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Author Archives: stevetomlin
Hand hay making with the scythe
The meadows are full of activity this week as farmers take advantage of the incredible weather to make hay while the sun shines. At Sprint Mill it’s no different except that we are making hay by hand. On Monday I … Continue reading
Posted in Scytherspace
Tagged Austrian, grass, hay making, meadow, mowing, orchard, scythe, UK
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Peening a scythe with the jig
Edward, who owns Sprint Mill where I run my scythe courses in Cumbria, is addicted to his 40cm Schroeckenfux scythe blade which he uses for trimming and tidying around the vegetable beds. It gets a lot of use and not … Continue reading
Posted in peening & sharpening, Scytherspace
Tagged Austrian, course, damage, jig, peen, peening, repair, scythe
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Carved serving spoons
I’m working my way through a pile of crooked branches that I collected earlier in the year and carving them into serving spoons and ladles. You can predict to some extent how a green wood crook will split but you’re … Continue reading
Posted in spoon carving, SteveTomlinCrafts
Tagged cherry, crook, damson, green wood, hand carved, handmade, ladle, serving, spoon
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Scything in the rain
Call that rain? Nowt but a bit of dampness in the air.. Thankfully it was nothing but showers and the seven students who turned up for their Learn to Scythe course had a great day. That was partly thanks to … Continue reading
Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace
Tagged Austrian, course, cumbria, learn, scythe, scythe course, UK, workshop
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Scythe, rhymes with..?
Well, Blythe of course – or even blithe, come to think of it.
Midsummer Mowing
It’s gloriously sunny in Kendal and the longest day so no excuse for not going out to cut some grass. Actually, my excuse is that I’ve got a little job mowing a wildflower bank in one of the gardens here … Continue reading
The Mower
My friend Susan brought me back pictures of scythes from her recent visit to the newly revamped Tate Britain. Among them was The Mower by Sir Hamo Thornycroft. Made at the end of the 1800s it depicts a British labourer in … Continue reading
Scything two orchards and more tussocks
I was back to Bradwell Community Orchard in Derbyshire last weekend with another beginners scythe course. I taught a group there last year and it was great to see Ellie, Andy and Sally again, mowing well but keen to have … Continue reading
Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace
Tagged Derbyshire, learn to, mowing, orchard, poem, scythe, scythe course, tussocks, UK, Wildlife Trust
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Tough grass no problem for St Nick's
A midweek course this week at St Nicholas Fields in York, a nature reserve and sustainability centre hidden in the city. Their centre manager Jonathan came and took part in last years Scythe Teachers’ course in Somerset but decided to … Continue reading
Posted in scythe courses, Scytherspace
Tagged beginners, course, learn, scythe, scythe course, tough grass, tussocks, workshop, Yorkshire
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Picard Peening Hammer update
Several people during the peening sessions I was teaching asked me about the Picard Peening hammer which I reviewed on the blog. I’m pleased to say that my friend Richard Brown ordered one from Vaughans and posted this picture of … Continue reading