First let's start with how NOT to mow with a scythe.

I hope Enne doesn't mind, but this video is such a typical example of how most people instinctively swing a scythe, that I would like to utilize it for educational purposes. Most beginners swing the scythe through the air, and slash and hack at the tall grass and weeds, just like in the above video. This would be fine with a primitive scythe, like the Japanese scythe (more of a long handled sickle), but with the more sophisticated Austrian scythe that she is using here, she is wasting a lot of energy, and could very easily damage the thin metal edge of her blade. The Austrian scythe is a very sophisticated mowing tool. I say it over and over again; the Austrian scythe blade has 3 curves. The slashing and hacking that most people want to do with a scythe, would only require one curve: the crescent shape. The Austrian scythe blade has three curves for a reason. Form = Function. The three curves (which I call the crescent, the rocker, and the belly) enables the blade to slide over the ground, without the tip or the cutting edge, hitting the dirt. The rocker enables the blade to slide over the ground, without tip digging into the dirt. The belly enables the cutting edge to stay off the ground, when it's sliding forward on its belly.

The Jolly Scythers of New Zealand have created some very nice videos for beginners on how to set up their scythe. Our wooden Swiss snaths are the same as in these videos.