Sod power tools - has anyone else used a scythe
ARWadworth
petrol. And it did what it was supposed to do.
Adam
George
"ARWadworth" <adamwa...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:ZUg_j.9226$DZ6....@text.news.virginmedia.com...
Now you caan change your sig to...
TheGrimReaper
Bob Eager
Using it on your neighbour, instead of a chainsaw? :-) :-)
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The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com
Peter Scott
Once you get into the rhythm with a really sharp scythe you can't half
get through an area.
Peter Scott
mick
...or Hopalong if his aim is poor!
--
Mick (Working in a M$-free zone!)
Web: http://www.nascom.info http://mixpix.batcave.net
Filtering everything posted from googlegroups to kill spam.
Roger
from "ARWadworth" <adamwa...@blueyonder.co.uk> contains these words:
> I used one for the first time today. No batteries, no extension leads
> and no
> petrol. And it did what it was supposed to do.
I have an old scythe but I find it rather tiring to cut very much with
it. It was originally purchased by my father to clear our new garden
back in 1953 but I have had it since the 70s. The original 3 foot blade
wore out and I find the replacement 2 foot blade easier to control.
--
Roger Chapman
Keith
"Peter Scott" <pe...@peter-scott.org.uk> wrote in message
news:0I-dnaHtRpn6PqTV...@brightview.co.uk...
>>
> Doesn't half improve the 'core' muscles. See if you can move tomorrow!
> Once you get into the rhythm with a really sharp scythe you can't half get
> through an area.
>
Definitely, I had a 700 sqm plot to clear here in Bulgaria, 4ft ryegrass,
6ft Lucerne and 8ft thistles, and bought a Stihl brushcutter to do the job.
Within minutes of starting it up two neighbours appeared with scythes,
chased me off the plot outraged at the noise, and cleared the plot before
sundown. I'd planned to do it over a weekend. £200 quid wasted, all it cost
was a couple of bottles of Rakia, and they even cleared the cuttings, taking
it away for winter feed.
--
Keith
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
woodglass
"George" <20X...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:P1h_j.9231$DZ6....@text.news.virginmedia.com...
>
> "ARWadworth" <adamwa...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:ZUg_j.9226$DZ6....@text.news.virginmedia.com...
>> I used one for the first time today. No batteries, no extension leads and
> no
>> petrol. And it did what it was supposed to do.
Every tried drilling a hole with a scythe though ?...
andrew
> Doesn't half improve the 'core' muscles. See if you can move tomorrow!
> Once you get into the rhythm with a really sharp scythe you can't half
> get through an area.
>
From what I remember it was the twisting of the torso and the thigh muscles
that did the work, you heard and felt the sharpness of the blade slicing
through the grass.
AJH
ARWadworth
"woodglass" <a...@bbb.com> wrote in message
news:3Li_j.21971$cZ3....@newsfe10.ams2...
No, and I have never tried cutting grass with a drill:)
Adam
Cicero
==================================
Boadicea did it quite routinely in the ranks of Roman legions.
Cic.
--
===================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
===================================
Tim S
You jest Adam, but you've just reminded me of something my old man had 35
years ago: it was a lawnmower sans motor; it looked like a small
lightweight rotary mower but there was shaft on top to which you affixed
the chuck of a power drill, and some sort of clamp for holding the drill
body. Have no idea who made it.
My father also has a circular saw blade on a 1/4" shaft for his drill, which
he used on occasion. Could you imaging the safety officer seeing one of
those these days - he'd blow a blood vessel.
As to the drill (a Stanley metal bodied 2-speed), that level of abuse
probably explains why it kept blowing windings in its later years...
Cheers
Tim
Mike Clarke
> You jest Adam, but you've just reminded me of something my old man had 35
> years ago: it was a lawnmower sans motor; it looked like a small
> lightweight rotary mower but there was shaft on top to which you affixed
> the chuck of a power drill, and some sort of clamp for holding the drill
> body. Have no idea who made it.
It might have been one of the many accessories for Bridges (later
Stanley-Bridges) power drills from the 1950's. In those days the electric
motor was the expensive part of the tool so you bought 1 drill and lots of
accessories. If you weren't careful you spent more time changing the
fittings than you spent using the things.
Priorities change over the years, now it's the batteries for cordless tools
that are expensive and shared between tools.
--
Mike Clarke
Tim S
> Tim S wrote:
>
>> You jest Adam, but you've just reminded me of something my old man had 35
>> years ago: it was a lawnmower sans motor; it looked like a small
>> lightweight rotary mower but there was shaft on top to which you affixed
>> the chuck of a power drill, and some sort of clamp for holding the drill
>> body. Have no idea who made it.
>
> It might have been one of the many accessories for Bridges (later
> Stanley-Bridges) power drills from the 1950's. In those days the electric
> motor was the expensive part of the tool so you bought 1 drill and lots of
> accessories. If you weren't careful you spent more time changing the
> fittings than you spent using the things.
Ah - given that the drill was a Stanley that seems quite likely...
It was a damn well made drill too. The sort of drill that was given new
brushes, taken to bits and repaired when the windings blew (luckily it
always seemed to fail on the bit of wire right next to the commutator).
meow...@care2.com
Yes. Long time since I used those, but ISTR that frequent use of
some kind of sharpening rod (ie several times during the day) to
keep it tip top sharp really makes a difference to ease and speed
of work. I dont recall if it was an abrasive rod, but I think so.
Just
gentle strokes for a keen edge.
NT
The Medway Handyman
"Cicero" <shel...@hellfire.co.uk> wrote in message
news:pan.2008.05.25...@hellfire.co.uk...
> On Sun, 25 May 2008 20:04:31 +0100, woodglass wrote:
>
>>
>> "George" <20X...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:P1h_j.9231$DZ6....@text.news.virginmedia.com...
>>>
>>> "ARWadworth" <adamwa...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
>>> news:ZUg_j.9226$DZ6....@text.news.virginmedia.com...
>>>> I used one for the first time today. No batteries, no extension leads
>>>> and
>>> no
>>>> petrol. And it did what it was supposed to do.
>>
>>
>> Every tried drilling a hole with a scythe though ?...
>
> ==================================
> Boadicea did it quite routinely in the ranks of Roman legions.
Alas not. Victorian urban myth of no military use.
--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
The Medway Handyman
No, but I recall my old man having a Rawltool. Kind of bolster with
changeable bits. To drill a wall you whacked it with a lump hammer then
turned it, then whacked, then turned etc.
He passed it onto me & I used it for years, especially handy for one off
fixings in pre cordless days & nothing stopped it. No batteries, no lead.
Don't know what happened to it. Wouldn't mind another one.
Cerberus .
I've got two of them & they've been a godsend in certain circumstances over
the years.
One of the first houses we lived in had walls made of drop-poured concrete,
well more like dropped pebbles & flint bound with some form of resin.
Anyway, it was absolutely impossible to drill holes accurately using a
standard masonry bit & drill on hammer action...the bit had a tendency to
wander all over, yet using the hand rawtool it was a piece of p*ss :-)
Don.
Cerberus .
For anyone who hasn't seen one.....
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rawlplug-108-No8-Popular-Rawltool/dp/B0001P0K18
Don.
cynic
>
> - Show quoted text -
A scythe stone. We had an old guy who used to swear that you wiped the
blade with the stone every 10 or 12 swings for best effect. He also
wore a pouch to keep the stone in and took great delight in telling
newcomers with great authority that the correct term for said pouch
was a cunt.
Mike Clarke
> Ah - given that the drill was a Stanley that seems quite likely...
>
> It was a damn well made drill too. The sort of drill that was given new
> brushes, taken to bits and repaired when the windings blew (luckily it
> always seemed to fail on the bit of wire right next to the commutator).
Yes, the main choice among power drills for DIY use at the time was Wolf,
B&D and Bridges. Of the three, Bridges seemed to be better quality and had
better designed attachments but the brand didn't seem to survive in the
marketplace. I think they may have also been more expensive than the other
2 which might have been the main reason.
--
Mike Clarke
ARWadworth
"Mike Clarke" <mi...@milibyte.co.uk> wrote in message
news:vZWdnfSNXOLm4afV...@posted.plusnet...
I have seen a old Wolf circular saw attatchment for a drill. It was still
boxed and was sat next to the drill. My customer would not sell them to me.
Adam
gilli
Hi,
Smallholder mag had an interesting article on scythes a few months
back.
Was hefting a wooden one and aluminum one without blades in and still
thought of the weight of the wooden one as an advantage in relative
terms.
Both quite expensive it seems..saw them at Mole Valley agricultural
suppliers.
I understand the satisfaction of using one.
Recently used a long handled bill hook.(.I know there is a more proper
name,
but it escapes me at the moment) to cut nettles, swinging it to take
a wide
swath...and that too, because of its weight, was both useful and
satisfying
for the purpose.
Horrifyingly dangerous, of course, should pets or people be near, but
better
with the use of the "grippy" gloves...
I think I should drill a hole in the handle and fit a lanyard rope to
go around
my wrist should it slip, just as a safety measure.
good luck and thanks for prompting a satisfying thread
David
ARWadworth
"Bob Eager" <rd...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:176uZD2KcidF-p...@rikki.tavi.co.uk...
> On Sun, 25 May 2008 16:58:33 UTC, "ARWadworth"
> <adamwa...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> I used one for the first time today. No batteries, no extension leads and
>> no
>> petrol. And it did what it was supposed to do.
>
> Using it on your neighbour, instead of a chainsaw? :-) :-)
My size 11 steel toe capped boots are up to the job, with a fist or two to
help. No need for power tools.
Adam
Andy Hall
<adamwa...@blueyonder.co.uk> said:
What about the Barnsley Chop? .. oh no, Kiss.....
ARWadworth
"Andy Hall" <an...@hall.nospam> wrote in message news:483ab225@qaanaaq...
The chop is from the village I grew up in
<http://britishfood.about.com/od/faq/g/barnsleychop.htm>
Dodworth
Adam
Dave Liquorice
> I think I should drill a hole in the handle and fit a lanyard rope to
> go around my wrist should it slip, just as a safety measure.
So instead of flying harmlessly away it gets pulled back and hits you?
Hum...
--
Cheers
Dave.
andrew
Very pertint comment Dave, I started my working life using a fagging hook to
weed forestry plantations and your comment is right on the button.
AJH
Peter Twydell
<ne...@sylva.icuklive.co.uk> writes
My mum (brought up in Leytonstone and S Essex) used to call it a bagging
hook. Never heard 'fagging hook' before.
--
Peter
Ying tong iddle-i po!
andrew
>>Very pertint comment Dave, I started my working life using a fagging hook
>>to weed forestry plantations and your comment is right on the button.
>>
>>AJH
>
> My mum (brought up in Leytonstone and S Essex) used to call it a bagging
> hook. Never heard 'fagging hook' before.
We always called them fagging or swap hooks but I had heard of bagging hook.
The long handled versions we called "horse trippers" ;-).
I tended to make the distinction that the swap hook was cranked and more for
grassy material and the fagging hook straight and for snicking up faggots
but I don't know. A sickle was a specialise saw tooth hook designed to cut
corn whist the other arm gathered it but I never used those and I didn't
use scythes other than to cut grass or open up a headland for the mower.
I moved over to power saws as soon as I was able, 1974 IIRC. I think this
single move doubled my piecework pay for the cost of about 2 gallons of
petroil a week. The thing was that whilst the hook or scythe were fine once
you were in rhythm if you came across anything that was big enough to stall
the blade or uneven ground you lost working momentum.
AJH
Peter Johnson
<adamwa...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>
>I have seen a old Wolf circular saw attatchment for a drill. It was still
>boxed and was sat next to the drill. My customer would not sell them to me.
>
I only recently threw out the circular saw attachment that had been my
dad's. I'm sure I used it years ago, don't remember if he did.
The Medway Handyman
Its designed for the gay market :-)
Andy Hall
The Medway Handyman
Huge wrote:
> On 2008-05-25, The Medway Handyman <davi...@nospamblueyonder.co.uk>
> You're not having mine. It's way too useful.
Can you still buy them new?
Cerberus .
The proper name is 'Rawldrills' & according to this site (under D) they
sell them.
http://www.webiness.co.uk/fredpowell/productaz.html
Don.
Bob Eager
Hmmm. Not sure about that.
a) I always thought they were 'Rawltools'
b) Rawlplug product lists have lots of Rawldrills - and they are just
that - various kinds of drill bits...
I would like one too, though!
--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com
Cicero
==================================
http://diytools.com/store/detail.asp?ProductModel=RAW02114&ProductID=48237
Use with a slight rotary action - i.e. turn a quarter turn after each
hammer stroke.
Cic.
--
===================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
===================================
Bob Eager
wrote:
Aha. I stand corrected!
Pity about the postage overhead...
Cicero
==================================
Postage - the silent killer....
I must have bought something there quite recently because it's in my
'Bookmarks' list but I can't remember what would justify the postage.
Cicero
> They're brilliant for breeze-block walls. I carry mine in the toolbox, so if I
> need to put a screw in a wall, I don't need to go and get a drill.
==================================
Limited use though, unless you can get other sizes, which I've never seen.
Mine is about 1/4" diameter and that seems to correspond with the size of
the fibre plugs for which it was designed, although Rawlplug also sold a
kind of asbestos hole filler for larger holes.
Frank Erskine
wrote:
>On Wed, 28 May 2008 10:26:17 +0000, Huge wrote:
>
>> On 2008-05-28, Cicero <shel...@hellfire.co.uk> wrote:
>>> On Wed, 28 May 2008 07:38:19 +0000, The Medway Handyman wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Huge wrote:
>>
>>>>> You're not having mine. It's way too useful.
>>>>
>>>> Can you still buy them new?
>>>
>>>==================================
>>> http://diytools.com/store/detail.asp?ProductModel=RAW02114&ProductID=48237
>>>
>>> Use with a slight rotary action - i.e. turn a quarter turn after each
>>> hammer stroke.
>>
>> They're brilliant for breeze-block walls. I carry mine in the toolbox, so if I
>> need to put a screw in a wall, I don't need to go and get a drill.
>
>==================================
>Limited use though, unless you can get other sizes, which I've never seen.
The original "Rawlplug Toolholder" did have interchangeable tips. In
fact there were several different sizes of toolholder to take a wide
range of "Rawldrills" (the tips).
--
Frank Erskine
Cicero
==================================
That's interesting. Do you know anywhere still stocking them? They might
still have a use in certain circumstances.
Frank Erskine
wrote:
Hmm - I have an advert for them in a Sunco trade catalogue dated
1936...
I can't say I've seen the original type for quite a while, but I bet
some little ironmonger will have some in stock.
Incidentally, in 1936 the toolholder cost from 1/6d to 3/- each...
Rawldrills were available from 1/8" to 1" diameter.
--
Frank Erskine
Cicero
===================================
Quite an expensive tool then on a weekly wage of about £4-00p. There
should be plenty lying around in old toolboxes as the power tool
revolution didn't really start until the late 1940s or later.
Mike Clarke
> The original "Rawlplug Toolholder" did have interchangeable tips. In
> fact there were several different sizes of toolholder to take a wide
> range of "Rawldrills" (the tips).
I remember using something like that to put a hole through a cavity wall for
some conduit, must have been nearly an inch in diameter and took forever
but it did the job. It was just a single item though, no separate holder.
--
Mike Clarke