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I am often asked if one can mow a lawn with a scythe. Sure you can! Most people scythe a lawn by pressing down on the blade and taking a full scythe stroke, and often end up scalping the lawn. Whenever possible, I prefer to lift my blade slightly, and leave a higher stubble. It's better for the lawn. With a super sharp blade and the lush juicy grass, like the lawn in the video below, I can keep the blade an inch or two above the ground. This requires more of a short, trimming stroke, so this technique is better for small areas. For larger areas, I would use a long hook-nosed blade, and add a wedge between the tang and the snath, in order to raise the cutting edge, above the ground more. See my blog post on wedges. For more tips on scything a lawn see: https://onescytherevolution.com/blog/any-tips-for-using-a-scythe-to-mow-a-lawn
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The personal matter that absorbed Levin during his conversation with his brother was this. Once in a previous year he had gone to look at the mowing, and being made very angry by the bailiff he had recourse to his favorite means for regaining his temper,--he took a scythe from a peasant and began mowing. The farm where my ducks are at, needed me to come over and mow the duck pens. A perfect opportunity for me to field test the first prototype of the new 1SR snath, that I am having developed . I'm mowing with a brand new 65cm "Gartensense" grass blade, triple-peened and sharp right out of the box. I forgot my hay rake, so at 1:45 I am spreading out the windrows with my scythe. Test results? Excellent strength, balance, control, dexterity, and direct transfer of power!  As you can imagine, on my scythe-based farm, I don't use roto-tillers either. I have heavy clay soil here. If I need to work the soil under a mulched garden bed, I use the tools pictured on the right. First, I remove the mulch. Then I sprinkle on soil amendments (minerals, bio-char and compost.) Next, I loosen the bed with my Gulland Forge broadfork. Then I use the Japanese garden knife to dig out any deep rooted weeds, like thistles, dandelion, and burdock. I then work the amendments into the soil with a 3-tine cultivator. I like this Swiss made one from Johnnies. Next, I rake the bed smooth for the seeds with a garden rake with short teeth.
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