Scythe Supply - Book Store

Welcome to ScytheSupply's Bookstore. Here you will find publications that we enjoy and find useful. We welcome suggestions.

Fences, Gates and Bridges: A Practical Manual
by George A. Martin
Alan C. Hood & Company, Inc.
188 pages, paperback.

Fence it in. Fence it out. Surround, protect or decorate. This practical manual originally written in 1887 and published again in 1992, 105 yrs. later, shines as a trusty resource for simple to complicated fence building. Rail, sod, board, picket even barbed wire fences are all here. Plus the gates, fastenings, wickets and stiles needed for getting in & out & up & over are all here. This useful book will come in handy when there’s errant livestock to keep in or hungry wildlife to keep out. For vegetable and flower growing a section of a fence may be just what the climbing vines of sweet & edible peas, morning glories, cukes, gourds and beans need to stretch and display their growth.
The clear pen & ink drawings from another century are appropriate for any era. The copy is straight forward and clear.
If you don’t have a fence or gate before reading this book, you just may come up with a reason to have these additions to your landscape. Then you will need to mow around the structures with a scythe! order #1010 - $12

Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn
by Hannah Holmes
Bloomsbury
245 pages, paperback.

The lawn, that green patch of mowed vegetation which embraces and enslaves us in the never ending cycle of mow-grow-mow. Hannah Holmes explores this complex world teeming with life from season to season right beyond our dooryard. Whether your lawn is trimmed with a push reel mower, 20 hp yard tractor or a scythe, this delightfully informative book will enlighten you as to who really controls your front and back yards.
order #1015 - $13.00

The Ax Book
by Dudley Cook
Illustrated by S. Lawrence Whipple
Alan C. Hood & Company, Inc.
134 pages, paperback

I've used an ax a lot since I was a kid (trust me, that's a long time) but The Ax Book has given me ideas I never would have thought of. This is perfect book for the novice or the experienced woodsman. If an ax can do it, or shouldn't do it, I think it must be covered here - types, selection, safety, sharpening, felling, bucking, splitting, making and hafting a new handle, and if you have a woodlot how to get the most out of it and keep it productive. Cook even explains how to stack and store your firewood. There are several excellent chapters on felling and bucking with bucksaw and crosscut saws and sharpening ,too, for those of you who want to forgo the ear splitting, whirling chainsaw. For those who use one that wild beast is covered here, too. Clearly written, everyday prose is supported by scads of detailed, Eric Sloane type drawings which alone make this book worth owning. order #1005 - $20

Field Guide to the Grasses, Sedges and Rushes of the United States
by Edward Knobel
Dover Publications, 1980.
83 pages, paperback.

Know what you mow – wild or cultivated, common or not-so-common. Here is a wonderfully clear, concise guide to over 370 species of grasses, rushes and sedges of the United States Each entry includes the common and botanical name of the species -its habitat, height, color, description and a line drawing of plant and spikelet. A book for the mower, the grower, the amateur botanist, or anyone who simply wants to know the grasses.

The Scythe Book (2nd edition)
by David Tresemer and Peter Vido
Alan C. Hood & Company, Inc.
208 pages, paperback

This second edition released in May 2001 has all of Dave Tresemer's original text plus an addendum by Peter Vido. The combined writings of the authors gives us the insight and the instruction that will make this tool sing. This is a must-have book for scythe enthusiasts. Reviews at Amazon

Peening the European Scythe DVD/VHS - 30 minutes

Scythe Supply’s Peening video demonstrates peening with a Peening Jig, Freehand Peening with a Hammer and Wide Faced Anvil, a Hammer and a Narrow Faced Anvil and Stoning the Edge. The video also includes a chapter on Simple Repairs. Nothing too fancy, just the basics.

The video is a look at the principles of peening, clearly explained and demonstrated by ScytheSupply staff. This 30 minute video, broken into easily accessible chapters allows you to pick and choose the sections you want to concentrate on. We recommend watching it in full at least once to get a feel for the whole range of peening techniques described.

Peening appears daunting to the inexperienced. The process uses hammer blows to shape the blade’s edge and draw it out thin. The fear of striking the delicate cutting edge of a finely handcrafted blade with a hammer is hard to overcome. But peening is essential to creating and maintaining the sharp edge required for mowing. Peening is more art than science and our video will help you master that art.

Used in conjunction with the corresponding chapters in “The Scythe Book” and pages on our website you will have an excellent understanding of peening a European style scythe blade.

View the trailer! high-res (broadband) - low-res (dial-up)

Available as both VHS and DVD:

order #8004 - $25.00 (VHS)
order #8005 - $25.00 (DVD)

Using and Maintaining The European Scythe Video
by Elliot Fishbein
VHS. 15 minutes runtime

As he explains the use of the European Scythe, Elliot covers the basics of set up, sharpening and mowing in this easy to understand guide. His step by step instructions will increase your success and enjoyment of mowing.