A damp day in Manchester for a beginners scything workshop for volunteers of Friends of Chorlton Park. This didn’t dampen the group’s spirits though and you can still scythe in the rain so we had a great day.
If your Friends group would like to learn to scythe, I can deliver a workshop at your own site so we can look at the specific skills to manage your vegetation. Email stevetomlin8@gmail.com for details.
I’m often asked if a scythe will work in the rain and what difference rain makes to scything. We’re pretty lucky in the UK that, contrary to what we might think, it doesn’t rain that much during the summer! Often, I find the rain comes overnight or in the morning and eases off through the day. Occasionally though, it pours, as in this photo of my scything in the rain during a demonstration at Queen’s Park, Crewe for Cheshire Wildlife Trust.
The droplets of rain make the grass a bit heavier and it can knock the grass over which both add to the work but otherwise the only difference is the comfort of the mower. I’ve got good waterproofs and the work is keeping me warm so it was all good.
If you’re interested in learning how to scythe, take a look at my Learn to Scythe course page or join my newsletter for updates on future events.
Last summer I travelled up to Whitehaven in West Cumbria to teach a Learn to Scythe workshop for The Land Trust at Haig Park.It was a great day mowing their wildflower meadow with views over the harbour.
I specialise in delivering scything workshops for groups at your own venue so you can learn the techniques for your specific situation. Email me for more details stevetomlin8@gmail.com
A late cancellation had made a space available on my Learn to Scythe course on 25th May 2025 at Foxglove Covert near Richmond in North Yorkshire.
Book your place on Eventbrite: Learn to Scythe 25 May 2025
I was delighted to be asked back by Friends of Chorlton Meadows in Manchester after the Learn to Scythe workshop I delivered for them last year.
Five new scythe volunteers learned how to set up and hone the blade before heading into the meadow to scythe the grass in the sunshine.
With a purchase of scythes kits for the group, they’re now ready for a summer managing the wildflower meadows.
Get in touch if you’d like me to deliver some scythe training for your group. Email stevetomlin8@gmail.com for details.
When you first start to manage your land, you might not have a beautiful meadow full of wildflowers. The scythe can cut all kinds of tough weeds and long grass, including nettles, thistles, docks and hogweed, like Louise is doing in the photo from one of my Learn to Scythe courses.
You can learn to use an Austrian scythe with me on one of my regular courses or in a private session at your own venue. Visit my Learn to Scythe page for details.
These four new spoons just dropped into my Etsy store. Each one is hand carved, unique and individual; I enjoy varying the designs so your spoon is truly just for you. Perfect for making your breakfast a bit more special or to take with you for some campsite kudos.
Find them in my etsy store along with other current work and all my carving patterns and guides to help you make your own.
I’ve been teaching spoon carving workshops for over 20 years and love sharing my skills with beginners and improvers. Staring with a freshly cut birch log, you’ll first learn to use an axe safely and efficiently to carve the spoon shape.
After that, you’ll learn techniques to refine the shape using a straight knife and how to hollow the spoon bowl using a hook knife.
My next workshop is in Manchester in May 2025, book your place and find other dates on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/craft-workshops-1386599 I can also deliver a private workshop for you or your group at your venue. Please email me foer details stevetomlin8[at]gmail.com
A glorious, sunny day for International Peening Day 2025. I was at Hazel Brow Farm in Swaledale, Yorkshire to teach a group how to peen their scythes. Peening is part of my Learn to Scythe courses as a demonstration while this day gave people chance to actually peen their scythe blades under my tuition.
We covered the theory and practise of how to peen with a jig as well as how to repair damage to a scythe blade and sharpening techniques.
I’ll be running another scythe peening workshop later in 2025, sign up to my newsletter to receive details when they’re set.
As summer approaches and the grass begins to grow I am starting to prepare for the scything season by making some parts for wooden hay rakes. This summer I’ll be teaching a couple of worksops on how to make a wooden hay rake so it’s good to have some of the pieces prepared in advance.
The teeth (also called ‘tines’) of my hay rakes are made from green ash which is cleft from straight grained logs to ensure they are strong for the work they will do. I start by selecting a six inch log approximately 5″ in diameter and mark out a grid work of squares 5/8″ square so step the finished teeth will be 1/2″ diameter so this makes the blanks slightly bigger than they need to be. I tie the log with a piece of string to hold the parts together as I cleave and then split the log along the grid to make a pile of square section blanks.
The blanks are then knocked through a tiny cutter which is simply a sharpened steel tube the square bullet goes in one end and as if by magic a beautiful round hay rake tine comes out of the bottom. Like everything there’s a knack to getting the billets to pound through straight but it’s a quick process and you rapidly build up a beautiful stock of teeth. These need to dry before they are fitted into the head.
As well as teaching some workshops on how to make wooden hay rakes, I hope to have some of my rakes available for sale at my learn to scythe courses this summer.
