Man ANNIHILATES Overgrown Grass with SCYTHE and SICKLE

So I used a sickle and a scythe for the first time today. I tried the scythe out first. It was very rusty and in need of sharpening, so I went at it with a whetstone for a bit. I didn't get it scary sharp, but sharp enough. I was very excited to try it mind you so I was not as patient as usual. I watched a couple videos beforehand to make sure I had the right technique and whatnot. So I went out and tried it, and it didn't work too well. I blamed the scythe, went inside, and spent the rest of the day crying in my bedroom.

Okay not really. I kept on trying, and eventually figured out that the blade needs to be very close to the ground, it's almost sweeping the grass. Then a swipe across the grass rotating at the hip seemed to do the job! After that I was wielding that thing like it was a weed lightsaber. It was actually raining pretty heavily outside, but I was having fun. I'm sure some nearby farmers looked out their windows and wondered who the strange man was scything away in the heavy rain.

Later today I tried out the sickle. It was rusty and in need of sharpening as well. So I took the stone to it, and in just a few minutes it was scary sharp. So I went out and sliced. First I held a clump of grass in my hand and cut with the other. That worked well, but I risked missing and slicing myself. So then I tried a wrist flick motion, as if I was holding a mini scythe. That worked great. I think the sickle was actually upside down, but it still worked wonders. I switched to my left hand a few times to give my right arm a break. Pretty successful first experience for both tools I'd say.

Also don't mind the title and captions...just having fun with what I see in ads and on Youtube all the time.

I just read your post about using the sickle and scythe.  I sounds as if the rainy weather has not robbed you of your sense of humour.  Happy to see you are wearing work gloves! I'm enjoying your posts.  I visited with Norman Jean and Bert Neilsen yesterday.  Bert will look forward to a visit with you when you are home from this "adventure in permaculture". (You were at their home years ago and rode their old snow machine.)  Bert is continually colleting items and machines that it seems no one else wants, and he recycles everything.  He also has his own saw milling tools.
I keep wondering about meals.  Who does the cooking?
Ch
eers- Grandma J.

Looks like a Seymour or possibly Redtenbacher Austrian-made American-pattern blade on an old H & T Manufacturing aluminum snath. They're quite unique units.

Mary Ann Jones wrote:I just read your post about using the sickle and scythe.  I sounds as if the rainy weather has not robbed you of your sense of humour.  Happy to see you are wearing work gloves! I'm enjoying your posts.  I visited with Norman Jean and Bert Neilsen yesterday.  Bert will look forward to a visit with you when you are home from this "adventure in permaculture". (You were at their home years ago and rode their old snow machine.)  Bert is continually colleting items and machines that it seems no one else wants, and he recycles everything.  He also has his own saw milling tools.
I keep wondering about meals.  Who does the cooking?
Ch
eers- Grandma J.

I'm sure I will have a lot to talk to them about, that's for sure. I do really like finding out about old tools that I never knew existed.

As for cooking, it depends. For breakfast everyone kind of does their own thing. I usually have eggs or yogurt. Lunch is about the same, just a snack mostly. Dinner is the only meal where we usually all eat the same thing. Either leftovers or whatever gets cooked up that night. I've made a stir fry of veggies. We usually eat meats like venison that have been hunted or goat from on the farm. That is combined with potatoes or rice, and at this time of year we have a lot of fiddleheads too.