Scythe

A scythe (, rhyming with writhe) is an agricultural hand-tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops. It was historically used to cut down or reap edible grains before they underwent the process of threshing. Horse-drawn and then tractor machinery largely replaced the scythe, but it is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia, especially in Yakutia, Siberia. Reapers are bladed machines that automate the cutting action of the scythe, and sometimes include subsequent steps in preparing the grain or the straw or hay. The word "scythe" derives from Old English siðe. In Middle English and later, it was usually spelled sithe or sythe. However, in the 15th century some writers began to use the sc- spelling as they thought that the word was related to the Latin scindere (meaning "to cut"). Nevertheless, the sithe spelling lingered, and notably appears in Noah Webster's dictionaries.

A scythe consists of a shaft called a snaith, snath, snathe or sned, traditionally made of wood but now sometimes of metal. Simple snaiths are straight with offset handles, others have an "S" curve or are steam-bent in three dimensions to place the handles in an ergonomic configuration but close to the shaft. The snaith has either one or two short handles at right angles to it, usually one near the upper end and always another roughly in the middle. The handles are usually adjustable to suit the user. A curved, steel blade between 60 and 90 centimetres (23+1⁄2 and 35+1⁄2 in) long attaches at the lower end at 90°, or less, to the snaith. Scythes almost always have the blade projecting from the left side of the snaith when in use, with the cutting edge towards the mower; left-handed scythes are made but cannot be used together with right-handed scythes as the left-handed mower would be mowing in the opposite direction and could not mow in a team. Left-handed scythes primarily exist not to suit left-handed mowers but to mow back out from an obstruction on the left, such as when mowing back from the end of a ditch; ditch mowers may have both left- and right-handed ditch-scythes with them to do this.

Use

The use of a scythe was historically called mowing, now often scything to distinguish it from machine mowing. The mower holds the top handle in the left hand and the central one in the right, with the arms straight, the blade parallel and very close to the ground. The mower cuts along the mowing edge of the meadow, keeping the uncut grass to the right. The blade hooks the grass on the right and is swung to the left in a long arc ending to the left of the mower to form a windrow of cut grass on the previously mown ground. The mower takes a small step forward and repeats the motion, proceeding with a steady rhythm, stopping at frequent intervals to hone the blade. The correct technique has a slicing action on the grass, leaving a swathe of uniformly cut stubble, and forming a regular windrow on the left.

When mown in a team, the team starts at the edge of the meadow in a staggered line, then proceeds clockwise, finishing in the middle. Mowing with a scythe is a skilled task that takes time to learn fully. Long-bladed scythes, typically around 90 centimetres (35+1⁄2 in) (see images below) and suitable for mowing grass or wheat, are harder to use at first; consequently, beginners usually start on shorter blades, generally 70 centimetres (27+1⁄2 in) or less. Common beginner errors include setting up the snaith with the handles in the wrong locations to suit the body, setting the blade at the wrong turn-in and turn-up angles to suit the conditions, choosing a blade that is too long for the skill level, failing to start with a sharp edge and persevering with a dull one during use, chopping or hacking at the grass, trying to cut too wide a strip of grass at once and striking the ground with the blade. Historically, beginners relied on mentors to help them set up and maintain their scythe and to teach them to mow comfortably and efficiently. Mowing grass is easier when it is damp, and so hay-making historically began at dawn and often stopped early, the heat of the day being spent raking and carting the hay cut on previous days or peening the blades. Scythes are designed for different tasks. A long, thin blade 90 to 100 centimetres (35+1⁄2 to 39+1⁄2 in) is most efficient for mowing grass or wheat, while a shorter, more robust scythe 60 to 70 centimetres (23+1⁄2 to 27+1⁄2 in) is more appropriate for clearing weeds, cutting reed or sedge and can be used with the blade under water for clearing ditches and waterways. Skilled mowers using long-bladed scythes honed very sharp were used to maintain short lawn grass until the invention of the lawnmower. Many cultures have used a variety of 'cradles' to catch cut different kinds of grain stems, keeping the seed heads aligned and laying them down in an orderly fashion to make them easier to sheaf and winnow.

The mowing action

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