Wonderful video! I’ve ordered my first scythe and I can’t wait to learn how to use it! If you have any experience with making hay or harvesting grain with a scythe and the other tools needed such as a rake and hay fork I would love to see such videos! Thank you!
Hello. Could you help me financially expand my agriculture-related project? With this money, I would purchase the equipment necessary for harvesting livestock feed and cultivating the land. If you want to help me. In the description of the channel, the mail is indicated. Write there. Thank you.
I scythe a steep hill along about 300 feet of driveway both sides. The nice thing about scything and raking/pitchfork is that they are opposite twisting motions. I scythe right to left and rake left to right. Balance
My father used an aluminum snath for decades. His summer job was cutting purple top clover. He attached a circle of stiff wire at the base which allowed him to make perfect windrows as he mowed. I still have that scythe.
Nice overview of some of the different styles of snaths you can find in Sweden! We have a similar situation here in the USA with "barn snaths". There are many old snaths and blades to be found. Almost all of which are the American/English style which uses a heavily curved snath. Many of these snaths are heavy and as you showed, the blades that come with them are very dull. What a lot of people don't know is that older historical examples are much thinner and lighter. I am lucky to have my grandfathers scythe and it is almost as light as an Austrian style snath. Most of the American/English style snaths you can find here are what was considered a weed or ditch snath. Heavy wooden handle and a heavy blade to take the stress of mowing in road and railroad side ditches. The tang angle is also usually flat as with your barn scythes. Historically you would take your new blade to a blacksmith and get the angle adjusted to fit you. I've made several snaths of different styles, Austrian, Basque, and Eastern European. I love the look and concept of your Nordic snath and started playing with making something similar. Life got in the way last year, but hopefully I can get back to it this summer. I like making the snaths and rakes and such as much as I like using them, so it's a nice challenge.
Excellent review. I really like that one from Northern Sweden. Someone really appreciated the tool, going through a lot of trouble to make it beautiful as well as functional. I think the main lesson here is that we can't simply pick up some old scythe from the flea market and expect it to perform wonders.
Your scythe/snath is not only ergonomically genius it's also beautiful! Too bad you dont have a US distributor. You have taught me so much, thank you & thank you for this recent video. It really helps with the fine details of adjustment & why. Most videos cover up the bracket with the hole and how the tang- nub fits into it. I recently made a heavy metal bracket for a snath I had aquired 20 years ago & never able to use. I still need to chisel into the wood to set it flush so it doesn't impede on the hafting angle or equal surface tension on its tang. Thanks a million... Adrienne
@@adriennedelay5563 thanks! But we do ship almost daily to U.S and we have been able to cut the freight with half since a couple of months so I would say it is quite affordable. www.slattergubben.se
@@slattergubben6702 Not sure from a logistics standpoint, but would it be possible to update your site to show prices that reflect the buyer's country, like a drop-down menu on the item page?
Good video! Great info! I'm still getting my rhythm with my own scythe! I still am not getting that satisfying grass cutting sound! More like the northern Sweden scythe cutting sound!
Interesting ! Usually, the tools of the past were sound constructions that rarely evolved for the better, but scythes (or at least the snaths) seem to be an exception to that rule. Since you asked for suggestions : peening (especially the refurbishing of abused blades, not merely doing a touch up on an already fine blade) is something I pretty much have had to figure out by myself despite all the peening videos out there. Too little is shown and said about the different types of anvils (there is more to it than just the 2 typical Picard anvils + the peening jig). My guess is that many scythers struggle / do not really know what to aim for in terms of peening, which is a major difficulty when it comes to scything. Or since you were discussing snaths : a primer on how to make one at home !
I second the request for an updated peening video. You have an older one in the channel archive, but unfortunately for me it's in Swedish with no sub-titles. I've gotten fairly good a peening with a narrow anvil, but you explain things so well that I find myself referring to your videos for my own knowledge, and sending links to new mowers I'm teaching. Having a good overview of peening would be a wonderful addition!
The way we do it around here is surely technically demanding, but it's very slim in terms of the tools required and yields (I believe) the best results. You just take a cross-peen hammer, any sort of an anvil and you peen the blade with the hammer. The disadvantage of this system is that you need to be somewhat precise. The advantage is that you pull the blade with your stroke, you can get better results. If the scythe is not homogeneous, the blade will not wear evenly, but it's easy to "turn the corner" as you peen. That was the norm back then, and is becoming the norm again, as we are flooded with cheap import blades. However, those blades will cut very well, if peened properly.
I am from Austria, but from the mountain site. We usualy use a shorter and straight Barn snath, because if you have steep fields with 60% an more, your blade is in shoulder hight whyle mowing. So your lower handle is acctually higher than your upperhandle whyle mowing. I hope everybody will get this explanation with my bad english! 😅😂
I'm not sure how you ended up on my feed, but I'm finding these very interesting and satisfying to watch. At the same time I often wonder why not use modern equipment? I'm all about traditional methods and don't disagree with you guys using them, but still wonder why not go with modern and faster methods.
@@slattergubben6702 I think their question is, "Why is using a scythe better than using a power mower/string trimmer/brush cutter in the areas where you are using your scythe?" My personal answer to that would mostly be the sound. Scythes are quiet. Power equipment is loud. There are other benefits, too, but the sound is the main reason for me. Those other benefits include: easier maintenance (you never have the problem of picking up a scythe and finding that the motor won't start), no fuel/charging needed, no plastic bits (broken/worn trimmer string) scattered everywhere, less waste (packaging for consumables, fuel production/shipping, filter replacements, fuel line replacements, etc), and easier transportation (good luck loading a mower and string trimmer on your bicycle). Using a scythe is usually a joy while using power equipment is usually a torment. I also have (and use) a push reel mower. It's even easier to use than a scythe for short grass: just push it (mostly forward and slightly down). I still occasionally use power equipment for some work, but I use them as little as I can because I don't like to torment myself and my neighbors.
As for "eastern Europe snath": I'm from Ukraine, and yes - we use straight snaths with one handle here. Position of the handle should be ~ on the navel level, if you take snath vertically (i.e. little bit higher than on the video at 10:40). And that provides normal position of right hand while mowing, without tilting the body to the right side. Also usually we don't use bolted fasteners/rings, we drive a wedges with a hammers instead.
Another amazing video, thanks for the content. Scythes were everything my grand-parents used until the late 60s. Thanks to you I got back into it 2 years ago and now I am mowing my 2 fields using my scythe only. Any chance we will see some content on grinding scythes? Like the English or nordic scythe? I still have a new Schröckenfux nordic blade lying around. Regards from Luxembourg!
Superglad to hear that I can inspire! I did my first years as professional scyther with grinding scythe and after swapping to peening scythe I am glad not to involve myself too much in grinding anymore. Doing such a film would be a very fine balance of telling facts and not get those who still believe grinding scythe is superior. I regard a good maintained grinding scythe as good as a peened but it takes so much more competence and skills and hours of practice to maintain sharpness over time on a grinded.
From my own standpoint while I prefer grinding scythes, I think a good scythe is a good scythe regardless of type! It's just a matter of which performance traits you find most advantageous or what maintenance methods you find suit you best. In any case it's nice to have options, and I enjoy having access to both. 😁
about the Eastern European style of mowing, you showed it incorrectly, such movements can be made only when there is a sharp angle of contact of the surface or you need to be near a fireplace, a tree, a bush so as not to damage the scythe. the Eastern European style assumes that you stand half sideways if you are right-handed, the right hand holds the handle, the left is pressed at the level of the chest, the braid is pressed by two ends to the ground, the back is flat, and the movements are performed with the torso. the length of the braid is your height, for example 184 centimeters, then your braid should be 80-85 centimeters, if you are 3 centimeters taller, then the braid should be 85-90 centimeters, the wooden part is your height, the handle + 3-5 centimeters above the waist.
Another Survival skill for the local economy Making hay while the Sun 🌞 Shines. In the Cities people go for Gem membership to keep fit, but, it is too formal and time specific. It creates its own stress. The fisherman and the Farmers think more in the cycle of the seasons, Sommer, Spring 🌱 As we sow so shall we reap. I would think that the angle of the blade is very important, so as not to be letting the scythe but to be able to slide it easily with each swing. The secret I believe is to get the swing and rythem right. Sorry about the spelling in of my last comments, the predictive text is to fast for me. We improved the English language, and need good communication. The main message is Survival. And a Healthy Lifestyle. Slán
Regarding the rings, the top-screw method can be improved by using a floating bearing plate that's just a small plate that rides with the ring itself, eliminating the need for a long and bulky top plate. A properly shaped top-screw ring should have a *curved* rather than flat bottom, as it will form a two-point contact against the edges of the tang, completely locking it in place much more solidly and more gently than grub screws directly to the tang do since it's using geometry rather than friction to hold it in place--there is zero possibility of the tang slipping when done that way. The trick does then become that the hafting angle must be adjusted with the clamping point being the pivot rather than pivoting at the knob, so you either have to use shims under the clamp or multiple holes, or an adjustable plate of some kind to allow the knob's position to shift. With the U-bolt they could either have given the plate a slight curve or used the plate on the top side and used the curve of the U bolt on the underside to achieve the curved ring effect. As you noticed in use, narrower blades do not need as much of a tang angle to achieve a given lay, as their edge inherently rides closer to the ground.
I do not agree as I use the tang as a washer for the grubscrews, also with grubscews I can have a seamless adjustment of the hafting angle while the solution you propose is inevitably locking the hafting angle in one position. I did try and worked professionally with a lot of such rings you talk about back in the days and it was an immediate relief when I first tried this modern and flexible solution.
@@slattergubben6702 I am confused about what you do not agree with? You'll note that I did not assert that curved-bottom/top screw rings are superior to grub screw rings, only that they hold more securely, which is objectively true. It is literally impossible for a properly designed top-screw ring or loop bolt to slip due to geometry affixing the blade in place rather than friction. There are many options that allow for angle adjustment with curved-bottom clamps (whether loop bolt or ring) and they can be found in incredible variety on American snaths, most of which make use of a loop bolt fastening method. Swing socket heel plates are the most versatile of these options as they allow for fine incremental adjustment, including some that do allow for the freeform adjustment you prefer, and some of them manage to keep their weight fairly low. However, most blades do not need truly limitless free range of adjustment to be made to work well for a given user, snath, and mowing conditions, and a simple three-hole configuration is sufficient. The grub screw method's chief strengths are simplicity and adjustability, not clamping strength. The simplicity does allow it to be made quite light, but that is also sometimes taken to excess for some mowing conditions. Ring strength vs. weight can be a tricky thing to manage since less strenuous mowing can obviously get away with lighter hardware, but is only loosely tied to attachment method in and of itself. Which fastening method you choose largely depends on your priorities. However, the top-screw rings you showed in this video, as well as the U-bolt clamp, could be improved vs. the form they have currently, and would be much less deficient in their clamping strength and lighter weight if using a floating plate and a curved bottom.
@@FortyTwoBlades ok, agree. Misunderstood. For us it has though never been a problem with scrub screws not fixing the blade tight - if you tighten them properly. I also do have a new invention of scythe ring on its way to market - hopefully setting a new standard. And is only about 50 g, not compromising with adjustment of the haft.
I'm really willing to exchange my bush cutter for a scythe, it's all still a bit scary with the tecnique and everything that comes with it. Would be a great silent way to get rid of the buttercups in our horses pastures. I live in sweden so im looking to buy one of the starters packages. Hard to choose between which ones, the nordic is tempting but quite an investment.
@@slattergubben6702 I've taken the step and ordered a scythe from your webshop. It has just been delivered and i can't wait to give it a try 😁. Thanks for making it so accessible for everyone, I wouldn't have dared to go for it without all your RU-vid videos about technique and taking care of the blade.
What are your thoughts on a wooden core with aluminium shell snath? In Belgium, it is the most readily available type from a brand called "Polet" but it seems quite different from other scythes. The brand offers zero instruction on how to adjust it so it's a bit of a mystery to me.
I noticed in most of your videos that you also mow in the middle of the day when the sun is shining and it's hot. A common wisdom with scythe mowing here is that it's much easier to mow in the early morning when the grass is still wet. Any thoughts on that?
This is super interesting to me. Out of curiosity, what constitutes a well sharpened blade for scythes? Im fairly proficient in sharpening most things from knives and axes to lawn mower blades and equestrian knives, but have very little experience with scythes apart from a garden scythe at home (the tiny ones). Should they stay at fairly coarse grit for bite and durability, and if so how much? Is as sharp as possible always better, or is it like lawn mowers where you leave it ever so slightly rounded off so it will last longer? How important is a correct and consistant angle on a scythe, I see you guys hone by hand alot. Does that introduce alot of discrepancies in the edge and how is freehand compared to sharpening on a jig or belt grinder? Sorry for the flood of questions, I just came across this from looking into a scythe instead of a bush saw (or w/e they are called in english) for clearing a pretty wild part of the property. Seems to be more fun and better for the land from what I gather. Sharpening is already a hobby of mine, and im fairly confident I could turn one of these blades into an absolute scalpel, especially with how thin they are behind the edge. It just struck me that doing so would probably result in a scythe so fragile it needs to be touched up every 2 strokes haha
Olá......sou seu fã aqui do Brasil, estou acompanhando todos os seus vídeos.......... faça um vídeo em seu idioma de origem (que é muito bonito), por favor.......fica melhor do que no inglês.
Your Nordic pattern snaths are very similar to American patterns too. I don't understand how these weren't more widely adopted, as the Austrian and straight snaths are terrible objectively.
то что показано как техника работы восточноевропейской косой является просто неправильной техникой, восточноевропейской косой работают так же как и всеми остальными, а ручка легко подстраивается под рост владельца, так как крепится не болтом а обжимает косовище снаружи и фиксируется на необходимой высоте
Although the Nordic snath is a temptation, I have an Austrian one and it's not something I've ever blamed my shortcomings on. Yet. Great content, thanks. Not sure about what I'd like to see more of, as you do a good mix.
I also used a Austrian for a few years and was happy, but upgraded to Nordic this year. It comes at a high price but can say with confident it's better in all ways possible. Super comfortable, light weight and easy to use. Especially if working for several hours straight.
How does it go on steep terrain? I also have the Austrian type and it seems the only way forward on an incline is to do a two step traverse then swing ya arms back and forth which is effective though a bit boring. I really like how the Nordic and American/English seem a bit more proactive. Though I'm a bit hesitant to fork out the moo la if in the end it will be much of the same. Maybe it's all in the tang? Any advice would be super, Chur
We are much taller than people used to be. The handle on most Eastern European style snaths that I've seen sold is easily 10cm too low for me, and I'm not that tall. I make my own snaths mosty for that reason. Thankfully, they are very easy to make. I was not taught to raise the blade at the beginning of the stroke, or at the end either. A tiny flick in order to clean the blade, but that's a different thing. I like this snath, because you can remain perfectly straight. It's a bit different style of mowing, though. You stand more sideways and you move your weight from the front leg to the back leg. You pull with the back hand, which feels very strong, as you keep it very close to the body. The right hand is just for guiding the blade. Not a circular motion, more like a back-and-forth motion, while only the blade runs in a circle. Hard to explain, easy to show, I guess.
I have a small meadow which takes a couple of days for me to mow. I normally use machinery to cut it which I've always hated. I've watched your videos as well as others and spoken to people who use a scythe. I've finally decided to ditch the machinery and do the job by hand. You make it look easy but I know it's going to take time and patience to learn to do it but I'm really excited and looking forward to the journey. Thanks for the inspiration
The average male back in those days was closer to 165cm tall, ive also found all the old snaths in Canada are for someone short. Thanks for the videos :)
@@annaal7480 If you think with your rational mind rather than your emotional mind, the distinction is quite reasonable. Since you won't do that, and you even asked, I'll man-splain it for you: Males today tend to be taller than females, on average. Since males of the past also tended to be taller than females on average, the longest snaths will have most likely been made for males. The video host is male and the OP is male, so they'd both most likely need relatively long snaths. The longest barn-found snaths (as I've already established) will have most likely been made for males, so that's what they'll be looking for. If the males of times past were shorter than the males of today, then the average snath of those times (whether they were made for males or females) will be shorter than they need to be for the host and the OP. Even if your wildest dreams were true and most old scythes were made for females, they still wouldn't have any relevance to this comment. The OP's comment was logical, lighthearted, and lacking any judgement. There's no need to get perturbed just because he acknowledged that there are differences between males and females. Reality is allowed to exist, no matter how frustrating that might be. And yes, _my_ comment is a little bit condescending towards you simply because acting childish will tend to make people look down on you. You get what you give.
The eastern-european works a bit different. You cut from your right back to your right front. Small fast cuts. The left hand is under the handle and the right on top. The terrain is of no concern because your arms are close to your body and can produce a lot of speed and power. If it's appropriate for your height, it's not tiring at all. You don't have to bend your knees or lean forward. :)
People were shorter in the old days; very old houses I have visited had shorter doors; my grandfather from the old country was about 5 foot 2 inches but his sons were closer to 6 feet due to better nutrition. This probably accounts for the snath height differences.
While I'm sure these are all good I can't help but to think a composite fiber snath would outperform them all by a long shot. It would be much lighter while having more adjustable weight distribution which would allow you to create a counterweight where the blade would feel almost weightless while in use. The whole scythe would be half the weight of the current ones but would feel even lighter than that and would likely allow you to use larger blades while getting less tired.
@@slattergubben6702 Yeah, I think the design of your personal snath is very good but making it out of a better material and adding counterweights should make a major difference.
@@Black-March counter weight is just an misconception. Think twice and you will figure out yourself! Chancing direction of the movement is what will become easier with lower weight.
@@slattergubben6702 I'm not so sure, I imagine it being like a fishing rod where you want the weighting to be as close to the reel as possible because that's where you will hold it. If you could balance it perfectly around the lower handle all movement would require less force. And while I'm definitely not a scythe expert, I do know a whole lot about workplace ergonomics and repetitive strain injuries. Which is why I look at the current iterations and think of how they could be done better.
Great video and a lot of useful information, I’ve learned a lot about scythe mowing from your channel as I inherited an alloy snath and two blades from an old friend who passed away a couple of years ago, I wanted to be able to use it to maintain and mow his wild flower meadow for his widow and your channel has allowed me to do that. I’m nowhere near to your standard but I’m improving and enjoying using the scythe rather than my usual petrol brush cutter so thank you for all the time and effort you put into your videos 👍🏼😀
I just bought a house and i need a mower and im really considering a mullars scythe like the one your holding i already sharpen knifes and learning about the peening process is really interesting to me
Another awesome video, would be cool to see more, we have a Swiss Scythe with a Swiss style blade (made in Austria) in Switzerland we have over 20 different snath styles
Hello, the nordic shape is very interesting, it seems to be very ergonomics since its adapted to the body. if i have to pick one, it will be this one for sure
Very interesting video. But still, the scythes you sell on your website are very pricy, around $800 USD is quite much. I wish that you would sell some cheaper models of reasonable quality Now, I do not labor exploitation or all that. But if you could find a cheaper but still decent alternative to buy I would do so. I'm talking about around $400 USD. I know that there are a lot of cheaper scythes out there, but I don't dare to buy them.
@@elisaa9981 I say it is very good investment, take into account all the virtues and that one scythe setup can replace both lawnmowers and strimmers for the rest of your life with not a penny more in cost of running it or repair it! Also the Austrian snath with jigg and honingstone is about 400 dollars ....and that is really good stuff!
As an eastern european I confirm I use exactly the type of scythe you've showed.But people are so much into diesel ones ,man, every day you can hear that whizzing...Even for tiny yards' maintainance ,where you could cope with small one handed scythe...
I never got comfortable with a traditional European snath (straight snath). I always used a western style, curved one. They're heavier, but they allow more alternate grips (like your Swiss style), and keep the blade parallel to the ground. They also allow for a more comfortable straight pull, when working tight areas, such as fence lines.
I disagree. I'm a fan of the Eastern European snath in the big part because it's *so easy* to make adjustments for difficult terrain, mowing under a tree, that sort of stuff. I like it not only because of that, but that's definitely a plus.
Bit of experience from Central Europe (Czechia): 1. You can buy those rings with square holes in almost every agricultural shop. 2. Most of the barn scythes around here are the Eastern Europe type* and are quite short. Most common attachment system is through a ring and a wedge but compared to the Northern Swedish type the ring is much thinner and the wedges are thicker. *EEs are really THE scythe here in Silesian hills, go to the west to Bohemia and it's closer to the Austrian snaths. In Moravia it's similar but with straight handles.
I'm not converting sek to usd properly or something. From the website: Basic box - Nordic snath Simplest possible, but everything you need - choose from 10 snath lengths for 7 790,00 SEK / what is this number? Google conversion says it is $7,566.20 US dollars. I've been looking for a scythe and the most expensive I've seen is $200.00 usd. Can someone fix my misunderstanding please?
I envy you guys over there in some ways. You dont have 90f weather with 70% and above humidity, and you dont have to cut grass that grows out of red clay. With proper top soil, still very tough to cut.
Allow me to ask whether there are scythes for left-handed people or whether they have to learn to work with a scythe for right-handed people. And while we're at it, nice videos. 🙂
I'm pretty much satisfied with what I have. Although the choices are slim over here, all I do is cut hay and weed maintenance in the pasture. Also, the grass is heavier and atmosphere is different here than in Sweden.
Yes. In Belarus I have seen a variation of eastern snath. Except it was slightly curved with natural curvature of the branch it is made of. It had a handle that looks like letter V. I don’t know why
I think this is perhaps one of (if not the) best channels on this subject of traditional mowing...WELL DONE...!!! The following comments are my observations, and based on my 40 years of experience within the traditional crafts and life skills. Each person has their own, and I will validate that I do not get to use these tools as much as I did in the past. With that stated, I could have once been called a professional at this since I got paid to mow and clear land using such tools. I also have designed and made numerous snaths over the decades all in traditional modalties and custom to their mower...and was paid to repair, tune scythe both peenable and hard... 01:03 My view of the current Austrian snaths is they are mostly worthless in the original shape they come from the factory. They all need to be "fitted" to the mower with many needed and required modifications with just a few of them pointed out in this video. After alterations and fitting, if you like this style, then they can become functional within the intended application. I suggest finding a traditional woodwork (preferably one that works mostly in green wood) and having them help you modify the tool to your needs and personal morphology... 06:12 (Note: I have a bias here) My view of the Nordic or Ancient Snaths is they will always be superior to all others in most regards. The ones made and shown in this video are excellent in both design and function, even though a "design" unique to this maker (Janne Wester) these Nordic Snath hold to ancient wisdom and do not try to "reinvent the wheel." Jan's design is how snaths traditionally have always worked ergonomically with the human body...and not till modern "mass production" did we see the alteration found in other snaths that are more about "speed and profit" for the manufacture...NOT...the creation of a proper snath handle...The only difference I see that stands out is (I imagine) the blanks for these handles are sawn out…rather than properly riven from a bolt section of a tree. Ash is good, but so are other species depending on the region. Where there is “plastic” and a custom metal plate traditionally was sometimes bone or horn, sinew whipping, and leather. The more contemporary designs are easier for novices to use and to change the blades with… 10:23 Traditionally this is just called your generic…” straight snath”...” hogging”...or “ ditch”...snath and was of a design that suggested an impromptu need for a scythe handle since the primary “fitted snath” broke or needed repair/servicing. As suggested in this video, it will work but is far from ideal…though there are regions and styles of mowing (hogging work in tall grass or brush clearly) where some prefer this style of snath and may have a proprietary fitted blade intended for such rough (hogging) work…Though the one in the video seems rotationally weak compared to the more robust in situ-made vernacular types of straight snath I have seen… 12:51 The “barn snath” is nothing more than a more robust version of a proper hogging snath following a more traditional profile and the handles often got cut to fit the individual mower. In my experience, you could not at all just “pick one up” As you could see in the video this would have been a very awkward snath for Janne to use as it simply does not fit his body. The “heavy ring” (in English this is called a traditional “U” bolt and goes back at least to the 1600s) was common for this type of snath and very much needed. It is actually what you want for this style of snath (or similar strength) as this style of snath is really meant for “hogging” or “ditch work,” and was used here commonly in North America till the 1970s (still in some regions) and from what I can tell in Russia (and further East in rural areas) still to this day for highway and backroad maintenance. The blade rotation issue was removed as most of these had a hard wedge of metal or wood that most lose in the modern day and are seldom found with them. 90% or more of these I have seen always have a hard blade (one you grind not peen.) 16:00 shows a blade not properly fitted or tuned for that snath and in the “modern times” this is how most are found as all the wedges, and “fitted blades” are no longer with the tool. As Janne pointed out the blade is too straight and requires bending to work properly which is what “tuning” a snath traditionally was all about often done by the local Smith… 17:50 is a modern industrial production snath and is, again more about speed and profit in manufacturing rather than “good design” or application of use. I have nothing of value to offer as I have never used them, nor recommended them to those wishing to practice this traditional skill set… 19:11 is a beautiful example of a vintage vernacular and custom Easter European (Northern Sweden?) snath. This traditional, and very old, snath speaks for itself beyond the description that Janne shared. This too was more a “hogging snath” or general-purpose snath to be used around a farm that was fitted custom to one user. What I like most about this… that it is something to really take away from this entire video that is in contrast to most “modern snath” wood types. This is made of…Spruce…as many ancient snaths had not been a hardwood at all but of Spruce, or other “hard” conifer species, and the handle blank would have been riven out of a “fat” (i.e. full of resin) section of heartwood. These conifer snath age and work wonderfully, are more than strong enough when taken care of, and are much lighter than most hardwood types of snath we find today. The “ferrule ring” (similar to what we find in traditional woodworking chisels and for the same purpose) attachment is more within the common historical vernacular, in concert with only a simple wedge that almost all snath had to work properly. I think “wedging” is the biggest element missing from most modern snath and the important role they played in setting up a proper scythe… We have, in the modern day, lost so much of this knowledge and oral traditions of using and fitting these tools…and thankful that everyone like Janne in the current generation is keeping these traditions and knowledge alive…Thanks again for a great video!!!
Thanks for comments! There are of course more models, I already regret I did not have one from northern Sweden/ Norway that are actually really good and have a long tradition. But I do not really understand all your opinions about the Austrian? It is a very good snath for the average scythe user I would say. Very easy to get acquainted with.
@@slattergubben6702 Janne...!!!...This video overall was AWESOME and I only see them getting better and better...THANK YOU...!!!...so much for keeping this skill alive in the 21st century... My "opinions" are just that..."mine"...and only reflect my 40 years of knowledge and skills within the traditional arts. What I can share, is a perspective that "most" coming back to the traditional arts…do not know...what they don't know...as we have lost so much of the traditional knowledge... The Austrian snath, on a metric of comparison, to what a "good snath" should be, is very low (in my opinion) but can be made better by proper fitting and tuning. On a scale of 1 to 10...out of the factory...an Austrian snath as found in your video at best they are a 3...and MUST BE tuned to work but only then go up to a 6 maybe 7...Your Nordic snath starts at 5 but because of the necessary selection to body morphology of each user, pushing them to 8 and 10. Austrian (I would say traditional in this style) are just superior snath (from my view) and can only be surpassed by a snath that is “custom-made” for someone by an individual with these traditional skills...which is a rarity today in America but seems to be coming back in many areas like Europe... Thanks again for a great channel...
Have you ever tried an English scythe - whilst (AFAIK) all the continental european scythes are related to each other (with variations) the English snath is completely different and weird! They clearly "work" (in that the English managed to cut hay and cereals for centuries). Quickly found video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mgXAOdmgIkU.html
How much should I peen my scythe? I have a peening jig but it never seems thin enough. I don't get that bend that you show in the vids. It is an Austrian blade made to be peened, not a stiff American one. Of course I'm trying to cut grass with it so I think that may be the problem since it's more of an all purpose blade. Thicker grasses and thinner brush there isn't much issue. I believe my blade is 65cm. I use a course and a smooth stone.
As for ash tree: I think it is not ok for "regular" snaths because of weight - it is too heavy, and suitable just for "strong" scythes to mow/cut high grass and bushes. Linden tree is the best choice, IMHO 🤠
@@slattergubben6702usual dimensions are from 35x35 mm to 40x40 mm. And as for me - 40x40 is too big and snath becomes too heavy, even with linden tree
@@slattergubben6702 yes. I've tried two times to make curved snaths with one handle, they are looking pretty good, but didn't get any ergonomic benefits in work. Think the shape was wrong. Anyway, I'm going to continue experiments with curved snaths.
Hi Jan! I'm always amazed by the impracticality of a lot of old agricultural tools; they often don't seem to have the finesse of woodworking tools from the same period. So many people I know seem to think that scything is really difficult, simply because they've found an old scythe in a barn and spent a couple of hours with it. Even when they realise that they need to learn to peen, a lot of blades can't be peened effectively. I was in the same boat 20 years ago and eventually gave up, and it was only three years ago when I researched the subject further and realised that a good quality snath and a good quality blade plus some decent training in how to peen, how to hone and how to mow makes scything into an absolute pleasure. I'm very interested in how you came up with your design for the Nordic snath? Did you base it on a traditional Swedish design? Evidently not on any of the snaths you show here! In particular the idea of resting the top of the snath on your forearm. I've been trying to analyse your videos to see exactly how you rest it on your arm, and it seems that it stays more or less in the crook of your arm, rather than rubbing up and down? 2 years ago I made a snath from an ash tree, which had grown to the same shape (more or less!) as the Fux snaths. I split it in four and managed to get enough for three snaths. The first I made was pretty much precisely based on the Fux, but slimmer, because I didn't need to drill all those extra holes. I use it all the time and find it far less cumbersome than the Fux. The second I made the other day and based it on your design because I was curious to try it out. It's not as beautiful as yours! but it gives me an idea of how yours must feel. But I have two problems with it - firstly I find it very strange resting the top of the shaft on my arm, but I suppose this is just a question of getting used to it? Secondly, although it theoretically has more or less the same lay as the Fux, because it's held at a higher angle in order to rest it on the arm, the lay finally ends up far too high. This means that in order to lower the lay I'm tempted to bend my knees or my back more. I've tried shaving down the angle at the point of contact with the blade, but it's not really enough, and using a wedge isn't really feasible because the blade won't be held securely enough in the mortise. All these considerations go to show how complicated it is to design and build a really good snath, that's suited to one's own physique. So I take my hat off to you Jan!
Thanks! You are so right. Yes based on ideas from old Swedish snath and then constantly developed. There are so many angles on a Nordic so hard to describe what a snath should feel like. But you often know once you feel it. Regarding the lay just adjust it as I show in this video, optimize your tool after how you want to work, not the opposite! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mOqYAwQOwto.htmlsi=UTdQ0QwQSYkJzndY
I would love to see your take on a modern high performance sythe. Maybe a carbon fiber blade with a knife steel cutting edge and a carbon fiber handle. Working with carbon fiber seems daunting but is actually not that hard if you don't need it to be at its top strength/weight performance or go for perfectly layed visible weave patterns. Its not like you want to make a race car :) Would also make great content, love your videos please never stop ❤
I stumbled upon your channel because I'm really into sickles for brush and grass cutting on a trail here in Hawaii, overgrown with many invasives - African guinea grass that grows to 13ft high and 1-2 ft per week, many invasive vines, as well as woody invasives. I have a high quality long handled Japanese forestry sickle, and I wondered if I should be peening it. The edge angle is getting steeper and steeper as I sharpen it, and it gets more and more difficult to work with. I think the answer is yes, but do you have any advice specifically on heavy forged sickles?
@@millenniumtree I think it needs a basic grinding of the bevel as all grinding tools. There was also grinding scythe in Sweden but the rest of the world has used peening scythe. Now it's mostly that in Sweden as well
No American Snaths or Scythes? 😲😳🥺Anyhow😁 Great review. Not sure if that light weight European stuff would hold up over here. We have really thick fields. We need something heavy that we do not have to sharpen all the time. We need to work from Sun up to Sun down. 2.5 Acers a day or boss man will fire you. What I am trying to say. we need something that we can use our mam-hands with. 😁😂 Yes, yes it is, a challenge. Hope you understand dry hummer. But I have head from guys, that have used both, European and American Scythes, that the American Scythe is better. ( From Americans) I would enjoy knowing what a European thinks after using both for a few days. Anyhow, Thank You for the review, I enjoy your videos very much.
I am Canadian 77 years and still mowing. Grew up using the American snath At 60 I switched to the Austrian and it is far superior in almost all conditions. Maybe being older makes a difference or perhaps over the years I have finally learned how to mow and sharpen correctly. Cheers
@@timothyhume3741 Thank you for the info, I am in WV and it get thick here. I am always on hills and in the rain, Plus the briers always want to come in. So I am nor sure about the thin blade. My American brush axe holds a edge better and I can cut thinker stuff with it. My European brush axe is easier to swing in the thinner stuff. Might be the same thing with the scythes. Anyhow, thank you for the info.
Well, he's not anywhere near America, so it makes sense that he has nothing to do with American scythes. It also makes sense that American style scythes would perform better in America than the European versions. They were adapted from European styles to better cut American plants. Different tools for different situations. An American style scythe would likely be less effective in Europe. America doesn't have fields that have been maintained for thousands of years like Europe does. America is a much more rough environment, so it needs a different kind of tool. I'm in America and wish I could use the lighter European scythes, but my heavy American scythe just works too well for the rough clearing kind of work that it needs to do. A European blade would get beat to pieces and bent to heck doing what my American blade has to do.
Hi guys! Hi am starting an adventure with a scythe but I already met some challenge. Is there any different technique to mow the middle of the grond road? It seems problematic, especially when the level of the road itself and the ground in the middle grass line differ. Thank you all in advance! thank you for the videos which inspired me to start this adventure ❤
Have you ever tried an Eglish snath. I used to use an English snath and an aluminium alpine snath. I much preferred the English snath. It would be interesting to get your impression.
@@sempleinvest906 when comparing to brushcutter or strimmer it is faster, cheaper, never breaks, always start, does not throw stones and grass debree, nice windrows easy to collect, silent , does not need protection clothes, light weigt. Doesn't smell. Do not need charging or fuelling
Yes, it s a mystery. In southern Sweden it seems to have been an isolated part of the earth where the ergonomically optimal pattern of a snatch were forgotten, as well as setting the lay. It's embarrassing as it is exactly where I am from!
It's the same in the USA, and from what I've gathered really seems like that in all parts of the world. To most people the scythe was like any other tool to them -- simply a means to an end, rather than something to devote time to studying. Truly skilled hand tool users have always been the exception rather than the norm, and only those devoted to getting the best performance from their tools will put the time into optimizing their construction, tuning, and maintenance. As such, many poorly tuned and badly abused tools may be found in any corner of the world, especially ones that benefit from particular tuning like scythes!
@@FortyTwoBlades scary, if it is so....but in northern half of Sweden, the Alps, East and south east Europe old models are much delicate i regard. I mean it's scary as people back in the days were really dependent on good tools!
@@slattergubben6702 they were, and you'd think they'd be sensible about learning how to use them well! But think of all of the people, even in professional fields today, who basically only care about the tools being good enough to get their job done! Especially if that tool is one they only use occasionally. Think of all of the home workshops that have a cheap, dull table saw in them, or a carpenter's hammer with a chipped face from striking hardened metal with it and used generally for tasks it shouldn't have. Or the number of food service workers who use a knife daily but do not know how to sharpen it other than running it through an awful machine. There were many people like us who DID care back then, and they were the ones responsible for all of the improvements over time, but we make these innovations so that the laypersons get to enjoy them without having to think as hard as we did, eh? But it is only a percentage of the total pool of tool users who ever develop a passion for pursuing true proficiency with them beyond getting the work done (and often with much more effort than necessary.)
@@emmanuel4333 I have one at home for testing now! Just saw that the mounting for the blade is not so delicate but if the ergonomics is same and wheight lighter and price lower I se it as a great alternative!
First of all: Thank You for your brilliant content ! Keep the spirit on ! My question is are there scythes that can be changed from right handed to left handed to train both sides of the rotational muscles especially at the core ?
@@alexpyattaev it's a mystery, but look for example how the Basque people is still mowing , totally bent over. Looking ridiculously uncomfortable. I think people used the scythe that way back in the days as well. Then if you are already very close to the ground with such a barn snath everything makes sense with the lay pointing in line with the snath and two similar handles on a almost straight snath. Except that you work totally bent over. But what we also forgotten is how used people back then were to do different tasks that had to include a very bent back - if not performed sitting.
What do you think is the best type of snath one in methall or one in wood?? And my other qestion is do you think that a grinding stone like one that is ronde and spinns and are suposed to be wet at all the time when you are use it like you can put a bucket of wather under it when you use it i find the old ways of farming relly intresting.
@@emiljohansson3063 the best is the most lightweight and stiff you can find. Ergonomics not taken in account. At present I regard my Nordic snath is the best, www.slattergubben.se
I went over to your website to check it out before I finally decided to order a scythe outfit from a small business up in Maine in here in the US, I was not able to get past the cookie installer on your site so I could check it out, I probably could have gotten past it if it were in English. The place I ordered the outfit from took my measurements so they could build the snath and set it up correctly for my measurements. I actually like the snath that you designed. Hopefully the one I ordered works well. It looks like scything is taking off here in the US I don't know why but Lemans is have trouble keeping their scythe related products in stock and the place I ordered from is 4 to 5 weeks behind on building snaths and setting them up.
Looking forward to the 1-hour video about handles. I've had an Austrian snath for 10 years and the grips are definately a weak point ergonomically. Fine for half an hour or so.
I would honestly love to see you review scythes in media, rank their design and practicality. I can think of hundreds of characters who use them as weapons but would be cool to hear you rank them for actual work lol!
I suppose all the old models are shorter, because people were shorter in general back then. If the design would be the same and adjusted to your height, they would work exceptionally well, eventhough the attachment of the blade is not optimal compared to modern solution. I love everything about your channel! Hope to attend on one of your courses someday soon. :) Greetings from Germany
@@waybatch1506 they would not work well as the line between your hands would bee too step to get an ergonomic style. Leaving you with pain here and there and not be able to work in an efficient way.
Thanks for explaining! Since sythes are existing for a long time, and they could experiment a lot with handle placement and even wood steaming and bending was known. What is your assumption on why they didn't build differently. People back then had to use it often I guess, so they could test and vary Why build it they way they did, ergonomically disadvantegeously?
