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Fitting Sythe Handle


Onoff

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How, traditionally, are handles fitted to sythes like this? These handles are rotten with woodworm. Plan is to remake them in local timber. Is it called a "tang" the section that fits into the handle? Something in the back of my mind is saying the tangs were heated up and pushed into the wood...

 

IMG-20210503-WA0010.jpeg

 

 

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Yes its a Tang, hole drilled in the handle under size, tang heated and then pushed into the timber to burn a perfectly sized and shaped hole.

Sometimes a small amount of tree resin or hoof glue was used to fix handles in place after burning.

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19 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said:

Once that was done (see above) , my dad always used to put the handle and the bottom bit of the scythe in a bucket of water and leave it for a good while. Swole up a treat.

 

Sounds swell...

Another one, are these in fact sickles rather than sythes?

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4 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Sounds swell...

Another one, are these in fact sickles rather than sythes?

 

I thought sythes were the large ones with a double handles (one half way down a long handle)

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  • 2 months later...

I bought one of these and it works quite well (but I did replace the wing nut with a nylock one) the “Alpine’ shorter blade works better for rough ground attacking weeds etc rather than grasslands or crops.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alpine-Grass-Scythe-folding-Lightweight-1-5m-Long-Alloy-handle-150cm-quality-/265229372245?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338268676&toolid=10044&customid=Cj0KCQjw_8mHBhClARIsABfFgpikyIv7LqgUqj6ieXHI33nWE23Geyd1qo5tTqi_7Ut3sMqGbZAjLJkaAqiKEALw_wcB

Edited by joe90
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27 minutes ago, joe90 said:

I bought one of these and it works quite well (but I did replace the wing nut with a nylock one) the “Alpine’ shorter blade works better for rough ground attacking weeds etc rather than grasslands or crops.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alpine-Grass-Scythe-folding-Lightweight-1-5m-Long-Alloy-handle-150cm-quality-/265229372245?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338268676&toolid=10044&customid=Cj0KCQjw_8mHBhClARIsABfFgpikyIv7LqgUqj6ieXHI33nWE23Geyd1qo5tTqi_7Ut3sMqGbZAjLJkaAqiKEALw_wcB

 

Been looking at those.

 

Might have the offer of one over in Essex. Means a road trip, passport, border control, import duties etc. 

 

Not sure if an Essex scythe will work in Kent... ?

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1 minute ago, Onoff said:

Means a road trip, passport, border control, import duties etc. 


Plus self isolation afterwards ? I have an “antique” original scythe but the blade is so long it’s very difficult to control, the alpine ones have a much shorter blade. IMO much easier to use ?

Edited by joe90
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  • 4 weeks later...

Bloody Hell, sulphur powder is something else!

 

Drilled the handle out 5mm. Of course the long series drill wasn't long enough.

 

Packed the drilled hole with sulphur powder. Tried heating the tang with the MAPP torch but it wasn't getting hot enough. Off to the BiLs and he got it to cherry red with the oxyacetylene.

 

Pushed it into the handle and there was much smoke, flames and gas as the tang burnt it's way in. The smoke cloud got under the visor of my 3M Bionic mask...what fun!

 

IMG_20210815_151912609.thumb.jpg.2301e5c0c154f925e7af7bd6f3385927.jpg

 

Tbh the original tang wasn't really long enough so I cleaned up an M5 bolt and the BiL gas welded it onto the tang.

 

IMG_20210815_151356374.thumb.jpg.ed64d1b5562b8eff09d8c7e4a3fb4165.jpg

 

Gave the tang a quick coat of cold galv:

 

IMG_20210815_151848953.thumb.jpg.64dc455f5b1047050ff9a2bae609dd3a.jpg

 

IMG_20210815_151923282.thumb.jpg.79bbaa27f9ed55f95b6401a122d31d8b.jpg

 

A washer and nyloc then cut the excess off.

 

IMG_20210815_152814433.thumb.jpg.26d9d6875f952d8dba6f74184ff464eb.jpg

 

 

Edited by Onoff
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