The Scything Handbook brings centuries-old Austrian scything techniques into the 21st century. Detailed illustrations cover scythe assembly, perfecting the stroke, honing, peening, uses and aftercare. Scything produces beautiful lawns, luscious mulch and a blissful workout for the modern gardener and homesteader.
The Scything Handbook brings centuries-old Austrian scything techniques into the 21st century. Detailed illustrations cover scythe assembly, perfecting the stroke, honing, peening, uses and aftercare. Scything produces beautiful lawns, luscious mulch and a blissful workout for the modern gardener and homesteader.
The Zen approach to mowing lawns, wacking weeds, harvesting crops, and building modern homesteader abs!
Dreading the weekly law mow? Need to whack the weeds in your orchard? Cringing at the drudgery and incessant blare of the mower? Imagine instead long sweeps of an elegant scythe cutting your grass and pesky weeds in blissful, meditative silence.
That is the power of the "scythe revolution" sweeping North America.
Written by a master of the scythe, professionally trained in Austria, and drawing deeply on research into original German texts, The Scything Handbook brings centuries-old scything techniques into the twent-first century.
Detailed illustrations cover scythe assembly, perfecting the stroke, blade selection, honing, peening, and aftercare, as well as background on how scythes are forged. Also covered are the basics of making hay and mulch by hand, and how to grow and harvest gains at the home and homestead scale for self-sufficiency.
Scything promotes health, flexibility, mind-body connection, and a meditative contemplation of the natural world while producing beautiful lawns and luscious mulch for the modern gardener and homesteader. This is truly an heirloom tool to master.
Join the scythe revolution!
Ian Miller followed a career in music with a degree in Agroecology from UC Santa Cruz. During a two year stint on a biodynamic farm in Austria he learned how to scythe and delved into historic scything texts in German. He has worked for Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa and is developing a twemty-acre scythe-based homestead near Decorah, Iowa, where he grows his own grain for bread making and makes hay by hand.
Details
Price: $24.95
Pages: 160
Carton Quantity: 64
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Imprint: New Society Publishers
Publication Date: 3rd October 2016
Trim Size: 6 x 9 in
ISBN: 9780865718326
Format: Paperback
BISACs: TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Agriculture / Sustainable Agriculture SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Horticulture HOUSE & HOME / Hand Tools GARDENING / Techniques
Author Bio
Ian Miller followed a career in music with a degree in Agroecology from UC Santa Cruz. During a two year stint on a biodynamic farm in Austria he learned how to scythe and delved into historic scything texts in German. He has worked for Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa and is developing a 20 acre scythe-based homestead near Decorah, Iowa where he grows his own grain for bread making and makes hay by hand.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Kiko Denzer Introduction : My story
Chapter 1 How Scything Will Change Your Life: What Will I Use My Scythe For?
Chapter 2 The Scythe and How to Use It : Scythe Assembly | Safety | The Mowing Stroke | Mowing | Drip-line Mulching
Chapter 3 Getting the Best From Your Body: Alexander Technique | Meditation | Meditation Exercise
Chapter 4 Getting the Best From Your Scythe : Optimizing the Hafting Angle | The Meeting of Scythe and Grass
Chapter 5 Blade Care: Honing to Perfection: When to Hone | Using the Right Whetstone | Whetstones, Natural and Artificial | Honing Technique
Chapter 6 Blade Care: The Peening Process: When to Peen | Preparing the Blade | Hammers, Anvils and Jigs | Getting Set Up | How to Peen | Troubleshooting | Different Blades and Edges for Different Jobs | Repairing Nicks
Chapter 7 The Forging of a Scythe Blade: Early Scythes | Steel | Charcoal | Charcoal Production | A Tour of a Pre-industrial Scythe Works
Chapter 8 Making Hay and Using Drying Racks: Hay-making by Hand | Continuous Hay-making with Drying Racks | Loading a Cart with Hay | Nutrient Loss when Drying Hay on the Ground | Advantages of Drying on Hay Racks | Comparison of Curing Methods | Hay Rack Designs | Which Method to Use | When to Begin Hay-making | Grass Growth and the S-Curve | Making the Best Ground-cured Hay | Getting the Most Out of Hay Racks
Chapter 9 Growing and Harvesting Small Grains: What to Grow? | Grow Your Own Porridge? | Growing for Thatch | Dealing with Weeds | Preparing a Seedbed | Small-scale Seed | Sowing | Harvesting | Curing | Directly Harvesting with Livestock | Threshing and Winnowing | Storage | Processing | How to Make | Sourdough Bread
Afterword Further Information and Resources: Suggested Reading and Bibliography | Resources & Supplies Index Acknowledgments About the Author A Note About the Publisher
The Zen approach to mowing lawns, wacking weeds, harvesting crops, and building modern homesteader abs!
Dreading the weekly law mow? Need to whack the weeds in your orchard? Cringing at the drudgery and incessant blare of the mower? Imagine instead long sweeps of an elegant scythe cutting your grass and pesky weeds in blissful, meditative silence.
That is the power of the "scythe revolution" sweeping North America.
Written by a master of the scythe, professionally trained in Austria, and drawing deeply on research into original German texts, The Scything Handbook brings centuries-old scything techniques into the twent-first century.
Detailed illustrations cover scythe assembly, perfecting the stroke, blade selection, honing, peening, and aftercare, as well as background on how scythes are forged. Also covered are the basics of making hay and mulch by hand, and how to grow and harvest gains at the home and homestead scale for self-sufficiency.
Scything promotes health, flexibility, mind-body connection, and a meditative contemplation of the natural world while producing beautiful lawns and luscious mulch for the modern gardener and homesteader. This is truly an heirloom tool to master.
Join the scythe revolution!
Ian Miller followed a career in music with a degree in Agroecology from UC Santa Cruz. During a two year stint on a biodynamic farm in Austria he learned how to scythe and delved into historic scything texts in German. He has worked for Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa and is developing a twemty-acre scythe-based homestead near Decorah, Iowa, where he grows his own grain for bread making and makes hay by hand.
Price: $24.95
Pages: 160
Carton Quantity: 64
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Imprint: New Society Publishers
Publication Date: 3rd October 2016
Trim Size: 6 x 9 in
ISBN: 9780865718326
Format: Paperback
BISACs: TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Agriculture / Sustainable Agriculture SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Horticulture HOUSE & HOME / Hand Tools GARDENING / Techniques
Ian Miller followed a career in music with a degree in Agroecology from UC Santa Cruz. During a two year stint on a biodynamic farm in Austria he learned how to scythe and delved into historic scything texts in German. He has worked for Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa and is developing a 20 acre scythe-based homestead near Decorah, Iowa where he grows his own grain for bread making and makes hay by hand.
Foreword by Kiko Denzer Introduction : My story
Chapter 1 How Scything Will Change Your Life: What Will I Use My Scythe For?
Chapter 2 The Scythe and How to Use It : Scythe Assembly | Safety | The Mowing Stroke | Mowing | Drip-line Mulching
Chapter 3 Getting the Best From Your Body: Alexander Technique | Meditation | Meditation Exercise
Chapter 4 Getting the Best From Your Scythe : Optimizing the Hafting Angle | The Meeting of Scythe and Grass
Chapter 5 Blade Care: Honing to Perfection: When to Hone | Using the Right Whetstone | Whetstones, Natural and Artificial | Honing Technique
Chapter 6 Blade Care: The Peening Process: When to Peen | Preparing the Blade | Hammers, Anvils and Jigs | Getting Set Up | How to Peen | Troubleshooting | Different Blades and Edges for Different Jobs | Repairing Nicks
Chapter 7 The Forging of a Scythe Blade: Early Scythes | Steel | Charcoal | Charcoal Production | A Tour of a Pre-industrial Scythe Works
Chapter 8 Making Hay and Using Drying Racks: Hay-making by Hand | Continuous Hay-making with Drying Racks | Loading a Cart with Hay | Nutrient Loss when Drying Hay on the Ground | Advantages of Drying on Hay Racks | Comparison of Curing Methods | Hay Rack Designs | Which Method to Use | When to Begin Hay-making | Grass Growth and the S-Curve | Making the Best Ground-cured Hay | Getting the Most Out of Hay Racks
Chapter 9 Growing and Harvesting Small Grains: What to Grow? | Grow Your Own Porridge? | Growing for Thatch | Dealing with Weeds | Preparing a Seedbed | Small-scale Seed | Sowing | Harvesting | Curing | Directly Harvesting with Livestock | Threshing and Winnowing | Storage | Processing | How to Make | Sourdough Bread
Afterword Further Information and Resources: Suggested Reading and Bibliography | Resources & Supplies Index Acknowledgments About the Author A Note About the Publisher
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