Scythe mowing in very dry conditions

It's been quite some time since we got a good rain in my area. It's also been deadly hot, and I haven't been keeping up on mowing too well this summer. Now I go to mow with my grass blade and find I can't get much purchase on the dry grass. It's mostly green foxtail (with thick, horsey stems) and bermuda grass (with dry, crispy thatch underneath).

Any tips for dealing with dry dry dry grass?

Zoe Piel wrote:It's been quite some time since we got a good rain in my area. It's also been deadly hot, and I haven't been keeping up on mowing too well this summer. Now I go to mow with my grass blade and find I can't get much purchase on the dry grass. It's mostly green foxtail (with thick, horsey stems) and bermuda grass (with dry, crispy thatch underneath).

Any tips for dealing with dry dry dry grass?

Coarse scratch pattern, extra-crisp apex. Use a coarse stone to set the scratch pattern, then jump to a very fine stone. This will help eliminate any burr at the apex by cutting it off without actually erasing the "serration" of the coarse scratch pattern. Then finish with a wooden "whipping stick" to strop the blade. No polishing compound is needed -- just the bare wood. I like to make my whipping sticks from 1/2" x 2" pine or spruce, though any wood will do, and shape a grip on one end then sand the broad faces so they have a slight convex shape to them. The wood will grab any microscopic folds or unevenness in the apex at that stage and draw it straight.

Benjamin Bouchard wrote:
Coarse scratch pattern, extra-crisp apex. Use a coarse stone to set the scratch pattern, then jump to a very fine stone. This will help eliminate any burr at the apex by cutting it off without actually erasing the "serration" of the coarse scratch pattern. Then finish with a wooden "whipping stick" to strop the blade. No polishing compound is needed -- just the bare wood. I like to make my whipping sticks from 1/2" x 2" pine or spruce, though any wood will do, and shape a grip on one end then sand the broad faces so they have a slight convex shape to them. The wood will grab any microscopic folds or unevenness in the apex at that stage and draw it straight.

This would make the blade sharper right?

T Blankinship wrote:

Benjamin Bouchard wrote:
Coarse scratch pattern, extra-crisp apex. Use a coarse stone to set the scratch pattern, then jump to a very fine stone. This will help eliminate any burr at the apex by cutting it off without actually erasing the "serration" of the coarse scratch pattern. Then finish with a wooden "whipping stick" to strop the blade. No polishing compound is needed -- just the bare wood. I like to make my whipping sticks from 1/2" x 2" pine or spruce, though any wood will do, and shape a grip on one end then sand the broad faces so they have a slight convex shape to them. The wood will grab any microscopic folds or unevenness in the apex at that stage and draw it straight.

This would make the blade sharper right?

Yes, but also it's going to make that edge more "grabby" and able to catch slippery, dry, waxy grasses.

Great suggestion.

I find early morning mowing before chores or sunrise works well.  But we get morning dew here.

One thing I was worried about is a spark. We have a rocky area I want to chop and drop, but it got too dry and I don't know if sparks are a possibility with a scythe.  We are on the no-mower stage of summer drought because if a blade hits a rock, the grass will ignite so fast.  I was hoping a scythe would have less risk.

r ranson wrote:Great suggestion.

I find early morning mowing before chores or sunrise works well.  But we get morning dew here.

One thing I was worried about is a spark. We have a rocky area I want to chop and drop, but it got too dry and I don't know if sparks are a possibility with a scythe.  We are on the no-mower stage of summer drought because if a blade hits a rock, the grass will ignite so fast.  I was hoping a scythe would have less risk.

Sparks are THEORETICALLY possible but much less likely to occur due to the slower speed/lower force/greater interval. I've never read of an instance of a fire being started as a result of such.

That makes me feel more confident. Thank you.

r ranson wrote:Great suggestion.

I find early morning mowing before chores or sunrise works well.  But we get morning dew here.

One thing I was worried about is a spark. We have a rocky area I want to chop and drop, but it got too dry and I don't know if sparks are a possibility with a scythe.  We are on the no-mower stage of summer drought because if a blade hits a rock, the grass will ignite so fast.  I was hoping a scythe would have less risk.

It's the rare rock that makes a good enough spark to catch fire. Starting a fire with flint and steel is difficult to do on purpose, let alone by accident of a stray scythe blade.

It's quite easy to start a grass fire here with a lawn mower in these parts.  We don't have any flint here.  It doesn't take flint to make a spark.  Thus the lawn mowing ban being common in a dry summer.

Benjamin Bouchard wrote:
Coarse scratch pattern, extra-crisp apex. Use a coarse stone to set the scratch pattern, then jump to a very fine stone.  

This. Thank you Benjamin for taking my scything to a new level. Until now, I had been sticking to the dicta Vido, following which a serious mower only considers the finest stones, coarse stones being rubbish.

Turns out, these are perfectly legit. They may cause more wear to the blade - but definitely less to the mower !