First there was the weird part of RU-vid in the early 2000's. Now there's the calm side of youtube, I strangely loved just watching and listening to a guy scythe is lawn, awesome, simple, easy, soothing.
Excellent points and observations. Yes, and the fact that he DIDN'T put on music completed the magic. No matter how good the music might be, it would still only deprive us of the wonderful crisp sounds of the grass being cut, telling us that it is indeed a REALLY really sharp blade. That and the bird song and gentle sound of the breeze that was blowing: few things can calm the soul more.
There are few, very few, things more satisfying to watch in life than an *expertly* sharp scythe blade mowing like this in the hands of an expert mower like yourself. Thank you, I could watch it all day long!
My father was born in the 20’s on a highland farm. I’ve seen him cut tall grass like this and it was a joy to watch. It’s all about technique and a smooth action although here you have the benefit of a pretty smooth ground surface, fields tend to be more undulating. He also ploughed with a Clydesdale for many years, unfortunately I never witnessed that. He always said there was a very certain joy to working a heavy horse in a field, it really felt like a team effort especially when they surveyed their work at the end of the day.
Would I have a house, I'd LOVE to mow my lawn this way. It's not noisy, it's an exercising opportunity and it doesn't seem too long to do, though this guy seems very experienced.
He obviously started off with the right technique, and added lots of practice. It's not so difficult when you learn the correct way. And it's lotd of fun! And the best exercise! And useful!
Pros: No fossil fuel required. Excellent exercise / workout. Cons: The cut isn't as even as with a mechanical mower (if you're fussy). Requires experience / learning. Handling the blade, particularly to sharpen it (which is constantly needed) is dangerous. Your back and shoulders and elbows and etc. will probably hurt like the devil when you have to start cutting the grass again in the spring each year, till your body is back up to the proper condition.
Thanks for the demo. I like the idea of scythe mowing, but it looks like it leaves an uneven look to the grass. I like the smooth texture you get from a good mower.
@Bobby Incorrect. With a mower, you must spend at least several hundred dollars to purchase a decent mower, and possibly $1,000 for a ride mower. With a lawn mower, you must have a decent place to store the mower protect it from the sun in a large area, must maintain the oil levels, and quality, and make sure the filter is clean. You must also do the annual oil changes and keep the tires filled up, you must sharpen the blades and make sure you avoid harmful objects while operating. While using a mower, the weight actually flattens the soil several inches below the surface, preventing full grass growth since the roots cannot access old root canals to mineral sources. Time wise, you must: 1. walk to your mower, and haul it to your starting position. 2. Make sure that it has gaa, and that it is safe and ready to use 2a. Put gas in the mower, which requires you to grab the gas canister, and use it, then put it back 3. Start, and pushing/ride the mower 4. Finish, and put mower back in storage area 5. Grab weed wacker to get the MANY spots of tall grass that would have been impossible to get with a gas mower Time for a scythe: 1. Walk to scythe with sharpening stone, grab it, and sharpen it (5 second at most) 2. Mow lawn 3. Return scythe to storage area 4. Check to see if it needs to be peened and sharpened. I'm going to say Scythe wins the cost battle, time battle, and utility battle. A handmade professional scythe you can use for the rest of your life costs $170. Gas mowers cost more than that, and are even more to maintain.
gbwillson, good question. You can hover the blade (as opposed to letting it glide on the ground as seen here), but it is difficult to keep it even and you lose a lot of efficiency.
Slingblade has a flat blade and is swung more like a golf club, with no handle on the shaft. Not nearly as sharp as a scythe, and usually serrated. It's fun but you have to sharpen it a lot.
You know, I inherited one of these from my father-in-law, one with a bent shaft and the handle broken off because it was used hard back in the day, but I never knew the correct stroke until now. Until watching you I always thought that the stroke was more of a hockey slap shot - start high, sweep with blade positioned for maximum swath - and finish high. I never thought it cut very well. Now I see you sweep side-to-side with a consistent height and it cuts very well. The blade is about 18 inches long but it looks like you only slice about 6 inches at a time, correct? The idea is to slice and not sweep, like a hockey shot?
Yes, slice. If you haven't found the plethora of techniques and advice to sift through here on YT already... The underside of the blade is meant to slide back and forth along the ground, so only lift when necessary. A properly sharpened blade should cut with almost zero force, and almost no speed. Remember economy of motion.
Glenn Krzeminski , the honing tool is a whet stone. A file would take too much steel off. This type of blade (european) is thinned by peening (or hammering against an anvil). There are American style blades that are sharpened with a file however.
"back in my day we didn't have lawnmowers! We had to use a big blade on a stick & swing it back & forth!" Next old man over "stick??? You had a stick? We were so poor we couldn't afford a stick! We had to just swing the blade with our hands!"...next old guy over "what the hell are you complaining about, at least you could afford hands!"...
