Scythe Success in Costa Rica

Rolando (left) and Michael honing their blades. Rolando's snath seen in this shot was made of dry balsa, supposedly 'good for nothing' wood, and along with a narrow old 65 cm blade the unit was truly 'featherweight'. After being used from day one, it was still in one piece when I left...

"...the rage of the weed-whacker has not been heard from for over a month now.  Nobody, not even the workers who once rejoiced in weed-whackers, mention them; the scythe has clearly been universally accepted.  Given how workers typically cling to ingrained procedures, this is an enormous achievement!"

 -- Jagdish, from Sat Yoga Institute, Costa Rica

The Yogis and the Scythe
by Peter Vido

This little 'scythe success story' began when permaculture teacher Scott Pittman taught a course at the Sat Yoga Ashram in Costa Rica, and suggested that they 'need a few scythes on the place'. Trusting his advice, they did some research and decided to contact us. 

After a short exchange of emails, one of the members, Jagdish, promptly hopped on a plane and spent a week-long intensive scythe session on our farm in September. He went back with 50-some blades and accessories. But, being educated in other ways than hand tool use, he didn't in the end feel confident to 'properly' introduce this strange new tool to the ashram's full-time work crew of ten local farm-raised Costa Ricans who, it would appear, were born with machetes strapped to their sides. So we decided to take the efforts a step further... 

In mid-January I shed my long johns and travelled south to swap the snow for the heat of tropics, not looking forward to that part of it -- because excessive heat has never been my cup of tea. But I was surprised that up there high in the mountains, with nearly constant breeze present, a northerner could actually function. The ashram is situated amidst the breathtaking scenery of a cloud forest and though it was the 'dry' season, the landscape was green and growing vigorously. And much of it -- in line with the ashram's objectives -- needing to be cut.

The objectives are twofold:  One is to maintain a very diverse, permaculture-style ecosystem where edible crops are interplanted in creative patterns with ornamentals and native flora. Obtaining material for compost making, mulch and erosion control is an ongoing task. The other objective is the ashram's obsessive manicuring of certain portions of the grounds -- and those were maintained in accordance to the dictate of the "American Lawn Culture". Such a lawn can indeed be cut with a machete, but only at a great cost to some humans' comfort and health.

In the past I've read exclamations by those who have never tried to 'walk a mile in the machete-swinging man's moccasins' to the effect that the African or Latino men 'are not averse to working with a bent-over back'. That -- after talking to numerous such men from different countries -- I conclude, is uninformed bullshit! Those men do such work because they have to, or believe they do. Strong and agile as they generally are, many have told me that their backs and right shoulders are routinely sore. Accidents of sometimes serious cuts to the left leg are also not uncommon...

Nevertheless, I did witness much excellent machete work during the first half of my month-long stay there, and it was impressive. These men keep their machetes sharper than I saw anywhere else. The daily routine consists of scraping (not filing or grinding) the edges -- lengthwise -- with a tool self-made of a sideways-tapered 12" file, its one side shaped to a knife-like profile. This, in a way, can be likened to the grinding of Scandinavian, British or American scythe blades, except the steel is removed lengthwise and no grindstone is needed. Then the edge is finished on a stationary water-lubricated stone. In the field a smaller version of the 'scraper' is carried along and used as needed to mend the frequent nicks (because a machete's edge, more typically aimed downward, 'finds' more earth and rocks than does a scythe blade in experienced hands). 

Following this maintenance routine, I was told that the ashram's workers, on average, wear out (or break) 2-3 blades, each, per year. In view of the combined outlay ($5-10 apiece) for such a short period of use, the cost of a scythe blade (provided it is obtained through dealers who do not triple its FOB price) seems to offer a very good EROEI.

There is no doubt in my mind that both tools can (or 'ought to'?) have their niche-specific places in tropical agriculture. The machete, I agree, is an utterly useful multipurpose creation, and watching a competent native gracefully swinging it is a joy to behold. For certain tasks, the same can be said of the scythe. Not so with the other more recent among the grass-cutting alternatives -- the tool that (in his Love and Revolution) Alaistair McIntosh calls "an accursed strimmer"...

Contrary to what one might expect somewhere amidst a near pristine wilderness, I had to put up (both philosophically and psychologically) with the noisy racket of just such a thing, at least initially. The yogis had obtained 6 of them -- at the cost of $800 each -- to both ease the drudgery of their workers and to expedite the manicuring process. (For the same reason -- with the 'lawn disease' first paving the highway -- the petrol-dependent strimmers are making significant inroads into many corners of even the very poor countries around the globe. And, of course, most spiritual/ecological centers in the West are 'taken care of' in a similar manner...)

Here they were used practically on a daily basis in some place or another of the ashram's extended territory. As opposed to watching the machetes in action (when I felt 'sorry' only for the men's bodies), while witnessing the strimmers blasting small rocks in all directions, I felt additional compassion for the shredded up little beings whose homes were being mercilessly ransacked whenever the men with plastic aprons, work gloves, face masks and protective head gear showed up. With the manicure completed they departed, leaving behind the torn-up ends of plant stems crying...

But hopefully, at least in this one place, that is now over.

Here each of the workers exhibits a different posture. The nearest one is probably leaning over momentarily to pick up some trampled stems, the middle one is in the average 'comfort zone', and Rolando (furthest away) seems to be angling his tool so as to trim a side of a steep ditch. Note the heaps of grass behind them, piled up in short spells between, and nearly simultaneously, with the actual cutting. Previously, the machete or strimmer-scattrered vegetation required more work to gather for removal to composting sites, with much of it remaining behind.

And, it is a beautiful place. I had never before mowed where the equivalent area was so diverse with regards to topography, variety of plants and spacing between what was not to be cut. And it is a 'land of ditches'. Even the few relatively flat patches are rimmed or crossed with drainage ditches from a few inches to two feet in depth, all covered with vegetation that is periodically trimmed. New tree seedlings continue being planted and need to be 'protected' from disappearing in the sea of wilderness. There are raised or wood-framed garden beds with very narrow paths between them and floral designs rimmed with immaculately managed grass. The banks along the roads of this whole property (that only four wheel drive vehicles can navigate) are from two to 'infinity' high, and in places virtually vertical.

One of many examples of a snath with multiple grips. Such specimens are 'a piece of cake' to make, and as you can imagine, the left hand has more options as where and how to hold the snath than the actual grip per se.

While 'setting-up' a scythe the "ideal" lay of a blade becomes a joke. All in all, this is a paradise-like terrain for a scythe-swinging person who likes diversity. Our friend Niels Johannsen from Denmark -- the most creative mower, when it comes to scythe-wielding techniques that I know of -- would be in 'seventh heaven' there; he'd have done all that work with his one and only snath -- the one that in much of his daily work travels through his hands as if it were alive. 

A portion of the snath/blade combinations I left behind.

But to meet the needs of more common people along with these diversified tasks, I ended up making nearly 30 snaths of different sizes and with grip positions breaking many normal rules. Some snaths custom-fit for those steep banks were not much longer than their long (80 cm) stiff blade, and some had 3 or 4 grips, plus (as the need called for it) were meant to be held in more positions than that. I was glad that Ashoka, one of the yogis, had fashioned a 'shaving horse' before I came, and that two of the workers were commissioned to gather a large heap of snake-shaped branches of trees they routinely trim. Thus there was material to work with in order to make both grips and shafts in an infinity of shapes. Not many turned out typical-like. It so happens that I enjoy working with such a diversity. And between what Jagdish initially took home from our place and what I brought additionally, I had ample room for fooling around with blades/snaths fitting. The inventory of blades included products of scythe industries from Austria, Germany, Italy, Russia, Slovenia and Turkey, and they ranged from short and heavy (or light) to long and light (or heavy and stiff) and with diversely-set tangs.

Here a Costa Rica-born woman -- the chief mind behind the truly perma-cultural flavor of the ashram grounds -- is showing a fine bodily posture (but not one that in that terrain can be maintained for very long without various shifts).

One notable thing regarding 'blade suitability' was that not too many mowing sessions into the experience, the two most talented of the mowers (Parvati among the yogis and Rolando among the workers) came to appreciate the blades of the lesser weight, and overall, the 'grass' models were used far more than the heavier (per length) 'bush' blades. I was also surprised how few nicks ended up on the blades' edges in all that challenging terrain with some rocks in most places. Rolando -- the supervisor of the workers, a talented jack of all trades, but who initially seemed very reserved about the scythe's introduction -- 'made' one of my days when (as we worked near each other on his third morning of the hands-on experience and he was trimming a shallow ditch with graceful diagonal strokes) he exclaimed, more to himself than to me: "THIS IS AN AMAZING TOOL".

I was surprised how practically all of the seemingly (visually) 'tough' vegetation could be cut with a scythe. Here some dry sorgum-like plant, allowed to die and partially lay down, is easily handled with a 45 cm/300gram blade.

In closing, here is an excerpt from email I recently received from Jagdish, the ashram's member who traveled to our farm and continues as one of the primary scythe enthusiasts:

"This morning, like many these days, included a delightful hour of mowing in the stillness as the sun broke over Bodh Gaia.  You can imagine it well. Not so far away Roy and Parvati are usually found cutting the grass somewhere around Hridaya. The agricultural team will soon be joining us.  You’ll be pleased, though not surprised, to know that the rage of the weed-whacker has not been heard from for over a month now.  Nobody, even the workers who once rejoiced in weed-whackers, mention them; the scythe has clearly been universally accepted.  Given how workers typically cling to ingrained procedures, this is an enormous achievement!" 

The blades' edge maintenance proved to be less of a challenge on this place than I expected, perhaps because bulk of the students are already sharp-tool-using men. Rolando took to the freehand peening like fish to water, and even two of the yogis (Parvati and Kalyan) were not far behind. Here is the robust Michael at the task.

-- Peter Vido










Sources:

Text and photos from Peter Vido, and used with permission.
A shorter version of this story, with the title "Scythe Mission to Machete Land" appears in  
The Windrow, Newsletter of the Scythe Association of Britain and Ireland, No. 11, March 2016.
More information and photos can be found at the Sat Yoga Institute blog, in the post by Jagdish titled
The Scythe Comes to Arunachala. 

Convertible field anvil

© Slovenský ľudový umelecký kolektív

A short anvil can be converted to a field anvil by mounting it into an easily-carried wooden base having a point that's driven into the ground. This type of field anvil was traditionally used in Slovakia, as shown in the above photograph (with a wide anvil) and the drawing below (with a narrow anvil).

© Slovenský ľudový umelecký kolektív

A metal band reinforces the top to keep the wood from splitting. When it's time to use the field anvil, it can be driven into the ground using the peening hammer without causing any damage to the hammer or anvil, as long as it's done while a piece of hardwood is held in place as a cushion between the hammer and anvil. (The hardwood "cushion" can be small enough to easily fit into a pocket.)

Alexander Vido made a modern version of this Slovakian field anvil, using hardwood with a short length of copper pipe to reinforce the top portion. Before the bottom portion was shaped into a point, it was drilled to install a lag screw, and then the head of the lag screw was cut and filed (or ground) to a point. The wooden point was then shaped to fit into a large washer that acts as a base in contact with the ground.

Sources:

Centrum pre tradičnú ľudovú kultúru, SĽUK -- Slovenský ľudový umelecký kolektív (The Centre for traditional folk culture, SĽUK -- Slovak Folk Art Ensemble), http://www.ludovakultura.sk/index.php?id=140

http://www.ludovakultura.sk/fileadmin/images/hesla_full/nakuvanie-kosy.jpg

Photo P. Slavkovský, 1972. Archives of the Institute of Ethnology negatives.

http://www.ludovakultura.sk/fileadmin/images/hesla_full/naradie-na-nakuvanie%20kosy.jpg 

Archive drawings SNM Martin.

Two photos by Alexander Vido.

DIY Whetstone Holders

These whetstone holders were made by Alexander Vido using scrap materials. Shown first is a one-piece design cut from copper pipe. The bottom was bent and soldered to make it watertight.

This next design uses a section of bamboo, with an attached clip.

The bamboo was cut just below a joint (node), to result in a watertight container. A clip was made from a scrap of metal attached with a bolt, but a longer strip of metal or wire could be bent into a flat "S" and attached through a hole, or a belt loop could be made with a piece of cord (or wire) looped through a small hole.

Bamboo would be an obvious local material for whetstone holders in many areas of Asia.





[Link to earlier post showing an improvised whetstone holder.]

Russian Wrap-around Grip

Easily adjustable, and no holes that weaken the snath.

Instructions for making the traditional Russian one-grip snath (with wrap-around grip) were translated in this earlier post. Here's a recap:

The grip is made from a freshly-cut branch that is bent around the snath and secured with a piece of twine.  Willow or wild cherry is suggested, with a diameter of 25-30 mm and a length of 350-400 mm. The size of the cutout portion in the middle depends on the diameter of the snath, but is typically around 80 mm, with a depth that's less than half of the branch diameter. A groove is made within the cutout portion, removing the pith and the center of the branch to accommodate bending without breakage. Grooves are carved around each end of the branch to hold the twine in place, once the handle is bent around the snath.  A thin piece of rubber (like a scrap from an inner tube) between the grip and the snath will make the connection more secure during use.

The drawings appearing above are linked images from the Russian site Pandia.ru and originate from a magazine article titled кoси, кoса by Н. Н. Рoдиoнoв, appearing in the journal Сделай Сам (Знание) 1992-02 [journal name translated as DIY (Knowledge)].

With some willow branches from my backyard and a few hand tools, I tried to make one of these Russian snaths, and a couple hours later I was mowing with it. The willow for the shaft had been cut about two years earlier, so it was quite dry and surprisingly stiff. The handle material was cut a few days prior and was kept soaking in a bucket of water until used. I did have some difficulty getting the handle piece to bend sufficiently without breaking. After a few failed attempts, I learned that the central groove in the cutout section needed to be larger than shown in the drawing (at least for the willow I was using), to result in a thinner outside wall that bends more easily. A hook knife was useful for accomplishing this.

Tools used: 

• Bow saw -- for pruning the willow tree
• Hand saw -- for cutting the branches to finished length, and for cutting the flat portion where the tang of the blade is clamped
• Mora knives (3) -- straight, hooked (for the handle groove), and double-handled (like a drawknife)
• Brace and bit -- for drilling an indent for the knob of the tang; could have used a knife instead
• C-clamps (2) -- for clamping to a picnic table, instead of using a vise or shaving horse
• (Rasps and sandpaper were not used for this snath.)

 Materials used:

• Branches
• Piece of string (from straw bale)
• Piece of rubber (from bicycle inner tube scrap)

The selected branch had some curvature that was used as an offset to the right, which improves the balance (as described in this earlier post.) The piece of string was tied into a loop and then twisted to shorten it (resulting in a tighter grip when re-attached). The rubber was cut to size and used to prevent slipping between grip and shaft.

In use, I noticed a slight bit of play in the grip; it was not as rock solid as the drilled-and-glued grips on other snaths. I think this could be avoided by doing a better job of carving (to minimize the gaps between the grip and the shaft), and possibly by using a thicker branch for the grip (for more material to resist flexing). For the next one I make, I will try a larger branch for the grip, wider than the 30 mm shown in the drawing, which will be stronger and allow me to carve it down to customize the shape.

Sources:

Article titled «Коси, коса...» by Н. Н. Родионов, from the journal Сделай Сам (Знание) 1992-02, pages 45-69
Reprint and images from the article provided by:
Pandia.ru http://www.pandia.ru/text/77/398/102961.php
Original article appears at:
http://zhurnalko.net/=sam/sdelaj-sam-(izdatelstvo-znanie)/1992-02--num45

Russian variations

When it comes to scythes, the Russians evidently do some things differently (compared with the typical Western European ways).  Some of these Russian methods are presented below. Seeing different approaches to familiar problems can benefit one's understanding, creativity, and improvisation potentials.

The drawings appearing below are linked images from the Russian site Pandia.ru and originated from a magazine article titled кoси, кoса by Н. Н. Рoдиoнoв, appearing in the journal Сделай Сам (Знание) 1992-02 [journal name translated as DIY (Knowledge)].

Here is a Russian scythe with a moveable grip. The advantages of such a grip include having a wide range of adjustments possible for different conditions or different users.

The grip is made from a freshly-cut branch that is bent around the snath and secured with a piece of twine.  Willow or wild cherry is suggested, with a diameter of 25-30 mm and a length of 350-400 mm.  The size of the cutout portion in the middle depends on the diameter of the snath, but is typically around 80 mm, with a depth that's less than half of the branch diameter. A groove is made within the cutout portion, removing the pith and the center of the branch to accommodate bending without breakage.  Grooves are carved around each end of the branch to hold the twine in place, once the handle is bent around the snath.  A thin piece of rubber (like a scrap from an inner tube) between the grip and the snath will make the connection more secure during use.

Although one-grip snaths seem to be the norm in Russia, this unusual style of two-grip snath was shown as an example from Lithuania: 

The blade attachment method (shown in the first drawing above) uses one or two non-adjustable rings in combination with a substantial wooden wedge. This type of wooden wedge is used with a snath having an acutely tapered end. The snath taper is evident in the drawing below which illustrates an alternative grip arrangement:

Having the snath end taper like this, instead of being squared off, will effectively make the blade perform like it has a steeper tang, which can be good for low tangs and/or tall folks. Here's a photo from Peter Vido that shows a blade attached to a tapered snath using a wedge and simple ring (with no set screws):

From ScytheConnection.com: A snath with a very acutely tapered end. For this arrangement the common set-screw type rings do not work well. However, the simple ring in the picture, held in place by a thick wedge, is a very common way of attaching a blade; many East European and other mowers prefer this method. It is in this manner that most Russian-made blades (the tangs of which are approximately 23-24 degrees) have been used on the straight one-grip snath in Slovakia by tall mowers. For this ring/wedge to hold better, the upper side of the snath’s end remains square, i.e. flat on top, instead of rounded as it would be in order to take the set-screw ring. http://scytheconnection.com/snath-and-blade-fitting/

Another method of blade attachment is this clamp, which has a lever arm and a cam:

Peening the blade is done while on the snath or off, with anvils and hammers similar to those used throughout Europe:

The Russian-style peening jig, however, is different. Instead of having a hammered cap that fits over and around a central post, the Russian jig has a hammered post that fits within a round guide:

While the design of this jig is more complex, one apparent advantage is that without a fixed central post, the part of the blade being peened is not butted against anything during the deformation, and therefore would not be dulled by the hammering. This jig has two set screws, one to hold the bottom anvil piece in place, and the other to align the hammer post and keep the up and down movements within limits.

Along with a whetstone, some Russian mowers will carry a smooth, hard steel rod into the field with them to use like a butcher's steel (labeled 2, below).

The function of the steel is to realign the edge and recover some sharpness without having to wear down the edge with the stone. During normal use of the scythe, some of the microserrations in the edge become folded over, dulling the blade. Using the steel can reposition portions of the bent edge back into the original position, restoring the sharpness to a certain extent. Some of the regular honings in the field can be replaced by steeling the edge, effectively prolonging the life of the edge. Another Russian site suggests making this scythe sharpening steel from an old triangular taper file that has been smoothed to remove the file teeth.


Below is a Russian design for grain cradles, made from durable, dry wood, with 3-5 "teeth" (depending on the height of the grain):

1 = Teeth, fitting into 12x12 mm holes in Base
2 = Rawhide straps
3 = Base, 20x20 mm wood, length 350-600 mm
4 = Ring
5 = Twine

The wooden base is firmly attached to the snath with a steel bracket, with one end of the bracket attached to the base using two screws, and the other end of the bracket clamped between the snath ring(s) and the blade tang. The lowest tooth is slightly shorter than the blade, and each upper tooth is 50-70 mm shorter than the tooth below. The teeth are sanded smooth to avoid burrs. Dry rawhide straps are twisted to connect and separate the teeth. Wet rawhide straps are used to help firmly secure the teeth to the base, tightening as they dry. The ring is attached to the snath about 15 cm below the grip, and strong twine is stretched between the teeth and the ring, for additional stability and adjustment potential. All of the teeth should be arranged parallel to the cutting edge of the scythe blade. Fabric or netting can be added,if desired, using a U-shaped frame attached to the snath (not shown).

Sources:

Article titled «Коси, коса...» by Н. Н. Родионов, from the journal Сделай Сам (Знание) 1992-02, pages 45-69
Reprint and images from the article provided by:
Pandia.ru http://www.pandia.ru/text/77/398/102961.php
Original article appears at:
http://zhurnalko.net/=sam/sdelaj-sam-(izdatelstvo-znanie)/1992-02--num45

Wedge attachment photo from Snath and Blade Fitting page at ScytheConnection.com

Painting (upper): Haymaking by Nikolay A. Sergeyev (1855-1919), dated 1887, [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons

Painting (lower): From Mowing by Pyotr Konchalovsky (1876-1956), dated 1948, linked from Wikipaintings.org

Take-apart Travel Snath

Alexander Vido (of ScytheWorks) designed this compact snath for his recent travels to Nepal.


The two halves of the one-grip snath are coupled by a piece of 1-1/4" copper pipe, with a bolt holding each half in place.  Attached to the removeable grip is a hanger bolt which passes through both halves of the snath (note the diagonal joint) and secures the grip to the pipe. 

                                                                           

The grip can be attached to any of the three holes, making the snath adjustable to the user's height; and the orientation of the grip can be changed to make it suitable for right-handed and left-handed users (with the appropriate blade, of course).

In the photo below, Alexander demonstrates the use of this scythe to cut wheat, using a grain cradle that he also designed.  (More about this cradle in a future post.) 

Additional information about the Scythe Project in Nepal (SPIN) can be found here.  
An excellent video showing this scythe being demonstrated in Nepal can be found here.  


Kudos to Alexander for imagining, planning, and implementing this worthwhile project!


[All photos by Alexander Vido]

Q&A: The Balance of a Scythe

A wildwood snath (made by Peter Vido from alder wood) is suspended 
by the right grip. Note the thicker upper section of the snath.

Dear Peter Vido,     I was hoping you would be able to elaborate on your suggestion that the scythe be balanced along the length of the whole tool, even going so far as to suggest adding extra weight near the upper (handle) end for some models !   An argument can be made the scythe should be bottom heavy (at the blade end). First, such a scythe would always weigh less, a good thing. Second, the tool would then be analogous to swinging a ball at the end of a rope, with great centripetal force.   Of course, such an unbalanced system would increase the friction between the ground and the blade making the mowing of hay (for example) harder. But some people suggest pressing the blade down on the ground when cutting a grass lawn, and a bottom heavy scythe would require less pressing. So, does it depend on what the terrain is? on what you are cutting? etc.? Best wishes and thank you.

Your question is logical; you are obviously considering the physics of it all. And perhaps many of the designers of the traditional snaths thought along the same lines. Were they "wrong"? Who is to say? But we all know that many traditional tools could have been designed better.

You also already know (by reading my take on the issue) that I would not want to use those heavy-nosed snaths. Not now, since I've stumbled upon what I consider a better design. And I do mean stumbled -- because I did not approach the matter as an engineer, but as a farmer guided by 'feel' rather than an understanding of physics. (I had once described the 'story' of how it happened, but perhaps it did not quite make it into electronic form...)

I presently can't take time for a long discussion on this topic, so let me get away with just jotting down a few points:

1.  Of all snath designs, the one which mostly benefits from some counterbalance for the weight of the blade, is the one with two grips pointing towards the mower. In addition, with the style of movement I advocate, the "light-at-the-bottom" unit will be most appreciated. By "light-at the bottom" I mean that a snath without the blade will more or less hang/lay horizontally if suspended upon a finger from the lower grip. Once the blade is mounted the unit will, of course, be heavier at the bottom.

2.  The downward pressure upon a blade during its cutting stroke is a good (sometimes even necessary) technique under many (though not all) conditions. I did not "invent" the idea, but yes, I was probably the first to present it in print -- at least in the English language. However, if you wanted to make a snath whose bottom end weight would "automatically" fulfill the function of the downward pressure, you'd end up with an awfully heavy and awkward tool overall. Keep in mind that at least half the time the scythe is used, it is not actually cutting (the backstroke already represents a half...) During all that time, a unit that feels like a well-balanced 'feather' in your hands is a pleasure to use, period. 

3.  I should also note here that for the single-grip snaths (which are held mostly at a more upright angle), there is NO advantage to have the upper end heavier; in fact it would be counterproductive (I've tried this as well).

To sum up:

Try your physics in the field; if you come up with anything revelatory, please get back to us.

With best regards,

Peter

The "Missouri Method" of Blade Attachment

Jeff Adams (from Ashland, Missouri) designed this method of blade attachment. He writes, "The wedge can be almost any angle to custom fit any tang angle to any height person. Haft angle is easily adjusted. So far it's working well for me (cutting lawn grass)."  Thanks, Jeff for sharing this with us.


A novel way to attach a scythe blade to a wedge, and the wedge to the snath, allowing modification of tang angle, haft angle and sideways tilt.
Designed by Jeffrey H. Adams, April 2011

Since people vary in size and mow under various terrains with diverse kinds of plants, the scythe must be custom fit to work well, and so must the blade. If not, the scythe may be all but useless. This design should work well for fitting the blade to the snath, and is very inexpensive.

The photos show an example with the following assumptions:

1) The snath is 1.25 inches wide at its bottom.
2) The blade's tang steepness is 10 degrees, but you desire a 27 degree angle.

Before reading further, it is helpful to look at the photos.

Get a block of wood 4.25 inches by 1.5 inches by 3.5  inches. (The required size will depend on angle of wedge desired and snath width.)  The 1.5 inches is the fat end of the wedge. The 3.5 inches will cover the width of the snath and provide space for the clamps bolts, described below. The 4.25 inches accommodate the tang and the pivot bolt described below. I used a piece of scrap softwood lumber.

Hollow out in the shape of the tang the bottom of the block just short of the thickness of the tang.
(That is, a rectangle about  3.5 inches long, 1.25 inches wide and an eighth inch deep). The tang will fit in the slot, with the tang's thickness rising a small amount just above the slot.

Drill a hole a little narrower than tang's knob, then with a chisel square it up to accommodate the tang’s knob.

Now cut the block to a 17 degree wedge, with the thick end having the tang’s knob hole. The thin end should have some thickness too -- say about 1/4 inch.

Clamp the wedge on the bottom of the snath and drill a hole about a half inch to the rear of the knob hole and thru the wedge and snath. Put a large washer on a bolt. I used a 1/4 inch diameter bolt. This bolt does three things:
(a) clamps the rear of the tang into the depression of the wedge
(b) is a pivot for rotation of the wedge to modify haft angle
(c) clamps the wedge to the snath.
(Instead of a washer I had on hand 2 small metal plates with bent ends that worked well. A large washer or a metal plate with a hole in it should also work.)

Toward the front of the wedge (about 1.25 to 1.75 inches from the front of wedge) and on both sides of the wedge drill holes to accommodate two bolts. The holes are drilled about a half inch from the sides of  the wedge. I used 1/4 inch diameter bolts. The distance between bolts corresponds to the distance between holes in the metal plate. The plates are 3 inches by 1/2 inch by 1/8 inch thick. Other sizes could also work.

These two bolts, in conjunction with an upper metal plate ( I used two upper metal plates) and a lower metal plate, will clamp the front portion of the tang to the wedge and will also clamp the front portion of the wedge to the snath.

Wedges that are 1.25 inches high (or whatever the snath's depth is) are placed between one (or both) bolt(s) and snath sides to lock in haft angle. Another way to lock and strengthen the haft angle is to make a 1.25 inch wide, 4.25 inch long  and about an eighth inch deep depression on the upper half of the wedge to accommodate the snath’s bottom. The angle of the depression will depend on the desired haft angle. This approach also helps lock the wedge onto the snath.

I also place a piece of leather along the lower portion of tang, i.e., between the tang and the large metal washer and between the tang and the bottom metal plate.

Instead of a single rear bolt, you can probably make another clamp for the rear part of the wedge in the same fashion that the clamp is made for the front portion of the wedge.

Tips:

1)  Use washers and lock washers with the nuts and bolts.

2)  To reduce strain on bolts and wood, it helps to countersink holes to match the angles of bolt heads/nuts/plates to wood. Or use small wood wedge washers to match up the angles.

3)  At first I angled  the wedge slot that accommodates the tang and thus modified the haft angle. But then I realized the resulting haft angle was too acute. I was still able to pivot the wedge and fix the problem.

4)  This same basic approach will likely work if you want to reduce the tang angle. The fat end of the wedge will face to the front of the snath. The narrow part the wedge would have to be a little thicker to give some strength to the pivot area.

5)  I did not need to modify the sideways tilt. But here are some ways to do so:

5a)  The wedge can be modified on its top surface to change the angle it makes to the ground. That is, a wedge is cut out of it to modify its angle to the snath’s bottom.

5b)  The wedge can be modified on its bottom surface to change the angle the blade makes to the ground. That is, the slot to accommodate the tang is modified to be at an angle.

5c)  The snath’s bottom surface can be modified by cutting out a thin angled wedge shape. The Scythe Connection site discusses this approach here. The wedge is not modified.

6)  To increase strength of attachment use a hardwood wedge and/or increase the thickness of the bottom side of the wedge.

7)  Do not hammer in the small side wedge(s) (that help lock the haft angle) too severely, otherwise the main large wedge could be split.

8)  It is possible to avoid the use of one or both of the small side wedge(s) if the bolt holes for the forward "clamp" are judiciously chosen. That is, if they can be placed adjacent to the snath on each side.


-- Jeffrey H. Adams, April 2011





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Forge your own scythe blade

A question about a previous post (Brubaker scythe blade, Made in USA), followed by the response from Jack Brubaker:


Is there any chance you could provide me with a fuller description of how you went about making the scythe blade itself?  
I have been scouring old books and the internet to no avail for  information and instruction on this aspect of blacksmithing.  I am interested in the details of this as I have no machinery, such as a foot hammer, to pursue this project.  It is my hope that with more details I might be able to reproduce the same effects with simple hand tools. 
-- Carl

I want to write up my experiences with blade forging more completely after I have more practice myself. But, what follows are a few notes that might help. 

It is certainly true that scythes used to be forged without machinery. There is probably somewhere a shop on the fringe of world trade where this is still being practiced, perhaps many. My guess would be that the procedure would be similar to that used when forging with a power hammer, but I may be wrong. Look at the images on the Geyerhammer site to see the steps in forging. 

[link to Geyerhammer Scythe Museum, showing 23 steps to making a scythe blade]

The only part that really surprised me in watching the smiths at Schrockenfux was the way the blade held the preset curve while being hammered thin. My experience with knife making was that in forging a blade the greater hammering needed to thin the cutting edge to its slight thickness caused the blade as a whole to curve as that part of the blade grew in length more than the thick back of the blade. It is necessary to over compensate for this distortion by curving the blade into a C shape first so it will straighten out as it is thinned.  

The scythe smiths I watched did not have this problem at all. They started with the blank bent to the curve they wanted the final blade to have and kept that curve throughout the forging process.

Having done it once I now see that the difference between a knife and a scythe is that the knife blade has a wedge shaped cross section and a scythe has a thick back but is nearly even in thickness across the rest of the cross section.  I assumed that the thick back would constrain the back from growing in length as the rest of the blade is thinned and grew in length. Two things happen to prevent this from being a problem. First the thick back holds it's heat well because it is thick and just stretches some as the blade is forged. Second the blade is forged with a top die that is canoe shaped hammering on a flat bottom die. (The pointed end of the top die is needed to form the V shaped section between the back of the blade and the diagonal "deer's tongue" that reinforces the connection between the blade and the tang.) 

The long narrow shape of the top die acts as a fuller to move the metal primarily in one direction, to widen the blade as it is thinned. So far this is a lot like knife forging. The difference is that only a small square section is left to form the back while the rest of the blade is hammered very thin. The shape of the blade is watched by the smith and can be controlled by how much hammering is done near the back and how much is done near the edge. If they are balanced the blank will hold its pre-set curve. If the curve goes off it can be brought back with more hammering near one side or the other as if the back was not there.

To hand hammer a scythe blade there could be several approaches. One would be to try to use the cross pein to spread the blade taking care to not hit the back. Start by fullering a groove next to the back to define it's shape and use the cross pein to hammer the rest. This will be a very tedious process requiring many, many heats, unless you are a lot stronger than I am. In the act of taking so many heats on increasingly thinner metal some of the carbon may be burned out of the steel, so the result will be unpredictable.  Heating in a gas furnace rather than a coal fire will probably help limit the accumulated damage to the metal since the sulphur in the coal attacks the steel.

Another process would be to start with a very thin blank that could be cut to shape, and form the back by folding over the back edge once and then bending the doubled metal up at 90 degrees to the blade. There are blades being made this way in large forming dies. It can be done at the anvil with a V block in the hardy hole and working the fold down into the V with a cross pein hammer. Once the fold is formed, hammer it closed on the face of the anvil and form the next fold in the V block. This time just true up the fold at 90 degrees in the V block.

If there are still blades being hand forged somewhere they are most likely being hammered by a team of smiths. The master holding a top fuller and two or more strikers swinging sledges to drive the fuller as the master moves the blank under the blows. This can be a quite powerful process but requires experienced strikers and a lot of team work to really move the metal very much per heat. 

Walter Blumauer from the Geyerhammer Museum told me that in the old days in Austria, a scythe shop without power hammers with about 25 employees (smiths, polishers, finisher, packer, and foreman-owner) would make 25 blades a day. Using water hammers (since the 1500s), each smith could forge 200 to 250 blades a day. When he had met his quota he was done for the day and went home.

The V block seems to me to be the most important tool one would need to have to forge a blade by hand at the anvil, that and a strong arm. It is used to refine the form of the back in place of the double acting power hammer (that strikes both vertically and horizontally with alternating blows) used in the Austrian scythe shops.

One thing worth note is that in the modern practice the entire length of the blade (all but a short end that is hand held by the smith) is forged all over evenly so that the whole blade emerges from the blank at once. Working by hand this will be more problematic since only so much can be done at one heat. If one section of blade is hammered in one heat when the next section is forged there will be a problem of discontinuity where the two forged section merge and there will often be a spot where the blade is less wide where the two sessions of forging merge.

Over lapping hammer blows have a very interesting effect on the way the metal flows (what direction the metal moves under a series of blows). For the sake of example, if a square but flat hammer is used to make a series of heavy penetrating blows, each slightly to the right of the one before it, the metal will move to the right in growth. That is not to say that it won't move out in all directions as is expected from a hammer of this shape, just that there will be more spreading of the metal to the right than the other directions. This is caused by each successive blow landing on the right edge of the depression made by the previous blow. All the force of the hammer in concentrated on the small area where the next blow misses the last blow. 

The effect is the same as if a very narrow hammer face shaped like a straight pein hammer had been used. Scythe smiths use this effect to help control the movement of the metal. They also turn the blank at about 15 degrees to the top die and strike a line of blows down the area near the back or near the edge to both thin the metal and stretch those sides of the blade lengthwise. This can help control the shape of the blade. 

So for maximum widening of the blade, blows will be run in a pattern across the blank. For stretching the edge or back, blows may be struck in series that run up and down the blank along it's length (even though the die is still parallel to the blank). It is also possible to push out the back of the blade if it gets a little to straight (heaven forbid concave) by running a series of blows that start at the middle and move to the back, this will have the effect of pushing out the back. 

Don't worry too much about the exact width of the blade from the back to the edge. Keeping the shape and getting it thin is the main problem. If there is the right amount of metal to start with there should be enough width when the blade is well thinned. If there are excess bulges of metal on the cutting edge they can be trimmed off before final peining of the edge.

I hope to have time to make drawings of these hammering effects and tools that might help later this winter. Austrian blades are forged from 7 to 8 point plain carbon steel. Alloys would interfere with the cold hammering needed to set the tension in the blade in the Austrian method. I continue to use the blade I forged along side a new Austrian blade. I have had more tears in the edge of my blade. I don't know if that is a result of the blade not being hardened and tempered, or is because I used 10 point carbon steel, or because I use that blade for cutting tougher material since it is shorter and heavier. Because I often use it on heavier material I can't judge the blades one against the other effectively, but it remains a useful and effective tool.

-- Jack Brubaker

(Source:  Image "Sensenschmidt-1568" from Jost Amman and Hans Sachs, Frankfurt am Main, 
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sensenschmidt-1568.png)