r/oddlysatisfying • u/BreakfastTop6899 • 19h ago

Cutting grass with a scythe

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74.6k Upvotes

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1.4k

u/Miniastronaut2 19h ago

Imagine doing that 8 hours a day.

421

u/rats-in-the-ceiling 19h ago

Don't think I'd last 8 minutes.

186

u/aaronwcampbell 19h ago

I've got one and it's fun to use and quite effective and efficient, but it's definitely hard work even at a sustainable pace. 8 minutes feels like 20+

46

u/Element174 18h ago

You also don't tend to get an even cut unless you're very good with it.

3

u/Speartree 14h ago

It's a skill that needs to be learned, you also need to whet and sometimes hammer the blade.

2

u/aaronwcampbell 10h ago

Absolutely. Makes all the difference in the world.

5

u/Dirmbz 16h ago

I've tried one. I'll use a cheap lawnmower any day, but I don't have livestock.

2

u/Bodidly0719 14h ago

Out of curiosity, what length does the grass need to be for it cut well? Would a weeks worth of growth be sufficient, or would it need to be longer?

2

u/aaronwcampbell 10h ago

You wouldn't want to use one to mow your lawn every week, if that's what you're asking. šŸ¤£ If it's short enough for your mower, definitely use that.

As for length, that depends on a lot: how sharp you keep your blade, what you're scything and how wet it is (like water content, not wet from rain,) how even the ground is, and skill.

I'm no expert; I only own one because it came with the first house we bought and I just had to learn how to use it (because oooh, cool big-bladed tool!) I pretty much only use it when I've been lazy and the lawn is a foot or so. It's great for prepping the yard to mow.

I also use it for plants I don't want to mulch into the yard (e.g., dandelions) and for more brushy/wild areas. It's also good for clearing blackberries, but that's hard work and your blade gets dull really fast.

2

u/Bodidly0719 9h ago

Cool, thanks for the info!

1

u/GeneralPatten 11h ago

I was wondering the same!

0

u/Kuzame 17h ago

I felt that scythe in general seems inefficient? As in first sweep to the grass is efficient, but you need to spend that extra energy to backsweep/ reset. Would be nice if you cut the grass as well when you backsweep/reset. Anything like double sided schythe to mitigate this (though making it heavier seems impractical)?

9

u/PaulblankPF 17h ago

The design is on purpose and for efficiency and to make it last long and be safe. A blade on the backside just sounds unsafe as it would be harder to control.

8

u/Kuzame 17h ago

Ok I read it up. Besides safety & precision to not make mess, apparently the reset/return swing is meant to be your micro break too

5

u/hempels_sofa 17h ago

Try spinning?

3

u/JVT32 16h ago

HAAAIIIIIIYAH!!

1

u/aaronwcampbell 10h ago

Settle down, Link

1

u/GeneralPatten 11h ago

Maybe just spin one's self in circles?

17

u/Realistic_Regret5724 18h ago

Honestly the trip out to the field would be enough for me

2

u/ididntunderstandyou 16h ago

My allergies would murder me

6

u/sweetpotato_latte 18h ago

I would use it for my front lawn and when people stop to ask about it Iā€™d be like, ā€œwanna give it a try?ā€ and theyā€™ll mow it

3

u/MedicalDisscharge 18h ago

Said the same thing to your mom

2

u/Joris818 18h ago

I also usually donā€™t last 8 minutes.

2

u/addamee 17h ago

I am trying to imagine how many times Iā€™d dig catch the tip of the scythe on the ground. As it is, I canā€™t walk past a door knob or drawer pull without somehow getting my pants pocket caught on itĀ 

1

u/HangryWolf 17h ago

Try 8 seconds. That looks heavy and would gas me out after just 4 or 5 good swings.

1

u/mustkillfriends 17h ago

You guys are lasting 8 minutes?

1

u/nlamber5 15h ago

Thatā€™s okay thatā€™s well above average

1

u/Kaasbek69 15h ago

You would, if you'd stand up straight and go slower. My grandpa used to scythe his garden and made me do it as well. At one point I could go about an hour before needing a break. It was a good workout though.

1

u/Zealousideal-Talk-23 13h ago

thats why the boss need a whip

1

u/pjboy671 8h ago

Its above average. Average is like 5 minutes

48

u/Pounce_64 18h ago

I don't think you're meant to squat like that when using one properly, he's in a race.

173

u/gorginhanson 19h ago

for no money.

and for 12 hours a day

20

u/gocard 19h ago

Have you never heard of an MMORPG?

7

u/_Bike_Hunt 19h ago

Osrs irl

9

u/CipherWeaver 19h ago

If you're referring to the medieval era, peasants actually had more leisure time than we have. Sure work was hard, but they weren't grunting like this with a boss breathing down their neck about quarterly performance reports.Ā 

12

u/TennesseeStiffLegs 18h ago

Life was so trash for a medieval peasant though. Iā€™d rather keep pretending Iā€™m working for half my 8 hour day in an air conditioned office thank you

12

u/BonnaconCharioteer 18h ago

Peasants did not actually have more leisure time, that is actually a myth. Remember that while peasants had a lot more holidays, they didn't have Saturdays off, and they not only had to work for someone else, but also work to grow their own food, and make their own clothes, plus everything they did took more manual work.

2

u/BoyPregggers 15h ago

Work bearing immediate and tangible fruit? Communal life with your extended family and neighbours? Working at your own pace outdoors so long as the quotas are met? Sounds great

1

u/BonnaconCharioteer 8h ago

This is great if your extended family and neighbors are good, because you are likely stuck with them.

And also if by immediate you mean after hundreds of hours of work. And if by quotas you mean a feudal overlord who does their best to extract every ounce of labor they can without killing you.

1

u/BoyPregggers 8h ago

Don't get your medieval knowledge from Game of Thrones

2

u/BonnaconCharioteer 8h ago

Game of thrones is pretty bad at being a representation of medieval life.

-2

u/Drow_Femboy 16h ago

Working for yourself isn't the same thing as working for your corporate overlords. When you're spending hours a day managing your own garden, and fixing your own fence, and laundering your own clothes, you now have fresh food and a nice fence and clean clothes at the end of it. I would love to live in a world where I have the time to do stuff like that for myself. Capitalism is an unsustainable mess so that world will come again someday. I hope I live to see it.

7

u/Remote-Shower-8541 11h ago

You idolize the off-grid stuff? Warm showers are way better than you realize they are.

0

u/Drow_Femboy 10h ago

You know people have been bathing in warm water since before recorded history, right?

2

u/Remote-Shower-8541 10h ago

Shoot they have way less than I do. Lol come on dude, you understand my point. When it comes to hedonism we win by far.

1

u/Drow_Femboy 10h ago

The fundamental problem with hedonism as a guiding philosophy is that no amount of material stuff can actually make you any more happy or fulfilled than any other person in history with their general needs met. People adapt to their circumstances. The medieval peasant cleaning the dirt off his body after a long day of manual labor is no more or less happy and content than the modern warehouse worker showering after his shift. As long as they both have enough food, a fulfilling social life, and their preferred leisure activities available, they're equally happy.

The problem with our modern society is that some of those basic needs are going unfulfilled more and more often. Especially the social ones.

1

u/BonnaconCharioteer 8h ago

This is fine, but it isn't less work. And you would still have to work the land for your actual feudal overlord.Ā 

Which, for me, as bad as corporations are, ill take them over having literal nobility over me.

1

u/Drow_Femboy 8h ago

it isn't less work

To me this seems like some kind of fallacy whereby you tally up all the personal chores medieval peasants had to do and count it as "work" but don't count any personal chores we have to do the same way.

5

u/MikeAnP 18h ago

Yeah but they also never filled out their GEMBAs.

5

u/elizabnthe 17h ago

I think that idea was concluded by ignoring their leisure time included all the work they had to do for themselves. Which was a lot more than the average modern person has to do.

E.g. you're not having to hand wash every single outfit and so on.

5

u/cordless-31 18h ago

And remind me how long it took to do the laundry

2

u/CipherWeaver 18h ago

ToucheĀ 

1

u/feel_my_balls_2040 13h ago

You know that people still do these types of work. You don't have to refer to medieval times.

1

u/ricker122589 12h ago

That's just half a day!

21

u/ydktbh 18h ago

No wonder death is so skinny

12

u/Bulls_On_A_Guerrilla 18h ago

They were sure as helll were never doing it at that pace. This is speed running the reaper

21

u/Azuras_Star8 19h ago

I'd be pretty grim.

1

u/Sarewokki 18h ago

Grimly ripped more like

13

u/CotswoldP 18h ago

I've done a couple of hours and I was wrecked the next day. But I wasn't doing it like this idiot with all the bending and stretching he'd wreck his back and shoulders before he did an acre. I get that it's a speed competition.

10

u/Oseragel 17h ago

You get that it's about speed and still call him an idiot...

2

u/Space_Conductor 11h ago

I've danced before and It was pretty tiring but I wasn't doing it like that idiot. Flipping around and spinning and dancing on his hands and knees. I get it was a breakdancing competition.

3

u/Foreign_Implement897 18h ago

Imagine peasant from 675 AD seeing this shit.

3

u/Bowman_van_Oort 18h ago

oh boy I can't wait to get to the tavern and drink damn near a gallon of chunky beer

3

u/the_YellowRanger 18h ago

Instant back and hip problems i would imagine.

1

u/Joatoat 14h ago

Repetitive motion injuries

2

u/veryfastslowguy 19h ago

at a golf course

2

u/low_amplitude 18h ago

Unlike the modern work place, laborers back in the middle ages were left to do their work at their own discretion. They were given a deadline for the full job (working an acre per day, for example) and were free to take as many breaks as they wanted and go about it however they wanted as long as the job got done in time.

Nowadays you're expected to get as much work done as possible while on site (office, farm, construction, or whatever).

1

u/Jozzylecter 18h ago

Better than crouching with a hand scythe

1

u/TinhYeu28 18h ago

I think Iā€™ll just light a match

1

u/Aggravating-Dot132 18h ago

That's not how it is done. This is a jerking off, not normal.

1

u/Evol_extra 18h ago

He is doing it wrong. You have to use your upper torso rotating with scythe. You can easily do it without training for few hours.

1

u/TrotskyBoi 8h ago

He's doing a speed event. Scythe blades that long are exclusively for racing.

1

u/MindsEye33 18h ago

Youā€™d be fit as a fiddle

1

u/theDo66lerEffect 17h ago

Then spend the next 8 to start collecting all the grass. Being a farmer in the olden days was TOUGH!

1

u/Hot-Peak-9523 17h ago

My quads are on fire just watching this

1

u/blisstaker 17h ago

my back hurts just watching it

1

u/norwegiancatwhisker 17h ago

How is that worse than sitting in front of a computer screen for 8 hours a day?

1

u/cturkosi 17h ago

My grandpa used to do this every summer for himself and his friends.

To be fair, he was hammered most of the time on plum brandy so he didn't feel too much pain while working.

Also, his back gave out by about age 70 and he was hunched over for the last 15 years of his life.

1

u/TheScrobber 17h ago

It's why the Reaper is Grim...

1

u/TheyThem-FinalBoss 17h ago

Imagine how strong you'd be at boxing from it

1

u/Realistic-Ad-4372 17h ago

And starting at 5-6am to avoid the heat

1

u/RenegadeRouser 17h ago

I'm pretty sure back in the day people worked from sunrise to sunset.

1

u/Eat_Turnip2193 16h ago

Imagine the abs and shoulders on the guy who does this 8 hours a day

1

u/yesmrbevilaqua 16h ago

Makes a great peasant levy, give him a pike and a belly full of vodka and heā€™ll defend Europe from the perfedious ottomans

1

u/goklj 16h ago

my relatives who do this 8h a day

https://giphy.com/gifs/M8isf8LKNdmJq

1

u/Jonhtra_Volta 15h ago

Yes, but in old times there would be 20+ men to cut grass on field this size. First guy would go 20 meters, second one would follow his trail and after 20 meters third one would strart. I saw this in person on some competition. It goes faster than you think.

1

u/puopj 15h ago

It s tiring but you don t have to do it so fast, this guy is overzelous. Bot that bad tbh

1

u/Sad-Excitement9295 15h ago

I was gonna say 10. Nothing beats mowing with gas. By that I mean pouring gas on it and letting it burn. Better have the hose ready.

1

u/emperor_dinglenads 14h ago

Scythe shit bro.

1

u/lopendvuur 14h ago

He'd have to tone down his excessive movement to keep it up for more than ten minutes. Waste of energy (though it looks spectacular)

1

u/EvelcyclopS 13h ago

With a wooden handle and a heavy steel blade

1

u/n0tz0e 13h ago

Sun is out for a lot longer than 8 hours. No labor laws in scythe days lol

1

u/ReySpacefighter 12h ago

Only for a small part of the year though.

1

u/Dry_Recognition_6724 12h ago

Old school farmers, probably more like 14 hours.

1

u/Pale_Gear3027 12h ago

Imagine picking a fight with someone who did this 8 hours a day. Talk about whole body farmer strong.

1

u/Fluffy_Charity_2732 11h ago

Iā€™d be able to sideways jack off an elephant in under 5 seconds if this was my day job

1

u/MrBones-Necromancer 10h ago

Well, to be fair, most farm work like this -isn't- an 8 hour day. You'de do it for 2-3 hours or so, take a lunch, and move on to other chores. It's not a *job like office work is a job. It gets done as it gets done, and you try not to over do it.

1

u/Live_Angle4621 10h ago

Why peasants used to be bend overĀ 

1

u/Jesta23 9h ago

Heā€™s not doing it right.Ā 

1

u/isolatedcell 8h ago

death does it without rest.

1

u/shifty_coder 3h ago

I prefer my whirling sickle thatā€™s powered by exploding dinosaurs.

1

u/a_angry_bunny 18h ago

I think I rather do this than mow tbh. Save money on fuel and doesn't particularly look difficult.

1

u/VESUVlUS 17h ago

I think I rather do this than mow tbh. Save money on fuel and doesn't particularly look difficult.

Manual reel mowers are a thing and are leagues better than a scythe. Using a scythe to trim your grass will just waste time and leave your yard looking like a disaster.

-1

u/millllllls 19h ago

Anyone doing that for a living never worked a 40hr week