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

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

Black walnut snath

From the mailbox at ScytheConnection.com, sent by the happy maker of a beautiful snath:

To the Vido Family,

I want to thank you for all the fabulous information you have published. Your web pages inspired me to construct a wild-wood "one-grip" snath. I used black walnut and ash from dead wood found on the property and antique hand tools found at a garage sale. I'm so glad I found and your website and decided to build my own. I would not have been able to do it without you. Thank you so very much.

Today, I completed the setup and mowed a section of very mature forage grasses and chickweed.  I am tickled with the results.

All the best,

M.

Some initial comments from me about this snath
(Peter Vido might have other comments to add):

1.  The wood is attractive; the coloration is striking.

2.  The grip looks like it is set at a good angle (slightly toward the blade).

3.  The location of the grip looks proportionally close to the blade; I'd know more by seeing a photo of the snath being used and the resulting position of the user's body.

4.  With the curves, I can only guess at the hafting, but a more acutely hafted blade may give even better results.

5.  The tang steepness and the lay of the blade in use is likewise unknown to me at this point.

6.  My overall impression is quite positive, especially since the maker is so happy with the results.

Brubaker scythe blade (Made in USA)

This was sent by Jack Brubaker, who forged his own scythe blade

and uses it with a homemade wildwood snath:

Today I found some time to attempt forging a blade from a one inch round of W1 tool steel. That is a simple carbon steel with 1% carbon. I know it is too much carbon, but I had it on hand. I used the largest of my hammers the 300 pound copy of a Beche. It happened to have a flat die on the bottom and a very round drawing die on top so I decided to give that combination a try. The top die is round with no real flat on the bottom so it was messy forging the zainen, but it was done with a little patience. I was just forging off the round stock rather than starting by cutting a blank so I didn't know how much steel I used. Once I had the stock roughed out and began spreading the blade it became clear that the top die was too round to form a sharp and crisp transition between the back and the thin body of the blade. I hammered the transition so that the edge of the back was the right thickness and the metal then thinned quickly toward the thin blade. This left the back more of a triangle then a rectangle but it did allow me to pull out the remaining metal into a fairly thin blade. I of course had some trouble with the blade forming the wrong curve (backwards at one point) but it all worked out in the end. To bend up the back I used a V block on the anvil and hand hammered the base of the triangular back down into the V with the cross pein of the hammer. This is a messy way to get it done as it left a lot of rough hammer marks. I envision a tool I can make that would do a much better job, but that will await more time to play. The first photo is of the blade at this point. As you see the round top die and the bashing with a hand hammer left a rough and uneven back. 

I then cut off the excess steel and refined the shape of the blade with more hammering. At this point it really began to look like a scythe blade and I got eager to try it out so rather than risk hardening and tempering now without a proper tank for the oil (I have a large stainless tank of oil for hardening hammer dies but it is round and not long enough) I elected to just hammer the blade cold as it was at that state. I thinned the edge on the anvil and hand hammered with the edge of a round flat faced hammer to get the effect of the dotting hammer and tension the blade. The blade stiffened up nicely and when pressed point against the floor it has a nice spring and curves with some grace. It is too stiff I think as a result of being a bit heavy. But not bad for a first try. I put it in a snath sharpened it some and it actually cuts grass. I doubt that it will hold an edge as well as a properly hardened blade but I am encouraged to try more of this! There was no way for me to form the tongue that reinforces the blade to tang area since my top die was too wide to form the narrow forged groove between the back and the tongue. I will have to make a better top die. The blade is 25.25 inches long(over all) and 3 inches wide at the beard. 

I have used my first home forged blade quite a bit along side a new blade from Rossleithen. It is lighter than an "American" blade but noticeably heavier that the Austrian blade (don't have any way of weighing them yet). There are things I look forward to doing better in the future, but I find it to be serviceable and it seems comparable in edge holding. I hope to be able to look back on this blade as my crude first attempt but first I need to wait until fall when I foresee having the time to work on blades in a more focused manner. I am inspired by an old blade I brought back from Austria (thanks to Walter Blumauer) that was made for the Middle-East market and is really thin and light but has a good tension and springy feel. I had the chance to try the first sample of a blade that Gerhard Walter designed and had the Rossleithen factory produce that is aimed at modern mowers. That blade is an interesting variation on standard European blades, mows very well, and has features I'd like to try out here in Indiana. 
So, there is much to do.

(Source:  Text and photos by Jack Brubaker, used with permission.)

Snaths for Long Blades

(This post was updated on July 31 with more commentary and captions, all from Peter Vido.)

I used this snath during the team competition in Denmark with a 90cm blade of a very conventional “in-circle” Austrian tang setting. I took it that summer to three more countries afterward and everyone who tried to mow with it was most impressed with how it behaved…

"Off-set to the right" is the arrangement I suggest for all long blades (75 cm and up), especially if they are somewhat heavy (500g or more)."

A long-bladed scythe, provided it is otherwise well adjusted, can indeed function very well and be a pleasure to use EVEN if the blade is not “off-set to the right”. However, that “already good” scythe will be still nicer to use if the blade’s horizontal balance is shifted to the right by a rather uncommon principle of snath design. 


I have made “wildwood” specimens incorporating this feature for about 8-9 years, and have advocated the concept widely in all of the 10 countries I’ve traveled with various demo scythes in hand. Although everyone who tried them was impressed with their feel and functionality, only a small fraction of snaths made subsequently (of wild wood or sawn lumber, either owner- made or in a production line) have incorporated this unorthodox principle. Breaking through walls of tradition has never been easy; and while this sometimes is a good thing, I wish it were different with regard to snath design.

Be that as it may, below are some examples of scythes with this favourable shift of the blade-to-the-right (of the straight line drawn between the position of the hands holding the snath).

Unfortunately the bottom end of this snath (made of naturally curved apple branch) is not shown here and consequently the picture is somewhat misleading. Past the point you can still see, the wood makes again a left hand turn and then continues in line with the shaft just below the grip. The end effect was an “off-set” of nearly 12” (30cm) to the right. I used this snath during the team competition in Denmark (shown above).

Similar principle, less accentuated. (this snath is now in Costa Rica)

Same snath as previous photo.

The wooden stick shows the amount of “off-set”. Here the lower half of the snath makes a right turn only (i.e. doesn’t turn left again as in the snaths above) to accommodate the typically open-hafted blade models. This blade has a very acutely-hafted tang, (similar to #103 in our catalogue).

Three snaths with off-sets similar to previous photo (and with Italian-made steeply hafted blades).

The snath’s bottom end turns right and then slightly left (still requiring a more acutely hafted tang than the common German or Austrian models.)

Ashley standing on the wall of her unfinished log cabin twirling Lance Harvell’s “4 gripper”. (described below)

This snath is made of sawn 1½” lumber deliberately steam-bent to follow the design principles outlined here, and at the same time accommodate blade models meant to go on straight (left-to-right) snaths. Lance Harvell (who may well be the best mower in the state of Maine) had the blank bent by a snowshoe maker and brought it here for us to finish.

He already had several wildwood snath/blade units from us, made along these lines, as well as others made later by himself.  He can appreciate the principle behind these snaths – especially so because he is an avid long blade user.

The blade he last picked from our limited old and long blade selection was 110cm and not exactly a light one… He wanted it fitted to the blank he brought along, and with backward-pointing grips, as he is accustomed to using. We did what he asked for, although I knew that a blade of that length and weight would feel more balanced with the grips pointing up and forward. So I improvised a little… and added such grips as well. Now he has a four-grip snath (interchangeable two pairs each, adjustable in two positions) – and the unit sure feels more ergonomic when held by the up and forward pointing grips.

This very narrow blade (85cm length) also has a rather acute tang setting. Note how the one-grip snath also makes a slight right turn. This is the unit in action here.

More samples of the off-set; (from right to left: with 75, 85 and 100cm blades).

The snath with the 100cm blade and a stick indicating the actual off-set.

Sideways view of the above – in order to address two additional concepts:Firstly, this snath is crooked in so many directions that it can be appropriately be referred to as “curved”. However, its bottom end curves downward – the opposite of the common curved snath models. My point in bringing this up is that a snath does not need to have the classical S shape curvature to work well. What is important is the relationship between the blade’s tang angles and the curvature of the wood, as well as the mower’s height and stance.

Second thing of note is the length of the extension (stem) on the lower grip – it is rather short; much shorter than the new generation of “ergonomic” snaths have them. I have tried to bring attention to this concept for several years now (see, for instance retrofit), but it is a somewhat uncomfortable topic among those who make and/or sell snaths. Namely, the tendency to come up with a “good for every purpose” snath (and claim it to be “the ultimate” in design) is very strong.
Admitting instead that a decidedly different grip arrangement is most suitable for trimming (with shorter blades) as opposed to field mowing (with longer blades and in somewhat lower stance/ posture) has not been popular, because it would make the scythe seller’s job more complicated and inevitably less profitable…
Be it as it may, the truth is that cutting and pushing more matter at a stroke (the natural by-product of using long blades) is notably easier if the right hand grip has a short, rather than long stem (extension).
At least some of the Swiss had that figured out long ago, because many of the mountain snath models still produced today have very short-stemmed grips.
In any case, Ashley – who is a fussy girl when it comes to scythes, and for whom I made this snath – has been pleased with how the unit functions…

(Source:  Photos and text from Peter Vido, used with permission.)