Where did we go WRONG?

[BIGNASTY]

We went out to see some online Girlfriends of Penny's yesterday that live on a farm I guess you could call what they are doing.

The man was using a Weedwacker to cut back weeds, then complained about the price & smell of the gas. He had a perfectly useful tool a Scythe. He said that it was a POS and no wonder why the weedwacker was invented. I asked his Son if he had a file? he gave me one and I used it to sharpen the blade on the Scythe. If these old tools are used correctly they accomplish two things, 1 ya cut the grass back 2 ya don't need to go to the gym for a workout. With a little practice they are faster than a weedwacker.

Moving to Tillamook OR today



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzdjOkLQw1s

 

[NIsaacs]

Moving to Tillamook OR today

Eat some Ice Cream, it is awesome. Using your reasoning, toss the Sthil chainsaw and get an axe

Nick

 

[Tuesdak]

Violation of the power tool rule. Deduct points from Man card. :-laf

Correct power tool for the job, correct blade for power tool? I mean if you need a PTO driven cutting deck a weed eater isn't going to cut it...

 

[B.G. Smith]

My Grand pappy had one of those. I was a little light to use it then. It had a slat above the blade about 12" or so, i don't know what part that played? bg

 

[Tractorat]

I still have some pictures of my greatgrandfather using one out in the field cutting hay for his cows. When I was little, I can remember going out to his barn and playing around with it as well as trying to sharpen it on the sharpening thing. It was a big wheel that you spun using your feet. Lucky I didnt kill myself. :-laf

 

[jhenderson]

The real pro's carried a whetstone in their front pocket.

 

[Tractorat]

On a dairy farm with lots and lots of hay I imagine a sharpening wheel gets the job done a lot faster so you can be productive in the field.

 

[jhenderson]

A scythe is no different than an axe or a crosscut saw. They need to be sharpened multiple times each day when you're paid piece rate.The wheel is way back at the farm work shed. The stone is in his pocket. Horse and wagon or 2 feet for transportation. Which gets him working again in a timely manner? The wheel is for a thourough hone before heading out in the morning. Same as the men who worked the lumber camps. In camp sharpening was after supper, whetstone for dressing an edge during the day.

 

[Tractorat]

You have me there. My great grandfather retired from being a dairy farmer in 1943 before I was born. I never actually saw him sharpen the tool himself. I remember him cutting hay, but not sharpening that great big blade.

 

[BIGNASTY]

I don't believe that a Crosscut saw can be sharpened with a stone wheel. We have a two man for cutting downed trees to length for firewood & single pull crosscut saw for clearing deadfalls on trail. (sounds weird but some of us still like the old ways of doing things) One of the perks to using the crosscuts is that a bucket of water isn't required by the Forest Service at the cutting site. Lugging a chainsaw on the back of a mule + fuel its just as easy to pull the saw out of the scabbard and get some exercise.

I touch them up but when they really need to be done right and by someone that knows what their doing.

http://montanacrosscuts.com/home.html

 

[BIGNASTY]

Eat some Ice Cream, it is awesome. Using your reasoning, toss the Sthil chainsaw and get an axe

Nick

No Nick not moving to Tillamook but the Creamery visit was pretty cool. We went for a tour with a friend of Penny's that works there & ate lunch, We bought several gallons of ice cream, bunches of Yogurt, Pepper Jack & Habanero Jack cheese bricks. The fudge was the best.

as explained above there are other reasons to TOSS THE STHIL and use the more barbarian approach to accomplishing a job.

 

[BIGNASTY]

My Grand pappy had one of those. I was a little light to use it then. It had a slat above the blade about 12" or so, i don't know what part that played? bg

Don't exactly know for sure BG but the slat above the blade might have been for blade angle adjustment. They are found more on the English Scythe's back when these were the normal way of doing things the average height of a man was 5' ? generations had changed people heights probably due to better living conditions, so rather than have a shed full of tools the slat was a way to make adjustments to the blade angle. Same on the Austrian Scythe theirs had a threaded rod that ran from handle to blade to lengthen or shorten the angle thus changing the blade. Its another theory that the slat in the handle had a shield or piece of leather that kept the cut grass from catching between the blade and handle.

Blade sharpening differences may have been because of the origin of the Scythe, English Sheffield blades were the Cadillac of the blades. Other Countries hadn't came up to their standards yet.

This is all theory of course I don't believe that myself or anyone on the planet today really knows why things were done the way they were because the old ways have long been gone in favor of more power assisted tools.

 

[jhenderson]

I don't believe that a Crosscut saw can be sharpened with a stone wheel. We have a two man for cutting downed trees to length for firewood & single pull crosscut saw for clearing deadfalls on trail. (sounds weird but some of us still like the old ways of doing things) One of the perks to using the crosscuts is that a bucket of water isn't required by the Forest Service at the cutting site. Lugging a chainsaw on the back of a mule + fuel its just as easy to pull the saw out of the scabbard and get some exercise.
I touch them up but when they really need to be done right and by someone that knows what their doing.

http://montanacrosscuts.com/home.html

You are correct about the crosscut. A mill file is what's generally used. During the course of the workday it would be touched up with the whetstone. How successful you were depended on whether you were forced to cut dead or dirty wood, which rolls the leading edge, or were any good at following the previous hone and whether you had a Peg and Raker or an M tooth type saw. The M tooth requiring more skill to sharpen consistently tooth to tooth but is smoother in the cut and slightly ( very slightly) less tiring to use.

 

[BIGNASTY]

If you have the time watch the entire vid

OR if you must skip to 7:00 or so, little question as to why the average person is overweight & on several medications to live, just a little good old fashion thing like WORK would solve LOTS OF PROBLEMS.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVv597m848s

 

[jhenderson]

Not the same technique my father used but you won't find me criticizing anyone that productive.

 

[Jim W]

We went out to see some online Girlfriends of Penny's yesterday that live on a farm I guess you could call what they are doing.

The man was using a Weedwacker to cut back weeds, then complained about the price & smell of the gas. He had a perfectly useful tool a Scythe. He said that it was a POS and no wonder why the weedwacker was invented. I asked his Son if he had a file? he gave me one and I used it to sharpen the blade on the Scythe. If these old tools are used correctly they accomplish two things, 1 ya cut the grass back 2 ya don't need to go to the gym for a workout. With a little practice they are faster than a weedwacker.

Moving to Tillamook OR today



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzdjOkLQw1s

Big,
He was probably a city slicker who fancied his self as a Gentleman Farmer and was never taught the proper use of tools and how to take care of them.
Remember most high school shop classes have been eliminated and we are turning out a bunch of educated morons now who do not know which end of screw driver to use.

Just my $0.02

 

[BIGNASTY]

Big,
He was probably a city slicker who fancied his self as a Gentleman Farmer and was never taught the proper use of tools and how to take care of them.
Remember most high school shop classes have been eliminated and we are turning out a bunch of educated morons now who do not know which end of screw driver to use.

Just my $0.02

I think your right, unfortunately our schools are lacking in COMMON SENSE not Common Core. More than half the crap that was required for me to get out of High School I DON'T USE. I may not be English correct but haven't had a problem with someone not really understanding me or the point that im trying to make. I do wish I had paid attention more in Government class but alas I have Penny to help me along with the BS that I don't understand. Its not like I need a lot of explanation when we have half witts running for office like we do now.

 

[RUSSELL5000]

I am one of those educated morons Jim W. refers to. :-laf. No shop class in high school. In my defense, I have applied myself to learning how to do some things, and I got the handle end on the screwdriver down.

Point well taken, however. There is no shop class at the school my sons attend. I would like there to be, but folks are up in arms over property tax already. I know a number of the teachers personally, and they are not getting rich! I think there has been mismanagement in the past, and I think still too much administration, but I really don't think there is a lot of fat in the system. There is no way the voters are adding anything in my school district, though.

 

[HHhuntitall]

And that's where we make the difference. I don't know much about a scythe, but I know how to use it. I've run one many an hour clearing weeds along fence lines and barns where you couldn't get a sprayer.... Sharpened it many times, too, although a foot powered wheel sounds really nice... HA!!! My grandfather had one, but it was too coarse to use on a fine blade, so hand sharpening was how it was done.... He had a whetstone about 18" long he taught me to use... Of course, we cut up our own meat, too. He was a Marine in WWII, grew up poor, and lived poor until he was well into his 60s. I learned a great deal from him, a lot was manual labor. He taught me to run a transit, as well as a bubble level. I also learned to pour concrete and build barns and houses. He was a man of many talents. But teaching our neighbors is the only way to get back to that. Not many have an appreciation for hard labor, and have never had a taste of it. I feel it every night I lay down. But it's a rewarding life. At the end of the day, you can literally turn around and see what you've done today.

 

[EDankievitch]

The Gods gave us; Lawn Mowers, tractors and all those other labor saving things so we can get fat, enjoy life and go to the after life earlier. Just go an enjoy the Bacon Burger and stop resisting.......... Lol