Monthly Archives: May 2011

Mowing Course at Sprint Mill

Posted on May 31, 2011 by stevetomlin

On Sunday I ran the first of my mowing courses at Sprint Mill near Kendal in Cumbria. The course is designed to introduce people to mowing with a scythe or provide a refresher for those who would like to be … Continue reading →

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Mowing course in Austria

Posted on May 30, 2011 by stevetomlin

Time is flying; a week ago I held my first scythe mowing course of the year. Back in 2009 I saw a beautiful orchard, full of daisies and other flowers on the front page of the “Schloß Puchberg’s” catalogue of workshops … Continue reading →

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Heat-treating tools with Robin Wood

Posted on May 28, 2011 by stevetomlin

During the fire in the workshop, the heat of the flames caused the metal in my tools to soften so the first step in repairing them is to heat-treat them to the correct hardness. I’ve done a little bit of … Continue reading →

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Scythe weekend 2-3 July 2011

Posted on May 28, 2011 by stevetomlin

Following the fantastic response to my ‘Mowing with an Austrian Scythe’ course this weekend, I have added an extra date on Saturday 2nd July 2011. This will be again at the wonderful Sprint Mill near Kendal, Cumbria. This will be … Continue reading →

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My First Fan Bird

Posted on May 26, 2011 by stevetomlin

Ever since I first saw these fan birds, I’ve been itching to try making them but other projects always seem to have got in the way. Made amazingly from a single piece of wood, fan birds originated in Russia and … Continue reading →

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FAO Scythe Cradle photos

Posted on May 23, 2011 by stevetomlin

As promised, here are the photos of the FAO cradle from their ‘Small Farm Implements’ publication of 1953. In the introduction, the authors (our Mr Hopfen again along with Dr E. Biesalski) make an insightful point which, for me, is … Continue reading →

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Peeling Oak Bark with CANW

Posted on May 23, 2011 by stevetomlin

On Sunday I met with other members of the Coppice Association NW (CANW) at Moss and Heights Spring Woods for a day of peeling oak bark. The woods were worked for many years by legendary coppicer Bill Hogarth up until … Continue reading →

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Beginners' course fully booked

Posted on May 20, 2011 by stevetomlin

My first course of the year, for beginners (and folk wanting a refresher) is now fully booked. There’s an interesting mix of people, from those who already have a scythe but are struggling to get the best from it, to … Continue reading →

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Scythe Instruction in Iraq

Posted on May 19, 2011 by stevetomlin

I wish I was blogging to say I’m just off to some far-flung corner of the world to run a scythe course and escape our current dreary Cumbrian weather. Actually Mr H. J. Hopfen Farm Implements Specialist  of the FAO … Continue reading →

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Cumbria Scythe Festival Confusion

Posted on May 18, 2011 by stevetomlin

Back in January, Paul Kingsnorth and I met up with the Littoral Trust to discuss this year’s Cumbria Scythe Festival. We were all very enthusiastic for it to go ahead and talked over ideas of how we could build on … Continue reading →

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