Lawn Mowing with a Scythe

A light trim in a light rain, just to keep up with the spring lawn. Swaths are being cut right to left, each outwards in the same direction.

The light work makes possible the 36" blade, just avoiding the windrow from the previous swath, so as not to foul the cutting edge with wet clippings at the start. Then a backtrack pass under that windrow scatters it and makes pickup unnecessary.

Normal heavy cutting would use a 28" blade and alternate directions; and then pick up and cart off the considerable windrow to the back woods.

Heavy cutting is about four times slower than this.

Mowing the lawn would then spread over idle time over several days, a bit at a time.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• scythe
• lawnmowing

[whizfingers]

Do you cut your grass with this everytime it needs to be mowed?

[yclept9]

@whizfingers Right, I use only the scythe, no lawn mowers.

It's an acre, and I don't do it all in one day. Just a few passes up and down from time to time each day.

[tomyv1661]

thats sharp! i thought my blade was sharp- better get to work! the bad part of using a scythe without gloves is the blisters you can get on your Callas-

[yclept9]

@tomyv1661 I peen the edge paper thin, and hone it with the stone as flat against the blade as possible, so as to keep a long thin edge profile. Absolutely necessary for cutting lawns.

However, the edge is then no good at all for anything woody - it's quite fragile in that condition.

Pigskin gloves work best. They don't harden after getting wet from the stone or dew on the grass.

[FamilyOfSavages]

Whoa.

[tomyv1661]

@yclept9 thanks!! ive been practicing alot, ive been letting my feilds grow more to cut with the scythe, then my horses take care of the rest!

[LogiForce86]

I love the silence of a scythe. Much better for my ears then a mower of any kind.