Scythe blades, whetstones, snaths and peening jig – best quality

International shipping

Shipping a scythe or two within EU around 40 Euros and outside EU about 100 euros. You can see exact cost for your country in the shopping cart. Payment with credit card.

If your country not is available in the list, or if you need any help with your order, please contact us at
info@slattergubben.se
0046 738-322559

The Nordic snath as well as our optimized peening jigs are exclusive to Slåttergubben and are not available anywhere else.

1. Choose a snath. (Quick selection: Nordic or Austrian based on your height in cm).

Nordic, which we manufacture ourselves according to our own design, is the coolest and most ergonomic snath you can buy. But you should know that the Austrian snaths are also really good - easy to adjust, walk straight with, and no chafing on the forearm.

Eastern Europe snath we provide for people who are used to that type of snath - they are most suitable together with long blades and long grass on even ground. Preferably used with a mowing style where the blade is lifted before and at the end of the stroke (Eastern europe -style). 

Customer Reviews

I just want to express my gratitude.

In my younger days, I injured my neck, which unfortunately limits what I can do. I never thought I would be able to work with a scythe and ended up getting a heavy-duty brush cutter/grass trimmer. For some reason, which I can't recall, I came across one of your videos and became curious. I quickly realized that my old scythe was too short, dull, at the wrong angle, and on top of that, my technique was poor. I started watching your videos and discovered that when I positioned myself correctly, I could mow without experiencing too much pain afterward—what a joy!

This summer, I made up my mind and ordered the complete scythe package from you. Throughout the summer, the Hartstahl 65 has been in constant use. Watching videos, peening, watching videos, sharpening, mowing, practicing, and so on. I'm involved in the community where I live and have mowed a small meadow and several roadside edges. Today, I was out mowing a section of the yard where we have late-blooming flowers. What a delight to be able to do a job quickly and silently while also soothing the soul. Wonderful!

So, thank you for your dedication, your fantastic videos, and the great products you sell.
/Niklas

Yes, one certainly longs for the season to begin! I don't use the scythe professionally yet, unfortunately, but a lot at home. :-) I have completely replaced the lawnmower/trimmer with the scythe and partly converted grass into meadows (which our beekeeping appreciates), but I maintain an area of about 800 square meters of semi-tall grass. The clippings serve as a supplement for the chickens and rabbit feed, as well as compost for the garden. It works brilliantly, and you can skip going to the gym :-) /Anton

Just wanted to say: What a beautiful Nordic scythe standing here in the apartment, waiting to be used in the summer up in Northern Sweden! It's truly a work of art: beautiful, very comfortable to hold, and smells great. The different carved grips feel wonderful in the hand. I find new favorites every time I test swing it here in my living room. Longing for summer. /Daniel

Scythe blades from Austrian Fux guarantee the highest quality. We recommend a 65cm blade as a base. The curved blade is easier to peen if you're not accustomed to handling a hammer. If you want to try two blades, a Hartstahl 65cm + a hooknosed 75cm is a great combination! A 50cm curved blade is best for children and the elderly. The taller and more enduring you are, and the flatter the terrain and sparser the grass you're going to mow, the more justified it is to use longer blades like 75cm or even 85cm. Our 120cm blade is for mowing competitions. The curved grass blade has slightly less weight, is better on smoother ground, and is easier to make deep but not too wide strokes with.

Are you looking for a bush scythe? Hartstahl 50cm! NOTE: We think "bush scythe" is not a very good idea. Why? You can find out in this YouTube video! And what you should preferably do with bushes here! And another video on how to restore a meadow from overgrown land here with the right tools.

WARNING: Grinding blades cannot be peened. ALL old scythes found in sheds and houses in Sweden are grinding blades. Sharpening them requires tremendous skill and a good grinding stone! Unfortunately, the scythe blades sold today in regular bulk purchases and garden stores are of poor quality for both peening and sharpening, and the staff doesn't know how to use them. It's a bit like going to a toy store to invest in a family car.

Please note: To sharpen a scythe blade, the wetstone must have this shape. Other wetstones of similar shape may work decently, but we highly recommend these superb wetstones!

Sharpening is done frequently, approximately every other minute. If it sounds like a lot, think about professional hockey players on the rink for 45 seconds before they switch out!

The wetstones should be wet and easily accessible, which is why you shall have a wetstone holder for each wetstone that hangs on your belt or waistband.

You can think of a coarser wetstone as always making the blade sharp. Generally, use it a few times right after peening and towards the end of the blade's lifespan before peening again. In between, use the fine or medium grit wetstone to prevent excessive wear on the edge. Normally, professionals perform around 80-90% of the honings with the finer grit wetstone.

We recommend having two wetstones that complement each other. If you use the scythe sparingly, you can manage with either a coarse or medium grit wetstone.

Having two wetstones is helpful in case one breaks while waiting for a replacement!

Coarse Grit: Removes slightly more material when needed, usually right after peening and a while before the next peening. It always makes the blade sharp, although it wears down the edge a bit more quickly, requiring more frequent peening. This grit is not suitable for repairing stone damage as it is soft and removes a lot of metal. Be cautious as this wetstone can easily break if dropped.

Medium Grit: A durable synthetic wetstone with very hard crystals that easily works on all types of scythe blades (including grinding blades). It is lightweight and slim, removing a lot of material if applied with force and less if used gently. It wears down the edge significantly but is resilient when repairing stone damage.

Fine Grit: A lightweight and slim wetstone that provides a very fine edge. It should never be used as the sole wetstone but as a complementary wetstone to the coarse or medium grit. Causes minimal wear on the edge demands you to ensure that you achieve a true sharpness. This option is for those who enjoy the challenge of maximizing the time between peening and want to repair stone damage without significant edge wear from the wetstone.

Possible combinations:
Coarse + medium - suitable for beginners and those who don't use the scythe extensively and don't expect many instances of stone damage.
Coarse + fine - suitable for beginners and those who expect significant amount of stone damages.
Medium + fine - best for those aiming to refine their sharpening skills to perfection and encounter frequent stone damage.

And one wetstone holder per wetstone! If you purchase two wetstones, each should have its own holder hanging from your belt. Learn how to sharpen and repair stone damage in this video!

New blades need peening, and then peening again and again when the edge becomes dull. Peen the scythe 1-2 times per day for full-day work. During peening, the steel is hardened and the edge attains the right hardness for sharpening. Material is "drawn" from within the scythe and thinned out towards the edge, so when you peen it, the scythe becomes "wider" again. Compared to grinding blades where material is removed, this method has several advantages: it is much easier to learn, requires no electricity, no expensive grinding stone, high-quality peening blades are readily available, it is easy to carry the equipment in the field, blades have a very long lifespan, it is easier to repair stone damages, and it is much easier to maintain sharpness and sharpen on the relatively thin edge! Watch a video about the advantages of peening scythes here!

You need to have a peening jig (or a vise). Watch our video about peening with a jig here. You can make or buy a peening stump or peening pony to hold the jig. Click on the stump below for more information on how to choose the height and build one yourself.

The hammer we sell is specially designed for scythe peening and is perfectly balanced in the hand. If you have a hammer with a short and evenly thick handle - a blacksmith hammer, you can use it. The handle should be evenly thick because the hand is usually held in the middle of the handle. The hammerhead should weigh at least 500g (up to 800g). Ordinary carpenter hammers are too light and have long handles that can get in the way.

Finally, we can present a jig with caps that have been ground for the best possible user experience. They are now much easier to work with, both for beginners and professionals. During 2020-2021, I really delved into the grinding phase of the jig caps - the part that strikes the blade. I manually reshaped cap after cap to find the best shape. The final phase was done in close collaboration with a precision engineering industry here in Linköping. The result is a more expensive jig, but we know that each cap meets our high performance standards to the fullest. The result is in anoter division compared to the original grinding.

One of each cap is, of course, included when you purchase a jig. After many peenings, especially the golden cap, tends to wear out, and it's time for a new one. It can also chip away at the bottom with careless handling, rendering them unusable. There have even been cases where the entire cap cracked right through. The golden cap is much more sensitive as it has a steeper angle - so it is not a bad idea to buy one extra to have in case of emergency! 

These are, of course, our specially sharpened, very easy-to-peen caps! If you have old versions, consider replacing and renewing them! It can become more magical than you think.

Also, dare to try sharpening and repairing worn caps with a really sharp file or an angle grinder with a grinding wheel; the result can be really good!

Do you want to trade in your old caps for our specially designed ones that make peening easier than ever? We will send you reground caps upon receiving your order, and then you can return the old ones. You are responsible for the return shipping cost.

The caps you send us must not have cracks or chips that have come off - they are considered garbage if that is the case.

We have some candy for you who are into snath-making. 

There will be a lot of grass after mowing with a scythe. The grass can be used as cover kropping, agriculture food, or just be placed in a large grass compost, which after a few years generates excellent compost soil! The big film about raking is on the way. At Slåttergubben we use hay forks, leaf rakes and 3x5m tarps when moving the grass away from the medows. Here are a couple of videos on how we tune these tools to get the best performance when raking meadows!