When was the scythe used

The action is in the waist and hips, not in a powered drive from the arms. The waist swivels like a well-oiled ball-and-socket joint, with the arms and hands active just to maintain the proper angle of the blade and its alignment to the ground. Think of pivoting at the waist to say hello to a friend, not of making a chopping swing with a sling blade or machete.

This aspect of scything cannot be overemphasized: Hacking at the grass puts unnecessary strain not only on the mower, but on the delicately engineered scythe. Excessive force can split the end of the snath or, worst case, break the blade.

In addition to cutting the grass, the well handled blade tends to gather it is it falls, sweeping it into a tidy windrow on the left side of the swath, ready for gathering.

The breathing becomes synchronized with the mowing, with the exhalation on the cutting swing, and the inhalation on the return. Those who have practiced tai chi will recognize the same release of coiling energies in the body. The description above of the effortlessness of mowing with a quality, custom-fitted scythe is appealing, but achieving that effortlessness requires careful attention to a key requirement: The blade must be honed to a keen edge at all times.

Maintaining sharpness is a two step process. All experienced mowers agree: Taking the time to frequently peen and hone for the sharpest of edges pays big dividends in the hayfield. But with use, that fine edge is blunted by the silica-rich stems of grasses. Cutting the grass requires more force, putting unnecessary strain on both tool and user. As with any skill, focus, practice, and patience are required to approach perfection.

Some beginners may prefer to peen with a peening jig, a substitute for the anvil which guides the placement of the blade edge and the striking of the hammer. There are peening methods that manage the work of peening with the blade still attached to the snath.

Most experienced users prefer to take the blade off the snath the work of a moment only , allowing for easier and more precise alignment of edge, anvil, and hammer blow. Recommendations for peening intervals vary, from three to twelve hours of mowing.

In any case, efficient mowing requires that this essential maintenance not be neglected. Once the metal of the blade has been thinned by peening, the final edge is created by honing with a whetstone, either cut from natural stone or manufactured from composite grit. Some experienced users prefer to use one stone following preening, and one with a finer grit during mowing.

Again, recommendations vary as to how often to hone while mowing. But all experienced mowers agree that frequent honing is the key to ease of mowing. Use an emery cloth or sanding block to prevent build-up of rust on the blade. Word of the Day. Meanings Meanings.

Previous "Autumn" vs. Next "Aseptic" vs. What Is A Scythe? Sickle Vs. Scythe Learn With A Tutor. Plus, there are real distinctions between how each one is or used to be used in harvesting. What is a sickle? What is a scythe? What is the difference between a sickle and a scythe? Looking for more explanation? Whilst scythe-making in Austria remained a largely rural industry, based in small towns and villages, in the UK it became an urban industry.

Although there were small scythe grinding mills to be found in villages around the country, by the first half of the 19th century the industry was becoming highly concentrated in Sheffield. Much of the scythe manufacturing industry lay under the control of one family, the Tyzacks.

By the 20th century, the Tyzacks who split up into a number of firms seem to have gained a monopoly over scythe production in the UK. Scythe grinding was a vile occupation, and the almost certain risk of silicosis, meant that many scythe-grinders died by the time they reached However the scythe-grinders union was strong, and very active in the Sheffield Outrages of the s.

Machinery was destroyed, factory owners were shot at, and the secretary of the Scythe Grinders Union, Michael Thompson, was accused by Joshua Tyzack, of paying men to blow up scythe grinding wheels with gunpowder. The union hustled 14 scythe grinders out of the country to avoid their prosecution. Another charge laid against the scythe in England is that it contributed to the marginalization of women in agriculture.

Mowing, as well as being highly skilled, was regarded as particularly physically demanding work. At haymaking women and boys would do the raking and turning, while men would mow. Since there was a need for twice as many turners as mowers, this was perhaps not altogether surprising. Grain harvesting was originally a predominately female activity, and as long as the sickle remained the main means of harvesting grain, women could work as reapers.

The advantage of a sickle was that it left the second hand free to lay the stalks of corn neatly for the followers who would bind it into stooks. A scythe cut quicker but it left the stalks in disarray, so more time was taken binding. The development of the cradle in the 18th century meant that corn could be mown with a scythe and deposited neatly in rows for the convenience of the binder; and that the straw could be cut lower.

As the scythe gradually replaced the sickle in the harvest, women found themselves relegated to lower paid jobs such as raking and tying — and once mechanization was introduced, they found themselves excluded completely.

I doubt whether the male monopoly over the scythe was confined to the UK, but it seems likely that it was particularly entrenched here because of the additional weight of the English scythe — and also because of the highly structured and centralized nature of the English agricultural economy.

I have about six historic pictures of women mowing and only one shows a gang, and that was in France during the First World War. In the s the Austrian firm Vindobona was advertising its scythes with a picture of an cheery Heidi-like lass scything in a headscarf and apron, but to what extent this was an advertising gimmick designed to emphasise the lightness of the kit, and to what extent it reflected actual use, I do not know. Rate It! Tags crops. Comments Login to comment on this Glog.

There are no comments for this Glog. Follow us Twitter Pinterest Facebook.