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Scythe buying advice

Rodrat

pfm Member
I need to chop down stinging nettles and brambles and although I have a brush cutter I think it would be easier with a scythe and give me a bit of a workout. Happy to pay for a good quality one which sharpens up well. I am 5’9” so need to factor this in.
 
It may seem a good idea, but seriously, make 100% certain you know what you are doing and there is absolutely no-one or animals anywhere near you when in use.
They are totally lethal.
Very, very nearly witnessed a loss of a leg when someone was really going for it during some riverbank clearance, it cut clean through waterproofs, wellington, denim before just nicking the calf. He never felt it going through them, the person on the receiving part was way less than happy, and the use of anything like got banned instantly.

Other than that I cannot comment.
 
+1 You do need to take extreme care when using. Steel toecap boots are order the day.
The best I've come across are Allens. A good few hire shops rent them out, if there isn't a permanent need. Also depots sharpen the blades.
 
Used to use a scythe to trim nettles on field borders, hard work but quicker than a brush cutter when you get used to it. I wouldn't use one unless I was working on a large scale with no one else around, though.

Get whatever screwfix have and get something better if you decide to continue or it's not good enough.
 
A farmer tried to show me once. After 10 minutes of trying to cut something I gave up, the result looked terrible and I hurt my back. It’s really not that trivial, our grandfathers mastered it because they had to learn it as a kid. Oh and you need to learn to sharpen it, preferably without cutting a finger off.

when used properly, they are way faster than any brush cutter, but good luck until you get there.
 
What sort of Brush cutter can't handle stinging nettles? Is it petrol powered? We have an entry level Stihl FS 40 and it absolutely annihilates nettles and brambles upto 1/2" thick.

Scythes are cool but I wouldn't want to use one without some form of training.
 
There's a marvellous description of scything in Anna Karenina. I love the bit where someone offers Levin a glass of water, he's a nobleman who enjoys scything with his peasants. I love the comment about the taste of rust

In the very heat of the day the mowing did not seem such hard work to him. The perspiration with which he was drenched cooled him, while the sun, that burned his back, his head, and his arms, bare to the elbow, gave a vigour and dogged energy to his labour; and more and more often now came those moments of unconsciousness, when it was possible not to think what one was doing. The scythe cut of itself. These were happy moments. Still more delightful were the moments where they reached the stream where the rows ended, and the old man rubbed his scythe with the wet, thick grass, rinsed its blade in the fresh water of the stream, ladled out a little in a tin dipper, and offered Levin a drink.

‘What do you say to my home-brew, eh? Good, eh?’ said he, winking.

And truly Levin had never drunk any liqueur so good as this warm water with green bits floating in it, and a taste of rust from the tin dipper. And immediately after this came the delicious, slow saunter, with his hand on the scythe, during which he could wipe away the streaming sweat, take deep breaths of air, and look about at the long string of mowers and at what was happening around in the forest and the country.

The whole chapter is wonderful. Here

Chapter V. Part III. Tolstoy, Leo. 1917. Anna Karenin. Vols. XVI & XVII. Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction (bartleby.com)
 
As as I understand it a scythe needs to be set correctly to the height of the user. The blade needs to be parallel to the ground at the desired cutting height.

Traditional scotch pattern sycthes were set by a blacksmith. We had an old one at farm but it was not much use to me as a 6 footer when it was made for someone probably in the 5' 6-8" range.
 
Bloody dangerous things and the nettles and brambles will grow back next year. Use a good systemic killer.
 
I've learned from training days with the local Wildlife Trust. We used Austrian scythes, which are lighter than English pattern ones, and are adjustable. We were recommended this book, the author also runs courses. https://stevetomlincrafts.co.uk/learn-to-scythe-book/ Others are available.
The blade must be VERY sharp to cut properly, with the associated dangers both when cutting and (especially) sharpening. If there are brambles mixed in then a brush cutter is probably a better option (or, even better, dig out the bramble roots).
 
Great to hear somebody wanting to rekindle the old skills Rodrat :)

I have have some chainsaw trousers so should be ok and the ground is fairly level.

Better than nothing but at the risk of sounding like an elf'n safety zealot, I could be wrong, but I think chainsaw gear is designed to clog the teeth of the blade as a means of preventing more serious injury, rather than proving protection against slicing. (Using the scythe from a stable standing position and keeping others away from the range of the scything arc are obviously very sensible though)
 


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