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Fantasy » alt.fan.pratchett » [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man
[I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299621] Fr, 14 Juli 2006 18:28
dsewell  
http://www.scythesupply.com/gallery/pages/payingthemowers.ht m

"Is that a Scythe blade in your Pocket, or are you just glad to see mee?"

Despite appearances, a scythe makes a poor offensive weapon. Although
some of the most wonderful awful moments in film history must be the
scenes in "Il Castello dei morti vivi" (aka Castle of the Living Dead)
in which Mirko Valentin as 'Sandro strikes down his hapless victims with
a standard reaping scythe.

("Castle of the Living Dead" is notorious as Donald Sutherland's first
real movie role. It has great location footage in Italy and Christopher
Lee as Count Drago. A perfect movie in every way!)

DS

--
David Sewell, University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA USA
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299623 ] Fr, 14 Juli 2006 18:54
Mark Foweraker  
David Sewell wrote:
> http://www.scythesupply.com/gallery/pages/payingthemowers.ht m
>
> "Is that a Scythe blade in your Pocket, or are you just glad to see mee?"
>
> Despite appearances, a scythe makes a poor offensive weapon. Although
> some of the most wonderful awful moments in film history must be the
> scenes in "Il Castello dei morti vivi" (aka Castle of the Living Dead)
> in which Mirko Valentin as 'Sandro strikes down his hapless victims with
> a standard reaping scythe.
>
> ("Castle of the Living Dead" is notorious as Donald Sutherland's first
> real movie role. It has great location footage in Italy and Christopher
> Lee as Count Drago. A perfect movie in every way!)
>
> DS
>
The scythe is symbolic of humans being like 'flowers of the field'
(Biblical I seem to recall). However, as swords could be beaten into
plough shears, so could scythes be converted into pikes and similar pole
weapons, all you need to do is change the handle and fit a new blade ;-)
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299624 ] Fr, 14 Juli 2006 19:15
Julian Hall  
On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 17:54:00 +0100, Mark Foweraker wrote:

> The scythe is symbolic of humans being like 'flowers of the field'
> (Biblical I seem to recall). However, as swords could be beaten into
> plough shears, so could scythes be converted into pikes and similar pole
> weapons, all you need to do is change the handle and fit a new blade ;-)

Scythes and pikes have the same problem as weapons. Notwithstanding Fred
Colon's like of pikes due to 'everything happening at the other end',
that's also the drawback. If the opponent gets inside the length of the
pike/scythe you're left with a heavy lump of wood in *both* hands and an
angry enemy at close quarters.

A sickle is a much better weapon as farming implements go :)
--
Kind regards,

Julian Hall
"I'm only on the planet because I missed the bus home"
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299632 ] Fr, 14 Juli 2006 19:38
Brenda  
Mark Foweraker said:

<snip>

> The scythe is symbolic of humans being like 'flowers of the field'
> (Biblical I seem to recall). However, as swords could be beaten into
> plough shears, so could scythes be converted into pikes and similar pole
> weapons, all you need to do is change the handle and fit a new blade ;-)

And you /would/ need to change the handle. A scythe handle is somewhat
curved!

I found an illustration to demonstrate this, but the URL is 290 characters
long! I've tinyurl'd it - tinyurl critics need not look. :-)

http://tinyurl.com/jep5q

--
Richard Heathfield
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29/7/1999
http://www.cpax.org.uk
email: rjh at above domain (but drop the www, obviously)
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299636 ] Fr, 14 Juli 2006 19:47
Jeff Howell  
Richard Heathfield wrote:
>
> And you /would/ need to change the handle. A scythe handle is somewhat
> curved!
>
> I found an illustration to demonstrate this, but the URL is 290 characters
> long! I've tinyurl'd it - tinyurl critics need not look. :-)
>
> http://tinyurl.com/jep5q

For those who don't trust tinyurl, the original website URL isn't quite
so long as all that, if you click the link from Google Search:

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agripedia/glossary/scythe.htm


--
Jeff
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299653 ] Fr, 14 Juli 2006 21:38
Daibhid Ceannaideach  
The time: 14 Jul 2006. The place: alt.fan.pratchett. The
speaker: Richard Heathfield <invalid [at] invalid.invalid>

> Mark Foweraker said:
>
> <snip>
>
>> The scythe is symbolic of humans being like 'flowers of
>> the field' (Biblical I seem to recall). However, as
>> swords could be beaten into plough shears, so could
>> scythes be converted into pikes and similar pole weapons,
>> all you need to do is change the handle and fit a new
>> blade ;-)
>
> And you /would/ need to change the handle. A scythe handle
> is somewhat curved!

The image at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythe shows a
scythe with a straight handle. That could just be an artistic
error, of course.

I *think* Reaper Man says that Death uses a curve-handled
Plains scythe, as opposed to the straight-handled Ramtop
scythe Miss Flitworth is familiar with, but I'm not sure if
this is based on anything real.

--
Dave
Official Absentee of EU Skiffeysoc
http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/sesoc
Suggs against sexism. It's Madness gone
politically correct.
Jon Holmes, The Now Show 26/5/06
Re: a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299661 ] Fr, 14 Juli 2006 22:18
Lizzie  
Daibhid Ceanaideach wrote:
> The time: 14 Jul 2006. The place: alt.fan.pratchett. The
> speaker: Richard Heathfield <invalid [at] invalid.invalid>

> > And you /would/ need to change the handle. A scythe handle
> > is somewhat curved

> The image at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythe shows a
> scythe with a straight handle. That could just be an artistic
> error, of course.

The picture underneath shows "a modern scythe", with a curved
handle, so probably it is a later invention, but on the other hand
the picture in my dictionary has a straight handle, and on the
third hand all three scythes we have in our home have curved
handles.

//Stina
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299670 ] Fr, 14 Juli 2006 23:15
Brenda  
Daibhid Ceanaideach said:

> The time: 14 Jul 2006. The place: alt.fan.pratchett. The
> speaker: Richard Heathfield <invalid [at] invalid.invalid>
>
<snip>
>>
>> A scythe handle is somewhat curved!
>
> The image at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythe shows a
> scythe with a straight handle. That could just be an artistic
> error, of course.

I've actually used a scythe to actually cut actual grass. Long, curved
handle. A real expert can, of course, make it look very easy to use, but in
fact it's a real beach.

--
Richard Heathfield
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29/7/1999
http://www.cpax.org.uk
email: rjh at above domain (but drop the www, obviously)
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299679 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 00:48
Daibhid Ceannaideach  
The time: 14 Jul 2006. The place: alt.fan.pratchett. The
speaker: Me

> I *think* Reaper Man says that Death uses a curve-handled
> Plains scythe, as opposed to the straight-handled Ramtop
> scythe Miss Flitworth is familiar with, but I'm not sure if
> this is based on anything real.

I've found the exact quote:
[Bill Door had] made a new handle for the blade - not a
straight one, such as they used in the mountains, but the
heavy double-curved handle of the plains.
-p172 (Corgi paperback)

Googling for "scythe" "handle" "curved" and "straight" I found
this:
The popular image of the scythe is of the type with the curved
handle called a sned, or snaith. However, it is a southern
version of the tool. The older northern version has a straight
handle.
http://www.fellpony.f9.co.uk/country/haytime/haytime2.htm

So, yes, pretty much the Sto/Ramtop divide...

--
Dave
Official Absentee of EU Skiffeysoc
http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/sesoc
Suggs against sexism. It's Madness gone
politically correct.
Jon Holmes, The Now Show 26/5/06
Re: a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299682 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 01:01
David Sewell  
On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 14:18:31 -0700, Lizzie wrote:

> The picture underneath shows "a modern scythe", with a curved
> handle, so probably it is a later invention, but on the other hand
> the picture in my dictionary has a straight handle, and on the
> third hand all three scythes we have in our home have curved
> handles.
>
> //Stina

Curved-handle scythes are known as "American" in the US. Whether or not
they were developed here, in the 19th century the typical scythe handle
(technically, the "snath") was made from bent Southern ash wood (steamed,
bent, and dried). Nowadays you can buy aluminum ones. Also in the 19th
century heavy stamped-metal blades were introduced.

Scythe afficionados tend to prefer straight handles and the crafted
Austrian-style blades that are hammered out to a sharp edge. They are made
of softer metal and take more skill to keep sharp.

The one thing a scythe always has is handles. For a lark, start keeping
count of how many cartoonists illustrating the Grim Reaper don't realize
that. (Josh Kidby is, needless to say, not one of the clueless ones.)


--
David Sewell, University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA USA
Re: a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299685 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 01:07
David Sewell  
On Sat, 15 Jul 2006 00:01:00 +0000, David Sewell wrote:

> The one thing a scythe always has is handles. For a lark, start keeping
> count of how many cartoonists illustrating the Grim Reaper don't realize
> that. (Josh Kidby is, needless to say, not one of the clueless ones.)

oops, portmanteau illustrator: make that *Paul* Kidby. His Death carries a
scythe with a lightly curved handle and a beautiful peened blade.
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299687 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 01:02
Arthur Hagen  
David Sewell <dsewell [at] virginia.edu> wrote:
> http://www.scythesupply.com/gallery/pages/payingthemowers.ht m
>
> "Is that a Scythe blade in your Pocket, or are you just glad to see
> mee?"
>
> Despite appearances, a scythe makes a poor offensive weapon. Although
> some of the most wonderful awful moments in film history must be the
> scenes in "Il Castello dei morti vivi" (aka Castle of the Living Dead)
> in which Mirko Valentin as 'Sandro strikes down his hapless victims
> with a standard reaping scythe.

I read that as "repeating scythe", and thought "what a marvelous idea!"

Regards,
--
*Art
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299688 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 01:04
Arthur Hagen  
Julian Hall <lists [at] removethisbit.kaotic.co.uk> wrote:
>
> Scythes and pikes have the same problem as weapons. Notwithstanding
> Fred Colon's like of pikes due to 'everything happening at the other
> end', that's also the drawback. If the opponent gets inside the
> length of the pike/scythe you're left with a heavy lump of wood in
> *both* hands and an angry enemy at close quarters.
>
> A sickle is a much better weapon as farming implements go :)

A bull is a much better weapon as farming implements go.

Regards,
--
*Art
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299689 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 01:05
Arthur Hagen  
Jeff Howell <notanemail [at] invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
> For those who don't trust tinyurl, the original website URL isn't
> quite so long as all that, if you click the link from Google Search:
>
> http://www.ca.uky.edu/agripedia/glossary/scythe.htm

What do they mean "was used"? Schythes are still very much in use.

Regards,
--
*Art
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299718 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 05:48
Stacie Hanes  
Richard Heathfield wrote:

> I've actually used a scythe to actually cut actual grass. Long,
> curved handle. A real expert can, of course, make it look very easy
> to use, but in fact it's a real beach.

If you hit sand, you're doing it wrong.

--
4th swordswoman of the afpocalypse, AFPMinister of Flexible Weapons,
Bondage-happy predator, Speaker-To-Students, SadoMangoist,
AFPMistress to peachy, 8'FED's AFPDeliciousSnack, AFPFiance to A.
Nevill , Graycat's Guttersnipe
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299720 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 06:08
raymond larsson  
In article <iu6dnZsWhbXQlCXZnZ2dnUVZ8qidnZ2d [at] bt.com>, Richard Heathfield
says...

> I've actually used a scythe to actually cut actual grass. Long, curved
> handle. A real expert can, of course, make it look very easy to use, but in
> fact it's a real beach

The biggest problem I had was digging the tip into the dirt. Other than
that it was dead easy. Swing, step, swing, step, ... take stone out,
whing whing; swing, step, ... go look for sharpening stone ... .
As long as too big a bite wasn't taken it wasn't hard.

--
rgl "We led 'em into a field of really angry squash, and they got
bludgeoned to death" ...Digger
Re: [I]a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299724 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 06:45
Blake  
David Sewell wrote:

> On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 14:18:31 -0700, Lizzie wrote:
>
>
>>The picture underneath shows "a modern scythe", with a curved
>>handle, so probably it is a later invention, but on the other hand
>>the picture in my dictionary has a straight handle, and on the
>>third hand all three scythes we have in our home have curved
>>handles.
>>
>>//Stina
>
>
> Curved-handle scythes are known as "American" in the US. Whether or not
> they were developed here, in the 19th century the typical scythe handle
> (technically, the "snath") was made from bent Southern ash wood (steamed,
> bent, and dried). Nowadays you can buy aluminum ones. Also in the 19th
> century heavy stamped-metal blades were introduced.
>
> Scythe afficionados tend to prefer straight handles and the crafted
> Austrian-style blades that are hammered out to a sharp edge. They are made
> of softer metal and take more skill to keep sharp.
>
> The one thing a scythe always has is handles. For a lark, start keeping
> count of how many cartoonists illustrating the Grim Reaper don't realize
> that. (Josh Kidby is, needless to say, not one of the clueless ones.)
>
>
That isn't true. I inherited a scythe with a curved wooden handle and
no 'handles'. It's gone now. My dad sold in a garage sale. He had it
tagged for $5 and it sat there all day. He retagged it as an ornament
to hang over the fireplace at $35 and sold it within minutes.

I think somewhere P. T. Barnum is laughing.
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299735 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 10:11
Brenda  
raymond larsson said:

> In article <iu6dnZsWhbXQlCXZnZ2dnUVZ8qidnZ2d [at] bt.com>, Richard Heathfield
> says...
>
>> I've actually used a scythe to actually cut actual grass. Long, curved
>> handle. A real expert can, of course, make it look very easy to use, but
>> in fact it's a real beach
>
> The biggest problem I had was digging the tip into the dirt. Other than
> that it was dead easy. Swing, step, swing, step, ... take stone out,
> whing whing; swing, step, ... go look for sharpening stone ... .
> As long as too big a bite wasn't taken it wasn't hard.

You see? You see? With people like you around, what chance have /I/ got in
the International Scythe Championships?

--
Richard Heathfield
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29/7/1999
http://www.cpax.org.uk
email: rjh at above domain (but drop the www, obviously)
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299757 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 13:24
Julian Hall  
On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 19:04:29 -0400, Arthur Hagen wrote:

> A bull is a much better weapon as farming implements go.
>
> Regards,

Only if you can rely on him pointing the *other* way :)
--
Kind regards,

Julian Hall
"I'm only on the planet because I missed the bus home"
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299758 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 13:27
Julian Hall  
On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 23:48:35 -0400, Anastasia wrote:

> If you hit sand, you're doing it wrong.

I've heard that so many times *wistful*

*looks round*

Uhoh was that out loud?
--
Kind regards,

Julian Hall
"I'm only on the planet because I missed the bus home"
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299759 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 13:28
Julian Hall  
On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 22:08:12 -0600, raymond larsson wrote:

> As long as too big a bite wasn't taken it wasn't hard.

IIRC Bill took one blade at a time, so big bites weren't an issue :)
--
Kind regards,

Julian Hall
"I'm only on the planet because I missed the bus home"
Re: [I]a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299776 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 16:39
David Sewell  
On Sat, 15 Jul 2006 05:45:59 +0000, Blake wrote:

> David Sewell wrote:
[...]
>> The one thing a scythe always has is handles. For a lark, start keeping
>> count of how many cartoonists illustrating the Grim Reaper don't realize
>> that. ([Paul] Kidby is, needless to say, not one of the clueless ones.)
>>
> That isn't true. I inherited a scythe with a curved wooden handle and
> no 'handles'. It's gone now. My dad sold in a garage sale. He had it
> tagged for $5 and it sat there all day. He retagged it as an ornament
> to hang over the fireplace at $35 and sold it within minutes.

Let me rephrase my original statement to make it more accurate: "The one thing
a *working* scythe has is grips". I.e. you don't use a scythe without grips to
cut grass or snip lifelines.

Some scythes have permanently fixed grips. Many scythe designs use
adjustable grips or "nibs" that can be moved about on the shaft or removed
entirely. Like so:

http://www.osv.org/learning/CollectionViewer.php?N=2.1.20

A lot of magazine cartoonists show Death carrying a scythe without grips,
which might do for snipping an occasional lifeline here or there but
would be awfully awkward for a full day's constant harvesting. The
scythe shaft would slip around like crazy and if bones could blister
Death's hands would be a solid mass of blisters by the end of the day.

DS

--
David Sewell, University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA USA
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299785 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 18:13
v$af$ppint  
- hi; in afparticle, <MPG.1f2211a5cc6bc809989699 [at] news.sasktel.net>,
raglegumm [at] sasktel.net.invalid "raymond larsson" wrote:
> Richard Heathfield says...
>
>>I've actually used a scythe to actually cut actual grass. Long, curved
>>handle. A real expert can, of course, make it look very easy to use,
>>but in fact it's a real beach

- this may be a problem on the around morecambe bay, or
on the fylde coast (or, indeed, on dungeness); "but"...
>
>The biggest problem I had was digging the tip into the dirt. Other than
>that it was dead easy. Swing, step, swing, step, ... take stone out,
>whing whing; swing, step, ... go look for sharpening stone ... .
> As long as too big a bite wasn't taken it wasn't hard.
>
- you must be a lot stronger in the arm, than i was when
i had a go... getting the upper torso swing right, to "let
the weight of the scythe [a] do most of the work" is fair
enough, as far as it goes; but you still need the strength
and stamina, to hold the thing well away from your body -
and your toes! - for hours on end.

- i don't think i managed much more than five _minutes_
before needing a break: certainly not the quarter hour we
were each allowed.

- love, ppint.
[the address from which this was posted bounces e-mail;
please change the "f" to a "g" and drop the "v" if you
wish to cc. or e-mail me.]

[a] - ok, ok; i know it's the momentum - but that's not
the word that the demonstrators used when showing us;
and it's probably as much the momentum of the turning
body, as that of the wielded scythe...
--
interstellar master traders 33 north road lancaster LA1-1NS england
lancaster's sf/f/horror role-playing game and book shop
http://www.i-m-t.demon.co.uk/ +44-781-344-1539 & +44-1524-382181
10(ish) - 7pm (later by arrangement) monday - saturday
Re: [I]a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299794 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 20:09
Daibhid Ceannaideach  
The time: 15 Jul 2006. The place: alt.fan.pratchett. The
speaker: David Sewell <dsewell [at] virginia.edu>

> Some scythes have permanently fixed grips. Many scythe
> designs use adjustable grips or "nibs" that can be moved
> about on the shaft or removed entirely.

I've made a note of the words "snaith" (the long main scythe
handle) and "nib". I plan to start using them to refer to the
handles of my sister's strimmer...

--
Dave
Official Absentee of EU Skiffeysoc
http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/sesoc
Suggs against sexism. It's Madness gone
politically correct.
Jon Holmes, The Now Show 26/5/06
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299797 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 20:17
Daibhid Ceannaideach  
The time: 15 Jul 2006. The place: alt.fan.pratchett. The
speaker: Richard Heathfield <invalid [at] invalid.invalid>

> raymond larsson said:
>
>> In article <iu6dnZsWhbXQlCXZnZ2dnUVZ8qidnZ2d [at] bt.com>,
>> Richard Heathfield says...
>>
>>> I've actually used a scythe to actually cut actual grass.
>>> Long, curved handle. A real expert can, of course, make
>>> it look very easy to use, but in fact it's a real beach
>>
>> The biggest problem I had was digging the tip into the
>> dirt. Other than that it was dead easy. Swing, step,
>> swing, step, ... take stone out, whing whing; swing, step,
>> ... go look for sharpening stone ... .
>> As long as too big a bite wasn't taken it wasn't hard.
>
> You see? You see? With people like you around, what chance
> have /I/ got in the International Scythe Championships?

You probably just need practice...

O this is not a thing to learn inside a day.
Stand closely by me and I'll try to show the way.

You've got to hold it right,
Feel the distance to the ground,
Move with a touch so light,
Until its rhythm you have found.
Then you'll know what I know.

-Dougie Maclean, Scythe Song.

--
Dave
Official Absentee of EU Skiffeysoc
http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/sesoc
Suggs against sexism. It's Madness gone
politically correct.
Jon Holmes, The Now Show 26/5/06
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299804 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 20:32
raltbos  
"Arthur Hagen" <art [at] broomstick.com> wrote:

> David Sewell <dsewell [at] virginia.edu> wrote:
> > Despite appearances, a scythe makes a poor offensive weapon. Although
> > some of the most wonderful awful moments in film history must be the
> > scenes in "Il Castello dei morti vivi" (aka Castle of the Living Dead)
> > in which Mirko Valentin as 'Sandro strikes down his hapless victims
> > with a standard reaping scythe.
>
> I read that as "repeating scythe", and thought "what a marvelous idea!"

It is - ask the Wurzels.

Richard
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299812 ] Sa, 15 Juli 2006 21:11
Julian Hall  
On Sat, 15 Jul 2006 08:11:09 +0000, Richard Heathfield wrote:

> You see? You see? With people like you around, what chance have /I/ got in
> the International Scythe Championships?

A better one? ;)
--
Kind regards,

Julian Hall
"I'm only on the planet because I missed the bus home"
Re: [I] a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299842 ] So, 16 Juli 2006 01:51
David Sewell  
ppint. at IMT wrote:
> - you must be a lot stronger in the arm, than i was when
> i had a go... getting the upper torso swing right, to "let
> the weight of the scythe [a] do most of the work" is fair
> enough, as far as it goes; but you still need the strength
> and stamina, to hold the thing well away from your body -
> and your toes! - for hours on end.
>
> - i don't think i managed much more than five _minutes_
> before needing a break: certainly not the quarter hour we
> were each allowed.

I think scything is like swimming in that a beginner wastes a *lot* of
energy owing to inefficient movement and therefore tires much faster
than an expert.

I speak from experience, as the somewhat guilty owner of two scythes who
hasn't touched either in a good while. A few years ago, as the
country-end recipient of a country-for-city-house swap with my
brother-in-law, I had the noble but thoroughly naive idea that I could
maintain a 20-acre hillside woodland property with about 2 acres in
meadow using hand tools only. In my copious spare time. So I ordered a
scythe with a brush blade and a longer grass/weed blade from a
mail-order place that caters to the Amish, plus other assorted hand
tools, and set to it.

One season of that was enough to disillusion me. It's hard enough to
learn scything technique with a single crop on flatland; it's agony on
steep slopes. I swallowed my pride, and went out and bought a chainsaw,
a gas-powered string trimmer, and a good walk-behind field and brush
tractor. The chainsaw and field tractor remain pretty much
indispensable, though I have finally given up on power string trimmers
as the noisy hateful creatures that they are and learned to live with
raggedy edges around things. (And I do still use hand scythes and the
simple golf-club-swing weedcutters that require little technique for
keeping light weeds and saplings in check.)

DS

(ppint, hope you saw my earlier post apologizing for not making it to
Lancaster and parts north last month, but we stayed down south and
didn't get farther north than Cheltenham or maybe Brecon in Wales)
Re: a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299915 ] So, 16 Juli 2006 16:57
Torak  
David Sewell wrote:
> ppint. at IMT wrote:
> > - you must be a lot stronger in the arm, than i was when
> > i had a go... getting the upper torso swing right, to "let
> > the weight of the scythe [a] do most of the work" is fair
> > enough, as far as it goes; but you still need the strength
> > and stamina, to hold the thing well away from your body -
> > and your toes! - for hours on end.
> >
> > - i don't think i managed much more than five _minutes_
> > before needing a break: certainly not the quarter hour we
> > were each allowed.
>
> I think scything is like swimming in that a beginner wastes a *lot* of
> energy owing to inefficient movement and therefore tires much faster
> than an expert.
>
> I speak from experience, as the somewhat guilty owner of two scythes who
> hasn't touched either in a good while. A few years ago, as the
> country-end recipient of a country-for-city-house swap with my
> brother-in-law, I had the noble but thoroughly naive idea that I could
> maintain a 20-acre hillside woodland property with about 2 acres in
> meadow using hand tools only. In my copious spare time. So I ordered a
> scythe with a brush blade and a longer grass/weed blade from a
> mail-order place that caters to the Amish, plus other assorted hand
> tools, and set to it.
>
> One season of that was enough to disillusion me. It's hard enough to
> learn scything technique with a single crop on flatland; it's agony on
> steep slopes. I swallowed my pride, and went out and bought a chainsaw,
> a gas-powered string trimmer, and a good walk-behind field and brush
> tractor. The chainsaw and field tractor remain pretty much
> indispensable, though I have finally given up on power string trimmers
> as the noisy hateful creatures that they are and learned to live with
> raggedy edges around things. (And I do still use hand scythes and the
> simple golf-club-swing weedcutters that require little technique for
> keeping light weeds and saplings in check.)

I grew up here - at a house in Scotland with 7 acres of land - and at
Mormors holiday home north of Stockholm. In both cases, there are large
sections of long grass, weeds and scrub.

So I've pretty much grown up with a scythe; I can cut the front garden
(it's been somewhat neglected, so the tennis courts usually end up with
waist-high grass while we're abroad) in a day.

Or "could", I should say. I haven't used the scythe in a couple of
years now, not since the good one went blunt and we bought one of those
useless short straight-handled ones instead. You need the curve.

Strimmers work very well if you have some time to practice; again,
having a large garden helps. It's all about angling the "blade"
properly.

We need to get a new ride-on mower, though. The last one we had was
delivered unwashed (and wasn't even the one we had looked at, but Dad
didn't want to make a fuss - story of our life), and eventually conked
out when it turned out that the alternator had either fallen off or
been replaced with an incorrect one or some such. Bottom line, the
battery didn't charge. The thing eventually gave up the ghost a few
years ago.

Now we're just waiting for our budget to permit the purchase of a Stiga
Park President, and then we'll have a properly mown lawn once more.
Re: a SERIOUS Reaper Man [message #299927 ] So, 16 Juli 2006 19:10
Aggie Angst  
Torak wrote:
> David Sewell wrote:
~~~~~~~~~~snips~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> We need to get a new ride-on mower, though. The last one we had was
> delivered unwashed (and wasn't even the one we had looked at, but Dad
> didn't want to make a fuss - story of our life), and eventually conked
> out when it turned out that the alternator had either fallen off or
> been replaced with an incorrect one or some such. Bottom line, the
> battery didn't charge. The thing eventually gave up the ghost a few
> years ago.

Must have been made by Dell. :p

Aggie the Bitter
Vorheriges Thema:[I] Oracle - Any Letsebuergesch (sp?) speakers here?
Nächstes Thema:Re:[I] The Second Great Depression Starting 2007
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