Sick of inadequate tools - time to spend!!

[tyred]

Several years ago a neighbour of my mum's was cutting his large hedge with a pair of hand shears. He was about the age I am now; 71, I was 41 at the time. As I was using electric hedge cutters on my mum's hedge, I offered him their use. He politely declined, saying he preferred shears as it was 'very theraputic'. I thought silly old sod and carried on.
Thirty years on, I clean our brickweave drive by sitting on my backside using a very old kitchen knife and yard brush.
I often think of those wise words of my mum's neighbour when I'm doing this - !

I cut and trimmed it virtually all the hedges on my parents' acre farm by hand when I was between jobs in my early 20s, and I loved it. So at peace with the world and myself.

 

[Marchrider]

I cut and trimmed it virtually all the hedges on my parents' acre farm by hand when I was between jobs in my early 20s, and I loved it. So at peace with the world and myself.

I think it is incredible that if you go back to the late 1800s (and i'm not suggesting that was when you were in your 20s) all hedges were cut by hand, farm labourers in the winter would do it all with sickles and scythes. what absolutely brutal work it must have been

 

[gbb]

I think it is incredible that if you go back to the late 1800s (and i'm not suggesting that was when you were in your 20s) all hedges were cut by hand, farm labourers in the winter would do it all with sickles and scythes. what absolutely brutal work it must have been

I'm guessing one major difference would be the amount of labour to do it (ot any job on a farm)
In the late 60s when I was maybe 10, dad had us exploring some landscape around Lincoln. We found loads of clay pipe remains in a recently ploughed field. When I say loads, there really were lots, every step you could ind a piece of stem or bowl. I guess it tells you there would have been lots of labourers.
Same with ditch digging, etc etc.
No doubt they were probably a lot stronger than us nowadays all the same...

 

[Jameshow]

I'm guessing one major difference would be the amount of labour to do it (ot any job on a farm)
In the late 60s when I was maybe 10, dad had us exploring some landscape around Lincoln. We found loads of clay pipe remains in a recently ploughed field. When I say loads, there really were lots, every step you could ind a piece of stem or bowl. I guess it tells you there would have been lots of labourers.
Same with ditch digging, etc etc.
No doubt they were probably a lot stronger than us nowadays all the same...

Yes loads of long lost trades and jobs that were done by hand, top and bottom sawer etc etc.

 

[Time Waster]

Industrial revolution meant the mostly rural workforce moved to cities and towns to work. Agriculture was once the largest employer until the revolution. It goes to say how bad must agricultural labourer have once been that they would rather work in a dark, satanic cotton mill!!!!

 

[simongt]

It goes to say how bad must agricultural labourer have once been that they would rather work in a dark, satanic cotton mill!!!!

One advantage being that they were at least in the relative dry of a mill rather than being out 'in all weathers'.

 

[tyred]

I think it is incredible that if you go back to the late 1800s (and i'm not suggesting that was when you were in your 20s) all hedges were cut by hand, farm labourers in the winter would do it all with sickles and scythes. what absolutely brutal work it must have been

I may have cut them by hand but I did use a Fordson Dexta with a buckrake to move the cuttings.