Hi All I have an excuse to try out learning to use a sickle 'properly' - an area of 20sq. metres or so of 'verge' which has become very overgrown and needs tidying
I have a sickle which I want to try using for this purpose. I have sharpened it and got the general hang of usage - but I suspect I am missing a few fine points to make it easier work and to give better results.
Any pointers or general advice?
Thanks J^n
Don't use one with anybody standing close to you!
Generally made for right hand work. Perhaps start to the left of your crop and trim a strip off the front. Don't attempt to harvest the full blade width. Wear gloves against Nettles.
A scythe might be the tool, for mowing. A sickle I think is a smaller curved knife for cutting grain crops neatly at harvest so they can be stood in stooks.
TW
Yes indeed. I have a suspicion that a scythe
Friendly dogs can get in the danger zone as well, they might think you are wielding a stick for them to play with.
GH
Assuming you mean a scythe, plenty of videos here
You need to keep the blade absolutely razor sharp. Pause every fifteen minutes or so to sharpen it.
Take a step forward after each swing: swing-step-swing-step etc.
A skilled scyther will build up a line of cut grass along the end of each swing, that can be easily gathered up later.
Years ago I saw a short film of an old lady scything across a steep field on the side of an alpine valley (Switzerland? Austria? No idea). Poetry in motion! It was fascinating to watch.
successful. If the OP is anywhere within striking distance of the Black Mountains there's a place that does scything courses - the secret seems to be extreme sharpness and a smooth swing - but a ripped torso and strong waist muscles seem to be de rigueur ;-)
I was told that injuries to dogs were very common when scything was widespread. Imagine - your best friend comes dashing up to see you and ...
If indeed the OP means a sickle, it is usual to hold a stout stick in the free hand to lift any fallen grass/brambles/stems, preferably with a leather/thick glove in that hand. Ankles of the 'front' leg sometimes 'get in the way'. Take your mobile at all times - The number of the emergency services is
999.If it is indeed a scythe, the a slicing motion by swivelling from the waist is easier than hacking/chopping. It's a knack that comes with experience and a lot safer than a sickle.
I saw on "QI" that you may need blocks to stand on depending on how close you want to cut. Scything is most efficient when carried our across a very narrow range of heights, apparently.
It also has a saw toothed blade and cuts toward the hand as you gather. I cut more mature bracken with a similar blade.
Choose your snath (I kid you not) to suit your height
No, I mean a sickle. IIUC (and in my experience) they can be used both for reaping (when you want to eg. harvest the corn), and for general 'cutting down/back'.
No, it does not.
Its a reasonable hedging and ditching tool, if kept dangerously sharp
Stone age version of a strimmer
Not easy to do grass or crop cutting, OK for hacking down brambles or nettles
A little history:-)
About 75 years ago, my father harvested his cereal crops with a
*binder*. These things were originally pulled by a team of horses but ours had a drawbar fitted and was towed by an iron/spike wheeled tractor. First trip around the field headland would crush standing corn so it was cut manually by a pair of men using scythes. My job (time off from school:-) was to gather tied sheaves from the binder and stand them upright in *stooks* to allow wind and sun to complete the ripening. Scything went out with the advent of full width cutter bar combine harvesters before I was big enough to handle one. >
The sickle we have has a curved, un-toothed, blade
This^^^^ Take seriously this warning. One man and his dog should never go to mow a meadow. TW
Especially not with a bottle of pop and a sausage roll . . .
Yes, that's what I call a sickle. I think it's also called a 'grass hook'. It's a handy tool for hacking away at the sides of ditches and under hedges etc.
As does mine!
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