Category Archives: tools

What’s the best scythe for a beginner?

Posted on June 24, 2024 by stevetomlin

Whether it’s for controlling the nettles and other weeds around your allotment, clearing an overgrown patch of garden or larger-scale mowing in a meadow or orchard, the Austrian scythe is a wonderful tool to use. I always sell scythes as a … Continue reading →

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New hay rake tine cutter

Posted on October 10, 2017 by stevetomlin

I’ve been making wooden hay rakes for several years now. To make the rake teeth, called ‘tines’, a cleft ash billet is knocked through a sharpened steel tube called a tine cutter. As the wood is split from a larger … Continue reading →

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Spill plane

Posted on October 5, 2017 by stevetomlin


A novel and unusual little plane. Continue reading →

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A very special plane

Posted on August 22, 2014 by stevetomlin

Stanley ClarkWhile we were ladder making with Stanley Clark the other week, he recommended one particular wooden jack plane for me to use while smoothing the poles. It turned out to be a very special plane indeed. Continue reading →

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Mastering the skew chisel

Posted on December 31, 2012 by stevetomlin

Like lots of turners, whether on a pole-lathe or powered lathe, it’s the skew chisel that’s always caused me headaches. With a life of it’s own and seemingly no other intention than to mess up details at the last moment … Continue reading →

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Winter break

Posted on December 29, 2012 by stevetomlin

Life is seasonal and happily so is my work schedule. While the rest of the year are full with shows, courses and scythes, the winter period especially after Christmas is a time when I can make my plans for the … Continue reading →

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Old tools

Posted on September 12, 2012 by stevetomlin

This weekend I’ll be demonstrating making wooden rakes at Beamish museum’s Show of Agriculture which recreates an agricultural show from 1913.  I’ve been measured for a period costume and working through my tools, sorting out which will be suitable for … Continue reading →

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Left hand scythe

Posted on July 11, 2012 by stevetomlin

While we were at the Somerset Scythe Festival I had the chance to try a left hand scythe. Mowing is traditionally a right-handed occupation, mostly so that mowers could work together in a team and everyone’s windrow would fall to … Continue reading →

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Big Saw Day

Posted on April 18, 2012 by stevetomlin

Monday was a Big Saw Day in Dalbeattie. As in, an important day about saws and a day of big saws when I joined Gavin Phillips in his workshop to learn about pit sawing from Barbara Czoch and Kevin de … Continue reading →

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Ransome's lawn mower

Posted on February 5, 2012 by stevetomlin

Here is the sentence you thought you’d never read on scytherspace: I’ve got myself a lawn mower. This though, is no ordinary mower, it’s a Ransome’s Ajax push mower from the 1960’s with 12″ wide cutters, solid wood rollers and … Continue reading →

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