Make a Hay Rake Using Green Wood and Learn to Scythe

Event Details

* PLEASE READ ALL DETAILS FOR THIS WEEKEND WORKSHOP*

Saturday

Make an Ash Hay Rack Using Green Wood

With the resurgence of low impact biodiversity grass cutting practices, in particular the scything of grass and wildflower meadows, traditional ash rakes are making a comeback. Handmade ash rakes are light, well balanced and also a practical tool for general gardening tasks.

This workshop will show you how we make the teeth (or tines) by splitting a short ash or birch log using a froe into squares and knocking them through a special device called a tine cutter. A big part of getting the rake right is drilling all the holes for the tines. It’s a great exercise in teamwork, sighting for each other and working together to get them straight. The head of the rake will be split from a small ash log and shaved to shape using a drawknife on the traditional device called a shave horse. We will make a split-handle rake from a 6 feet long ash pole by shaving off the bark with a drawknife. And finally assemble the rake for you to take home.

Sunday

Learn the Traditional Method of Scything at The Cabrach Wildflower Meadow

The Cabrach Wildflower Meadow is part of the Cabrach Discovery Trail and was sown in 2022 to contribute to the biodiversity of Inverharroch and The Cabrach.

Using the traditional method of scything the meadow will be cut to enable a more precise and controlled way to manage the vegetation, allowing you to selectively cut specific areas while minimising disturbance to the soil and wildlife, compared to a standard lawnmower, which can be too aggressive and disrupt the delicate ecosystem of the meadow; additionally, scything can be considered a more environmentally friendly option as it requires no fuel or electricity.

During this conservation day you will learn from our expert tutors how to use a traditional scyth and how to best cut a meadow to ensure good results for biodiversity and wildlife.

If you sign up to both days you will be able to try out your own handmade hay rake as well as benefiting from a much reduced cost for the workshop.

A picnic lunch will be provided on Sunday.