Re: Stupid masochists.
"After moving to the country my grandfather observed some men in the adjacent field using scythes. They didn't seem to be getting on too well so he asked them if he could have a look and told them the blades needed sharpening"
Soldiering on with a blunt scythe is pointless. I found that stopping every 3-4 metres (or more when doing something like brambles), giving the (rusty) blade a wipe down with a drop of oil and a whetstone worked a treat - nothing intensive, just four or so careful swipes with the stone and move on making sure to count your fingers each time. ;)
If you are selecting a scythe you should be looking to have the thing feel pretty much balanced (ie: NOT twisting in your grip) with the blade level with the ground along it's whole length, a bit of momentum and good balance goes a long way with a scythe, so don't be tempted to choose a lightweight poorly balanced scythe if you want to do real work with it. Quality scythes will have adjustable handles, once you've got them set correctly the scythe will feel like a natural extension of your arms.
In terms of the action most of the power should come from your arms & shoulders, so it should be a fairly smooth dragging motion keeping the blade level over the ground through the whole stroke, with just enough momentum to keep the scythe moving but not enough to cause you to strain to slow it down and bring it back for the next stroke. Take care not to "swing" the scythe because you won't cut evenly (if at all) and the chances are you'll do yourself an injury in the process.
Everything I know about scything stuff I discovered from trial, error and talking to an old geezer who used to mow hayfields with them - if folks know better I'd be interested to hear. :)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
