Friday, August 5, 2016

Wondering About Scythes

How many of you have ever cut, harvested, or mowed with a scythe?  I am sure there are a few of you who have.  I have when I was younger and I actually enjoyed it.  The trick it to not try to overwork the scythe but find a comfortable swing rate that suits you and the scythe.  Yes, there is a lot of differences in scythes.

 The scythe that I was first introduced to was the one my father had.  It had a curved handle to clear your body when you swung it and that handle had two hand grips to hold on to it.  It looked just like the one in this picture:


Then, before I got on as a design engineer, I worked in the plant's labor gang.  One of my first jobs was mowing with a scythe.  Yes, I said mowing.  I couldn't find an exact image of what they looked like.  The one pictured below is as close as I could come to what the ones I used:
This one has the straight handle with the two grips.  It also shows an almost straight blade but the ones I used were straighter than what is shown in this picture.  Believe me, with the right scythe for the job and the right person using it, a lot of area can be quickly cut or mowed.  Now, I prefer to mow or cut everything from the seat of my mowing tractor.  If my small John Deere can't handle it, my son has great big John Deere.

 Remember my blog posting yesterday?  Yes, the one where I talked about finding all those nasty nails that flattened my Jeep's tire.  My wife came out and lent me one of her tools to help with finding all the nails.  It was a telescoping hand held magnet and let me tell you, that was one strong magnet.  It could pull the nails from where they were hidden under the ground.  Here is a picture of it folded up.  I sat on the ground and used it this way for a lot of the nails.

And in this last picture, I stretched it out to its fullest extent.  In this position, you could pick up metal objects while you were standing straight up in a comfortable position.  Pretty nice, isn't it? 

 OK, it is way too hot to even be thinking about using a scythe today, so I think I will stay where there is air conditioning.  Now, I don't want any of you to work outside too hard so that you can have a great day too, you hear?





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10 comments:

  1. TROUBLEnTXAugust 5, 2016 at 4:22 PM

    Dad had one and I remember playing around with it growing up. Also, my X used a magnet like your wifes, when hed drop something down inside an engine, or anything unreachable.

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    1. Dizzy-DickAugust 5, 2016 at 5:24 PM

      I learned to use the one that was my dad's. And yes, those magnets are quite useful.

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  2. our awesome travelsAugust 6, 2016 at 5:50 AM

    I used one back in the 50's at our cottage to "mow" the lawn. Did a great job.

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    1. Dizzy-DickAugust 6, 2016 at 8:40 AM

      They work quite well if you know how to swing them. Once you get in rhythm, you can "mow" a lot of area quickly.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousAugust 6, 2016 at 7:53 AM

    I've seen those in antique stores....and the Grim Reaper carries one.
    But I have used a "yo-yo" or sling blade, different from a scythe.
    Bigfoot

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    1. Dizzy-DickAugust 6, 2016 at 8:48 AM

      Well, I am too old to be in an antique store, I fit better in a junk yard (grin). And I have used sling blade, too.

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  4. lotta joyAugust 6, 2016 at 8:48 PM

    We lived on a hill and I remember dad standing on the hill and using the scythe above himself, his dark muscles covered in sweat. I tried slinging it a few times and I think dad died a little, every time I swung and hit dirt.

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  5. linda mAugust 8, 2016 at 7:10 AM

    My hubby has a scythe just like the one in your first picture (curved handle one). It was his grandfathers from the farm. I used one on our yard many long years ago when I was a child. It was a small one and we used to to cut the grass on the lower yard so my Dad could get the lawnmower down there. Ahhh memories.

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    1. Dizzy-DickAugust 8, 2016 at 5:16 PM

      Isn't it amazing how a tool like an old scythe can bring back old memories. It sure did for me.

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