to work and I would play with all the stuff on the acreage basically taught myself how by trial an error. I never had a real stone just old Nicholson files. It had the American style grass blade ~30” if I remember right. Great childhood days spent outdoors. Thanks Mr Chickadee.
Excellent turorial. I never knew there were different types of scythe blades, light duty/heavy duty, it makes perfect sense. Loved the spud trick, when you done just top it off with a little sure cream and chives.
Right on
So glad you are trying to keep this alive, along with hand tools for woodworking. (I'm a hand tool woodworker myself) love all your videos
Right on
WOW... Exactly what I needed to know. I just picked up a classic American scythe from the farmer down the road. I knew it had potential but you just unlocked its full potential! THANKS!
Thank you for the video Josh! I've started using my grandfather's old scythe here on our homestead. Your tips are very helpful!
As for other tutorial videos, I would appreciate a chisel and slick tutorial video. Thanks again!👍
Thank you for a fascinating tutorial on how the sythes differ, how they're maintained and used. You're really good at explaining and keeping human history alive.
You hit the nail on the head when talking about why I have a European scythe. I love using it. Great tool. My American snath is too heavy and the blade is also weighty and bit bent. All I could find was a European one when I wanted one. So I learned to use it and love to do so. It's almost completely replaced my weed whip and has replaced my push mower. I do still have a zero turn for the big lawn though.
I've worked with many hand tools for years but hardly knew a thing about this tool but tried. So now I know and I Thank You Kindly Mr. Chickadee! When I watched you ,owing the orchard it looked so relaxing I the rhythm and the sound of a good cutting tool. Such a noisy world in some places. All those ancient and lovely sounds replaced by loud motors. So much lost and missed. It's like listening to a wood thrush as opposed to a semi on the interstate. Did hear the thrush in your orchard video. Love, Light and Peace to You and your Family! DaveyJO in Pa.
In Poland, the scythe has been known since at least the 13th century. It was used for mowing and in combat. It is used for mowing to this day.
I know polish military haf drills for using a military sythe up till round world war II possibly a bit after. The polish love thier sythes and have a long storied history of using them.
This knowledge is priceless, thank you for uploading something like this. A tutorial like this can be watched in a 100 years time by someones great grandchild from today and it’ll still be useful. Think how much knowledge has been lost because no one was able to write it down or show how it was done. Thank you!
I enjoy your videos, I like learning of the old ways, thank you.
Great info! I can't wait to dig my grandfather's scythe out of the garage and see about applying it!
If not best tutorial on TH-cam of maybe anywhere else.Concentrated info on virtually everything there is to know
Love your videos. You've saved me a mountain of time and money on my hobby farm projects!
i have been working with my grandpaws scythe for several years trying to learn how to use it. this is the best tutorial i have seen so far. thank you.
Great to hear!
Perfektné, inšpiruješ ľudí k tradičnému životu a práci. Cez víkend som pokosil záhradu ručnou kosou, prvý krát v živote a bolo to super.
Thank you so much: a very instructive video! Here in north-eastern Italy instead of using a curved handle, we use a straight one, but to obtain a comfortable position we add a stem to the right-hand grip. And yes, we use the "austrian" or continental blade, and we have a sort of portable anvil to beat the blade in the field when it's needed.
You're becoming the new Roy Underhill. Also I noticed this video has an amazingly high ratio of thumbs up to thumbs down. And that is well deserved praise. Nice job and keep up the great work.
I was just looking for a tutorial after seeing your videos. This is great
This video is awesome. I had a scythe given to me when I was young, but never once saw someone use it or was taught. I could not understand how one might use it effectively. Growing up in the '90's, the scythe was obviously a distant relic already for most of us.
I personally need more technology and convenience than it seems you guys have on your homestead, but there are quite a few things I dont want humanity to forget and some things I want to embrace. Please keep up the good work!
Very informative tutorial! I'm just now beginning to scythe, 06/07/2024 as it seems more practical at this point for me.
Well done video on sythe set up and fundamentals. Keep up the great work you are doing!
I have a American scythe to restore, your video has been very helpful.
I'm brazilian, and already starting tô use a scythe to cut my grassa in The yard, and i find your video so nice to understand so many things about that process.
Thanks for that, and made more of this kind of videos!
Best video on the topic. I have tried using one once, but couldn't cut anything because the tang needed to be bent like you said. Your tutoring has been very helpful. Thank you!
Thanks Josh, you covered the scythe really well and more complete this video. Maintaining them and angling them was great. Thanks for sharing with us and keep up the good work and videos. Fred.
Awesome, thank you!
I have some old scythe blades I inherited without the snaths. I was looking to make handles for them and use them. This video was particularly useful as the tangs are straight. Got my subscription, thanks!
I just bought two of these today and your video just made me even more excited! Thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙏🏽❤️
Wonderful!
Thanks, this was very helpful!
After keeping an eye out for a weed/bush scythe, I finally came across one today with a flawless snath/nibs for $10. I'm very pleased!
Awesome tutorial! Literally everything in one place.
HI there from NZ. Thank you for an incredibly helpful video. I learned so much. I am going to check the setup of my scythe. I will go and buy a boat honing stone now. I learned to use one as a boy but did not learn how to set them up. You are right about a lot of the knowledge not being written down. My Step Father use to scythe grass along roadsides to get fresh grass for his racing horses. We would wrap the grass in a Jute sack and carry it back to the very happy horses. I like old hand tools. I'm working on a Scythe, Sickle, Slasher and Shears....all 'S' tools.
Thanks for the video, lots of great information. Picked up a snath last summer at a garage sale and shortly there after a couple of scythe blades off ebay. You've given me just the information I was looking for to get started.
Good luck!
one of the reasons why European scythe blades are soft-steel, is that European grasses are less thick and stubborn. You will notice this too on the blades on lawn mowers, which are thicker steel in the US than in Europe. Blessings from Belgium. Great fan of your channels, even if you speak aloud ;)
Thank you very much for the video and explaining it in more detail I'm going to try to look for one at yard sales hopefully I come across one............JJ...jonjon......
nice to to hear my Country mentioned on your channel.
Cheers from Vienna/Austria
I love your videos. It freaks me out a little when you speak on them. This must have been what it was like to go to a talkie for the first time 🤣🤣.
I am glad that you mentioned fumes as that is what I do not like about lawn mowers and chain saws.
Thanks for sharing this with us. Very interesting for it's a part of history.
Our pleasure!
We had difficulty also in the beginning but once every thing was adjusted & sharp you know it. Now i'm up to 5 scythes & mow a little every morning. Fun! "Cigar" stone works very well also. Found on e-bay from UK
He can speak! Enjoy your shows, great work...
Even though I may never touch a scythe again in my life I know now that when I played around with my Dad’s old Newfie scythe I was definitely not using it any way near correctly.
I do know that based on the curved/bent handle that it was an American style scythe.
Thanks for the tutorial. It was very enjoyable.
Very good demo,very informative,thanks for all the good videos
Great tutorial! Best video I have seen for setting these tools up.
Glad you enjoyed it!