American Scythe Mowing 

Thank you for not putting on background music and for not talking. Everything is perfectly self-explanatory.

1995: wow! the internet is great! Imagine the educational benefits! 2019: **drinking beer, watching guy cutting grass**

In the age of fourteen i've learned this technique of mowing from my grandpa. He has 3 cows. And we ve mowed the grass with the scythe to feed the cows. In the evening grandpa sharpen the scythe with a hammer, He tapped the cutting edge of the scythe. In the morning we both going and sharpened the Scythe and then we re mowing until 10 a.m. This memories are coming back when i see the young man with a Scythe... Long time ago, with a lot of good memories to my grandpa. In this time the life was beautyful and simple.

I never knew that a scythe could be used for all that close detail work. Nicely demonstrated.

We bought a scythe to work our land in the CA Central Coast region and it's been a revelation. No noise, very little effort to cut, and we feel much more connected to nature.

My Dad showed me how to do this about 50 years ago, he made it look easy. I had fun watching him. Your video shows good technique,

Every time I use or see a scythe I think of my grandfather, he was amazing . He tried to teach but I'll never equal his skill. I miss him.

My favorite part is the silence.

Awesome not hearing the lawn mower / hedge trimmer / leaf blower noises on a Sunday morning.

Any golfer watching, get a scythe and mow the land.... the best swing trainer ever!!! Mr. C. this is one of the most satisfiying videos you've posted. And, thanks for the sharpening tips of the scythe.

I have honestly never wanted to use one of those, until now.

My Opa had one of those and used to use it all the time when I was a kid. He was always pushing a wheelbarrow around digging up things, never stopped working unless it was Sunday and that was chess day for him and I. Now I'm a grown man and I realize how much i miss him, this channel reminds me of him.

As a young Boy I remember my mother using one of those. I also remember trying to use it many times. But, I was Was too short to get the right angle for it to work. Thanks, It brought back old memories. What I would give to see my mom doing this again.

Just got to using my wife's grandfather's old soviet era scythe recently, such a pleasurable way to mow.

Nicely done. I remember using a scythe at my grandparents ranch back in the day. I actually think them to be very efficient, you get into a groove and can meditate while you work. You both handle this tool very well. Great video as always.

The scythe is like a mower and trimmer all-in-one. It's amazing how such a large blade could be so delicate and detailed around obstacles and tight areas. This old school tool's got my attention!

Your videos have a simple beauty about them that I love. The sounds of nature and hard work are the only music you need. No lengthy verbal barrage to explain the process. Just sublime......

Folks ...As with Ashley demonstrating the use and her skill...and this gentleman here as well.... It is truly an art of power and human mechanics together as it once was ...we need to get back to these ways ....Our Earth depends on it. Great video ...Thanks.

My wife just purchased a scythe. It took her a few days to figure out the technique, but now she's enjoying mowing.

Mr. C, u are a genius at shooting and editing self explanatory videos. I’ve watched hrs of ur woodworking videos. All extremely well done. I appreciate your choice of no back round music, instead we hear sickle or chopping.

Thank you for the video! I love my scythe, and I'm glad to see another putting it to good use as well. Efficient tools that will give you work equal to the care you give them is so rare in this day.

There's a tall, bony guy dressed in a hooded black robe who's been following me around lately with one of those scythes. So you're sayin' he just wants to cut my grass?

My parents inherited an old antique scythe from my great grandfather when he passed that my grandfather told me had been handled by his grandfather. I've been wanting for years to restore it (as it's quite rusty and in need of a good sharpening. I've seen so many videos of people picking these old tools back up and using them, and it inspires me to do the same. :)

Thank you for creating videos that explain everything without saying a word. The subtle sounds of the birds and insects, or tools shaping their medium would be drowned out by a person's voice.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the videos that Mr. Chickadee and his wife have made, and the one thing that sticks out to me the most is that this man knows how to sharpen a blade! It's as if the grass (or wood) jumps out of the way to avoid being touched by the steel!

My brothers and I , when we were knee high, would follow Grandpa through the pastures as he scythe the grass growing under the electric fences. We pulled the grass around the posts. Thank you for taking me back....

Reading the comments I can't believe the people that want to make fun of someone that wants to work. I think the life style you have chosen is great. I grew up on a farm, and have used one but didn't have to. I enjoyed watching, just stay the course you have chosen.

Took one of these a few times in my canoe floating down our local river to mow down a campsite for our tents etc. Works like a damn. 👍😊

Here in the Netherlands they used to take a hammer with a curved top and a small anvil into the fields to sharpen their scythe. They flattened the edge with these tools until it became so thin that it started to be a bit wave like. Brilliant tool.

Currently live with a couple that've been Austrian scythes for more then 14 years... (In my conceited and never humble opinion) The Austrian style scythe is certainly the most graceful and smooth - yet slightly more robust then Falci's wonderful selection. The skill is learning to peen the blade more so then the scything itself. Religiously use my scythe for the last 5 years as a part of my life style. Weekly we take the trailer and scythe the roadside for feeding the goats, making compost and mulching trees. :) We need a homesteaders, regenerative agricultural, scyther's resurgence. Godspeed. Thank you for the video.

I see this in my recommended list, not paying too much attention, and think to myself," this looks pretty interesting." Lo and Behold, it's Mr. Chickadee! What a pleasant surprise. Relaxing, meditative, and instructional as always. Thank you.

Hello Mr. Chickadee, I am a great admirer of your work here in Brazil. I like to use the same types of techniques and use of primordial tools that shows us in your videos. CONGRATULATIONS!

Very relaxing and informative, took me back over 60 years when I started using the scythe. Wish I had been shown the proper way like you and the Mrs was using and the sharpening technique back then . It would have made my work easier. Thanks for sharing.

Enjoyable to watch on a Sunday morning. When my parents moved into their (current) house in the early 1970's their large (by UK standards) garden was very overgrown with waist high rough grass and weeds. As my Father only had a small push mower my mother asked her Great Uncle to cut the grass with his scythe and if memory serves right he did this for several years. This reminded me that I still have a scythe in the barn at my parent's house which I must rescue someday.

Thank you for showing the American version of the scythe lawm cutting 🙏

I love the repeated comment that this is "relaxing" to watch. Yeah, I love hard work too, I can watch it for hours...

The scythe gives the chickadees love handles a workout !

That looks more fun than painting Aunt Polly's fence! I wanna try. ;)

I liked the demonstration of precision, like around the sapling. Although I did laugh out loud with the wheelbarrow: I watched as you carefully mowed around it and then thought, "Why not move the wheelbarrow?" But there's No challenge in that!! 😁

so desperate to be outside I'm watching a guy mow by hand with a scythe... only in quarantine.

Beautiful. It dumps the cut at the end of each swing. When you come back in the other direction, you have two swathes piled in the middle. Then you roll the pile into a bale. You gave me my new word for the day: Snath, the shaft or handle of a scythe. Used in a sentence: I saw a fair maid a-mowing. When I asked her to show me her snath, her father ran me off with a shotgun. [Even my word checker misunderstood that.] ;^)

I like to keep my hand on the other side of the cutting edge when sharpening, but you got a pretty good solution to the problem. I got several rusted blades, and took them off the snath, and did rough edge angle shaping like Japanese sword sharpeners do, with the stone on a stand and moving the blade over the stone. One hand on each end of the blade, can bear down some, stone stays wet. There's a scene in "Big Rock Candy Mountain" by Wallace Stegner, where two brothers are mowing a 40 acre field, and they get in a competition, and one cuts the other accidentally. Father comes over and spits tobacco juice in the wound, ties it up, and gives the other a beating, but gets beaten back. The wound healed. Point being, it's not a tool for which to fool. I keep Yarrow around instead of tobacco.

As a kid years (decades) ago, I used a hand held sickle and cut grass and whatever. It was pretty easy to do as well. This brings back those memories. Thanks.

The sound of the blades of grass being cut is so soothing. I used one growing up .get into a hypnotic rythmatic motion going.and it covers some ground.

Old man down the road when I was a kid used to scythe his front lawn. Always looked great!

I've watched every video Y'all have made & every one is amazing. I once seen a man cut a section of grass with a scythe & beat a weed eater badly...even saw a farmer n Sweden that cuts his hay every year with a scythe. Love this video...scythes r more practical than weed eaters & not any more work either. Keep up the great videos!

That’s so relaxing to watch. I love the sound of the scythe cutting.

Nicely done! That snath looks to be a nice small-diameter Derby & Ball No.50, which I consider to be something of the gold standard in American snaths. They made a large number of variations of it over the years, and I think yours dates from the Derby, Ball, & Edwards era, so it's on the older side. Good job keeping the blade down and the edge sharp enough to cut with slow strokes. Your hand positioning is solid, as well--most folks want to hammer-fist the nibs rather than using the diagonal palm-braced hold that's proper.

Your my opposite Mr C as I like the efficency of machine tools etc but at the same time your my idol as you use the old tools in a totally perfect way.

One of these is now definitely on my wish list. The noise of mowers makes me INSANE! They are loud and smelly! To say nothing of the pollution! This was actually pleasant to listen to! And the amount of yard I have is enough for this but not too much.

Amazing. Can really see how the weed Wacker was inspired from the scythe

Nice vídeo, very relaxing

that looks so much more peaceful than a loud lawnmower and exhaust fumes

if more people lived like this the world would be a better place---your awsome

When your’re the grim reaper but your mum tells you to do chores.

Only you guys can make cutting grass look peaceful and fun.

Thumbs up for the intro bird call 👍

Was I just hypnotized?

Dang it now I want one 😂 I’ve been watching these type videos all morning!

I've been watching grass cutting vidoes some of them over and over case its satisfying

To many armchair haters . MR. C. You do great work don't let the few bad apples spoil your day. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

I have seen those. Have always Wonted one. And show people that it could be done without gasoline or electric devices. Thank goodness for you. I’m going to share.

Thank you for documenting this. So many great clips of how useful this amazing tool is.

I really like this video, quiet, soothing and shows quality work being done.

That's a sharp scythe, Mr. C.....hope your knees are still OK when you're 50 !

Nice to see someone that knows how to use it. Hate seeing people swing em like golf clubs. You're sharpening skills look as though they're on point. Great work.

The best exercise , it’s like swimming . Used to scythe a lot back in the 90x in Caucasus mountains,15% -30% grade slopes . You scythe all day drink airan ( you call yoghurt here in America ) mixed with mineral water that was coming out from the ground on my farm land . Best old days, nothing was more satisfying then scything season

In light of our diminishing insect life is this also the best way to avoid killing (more than by lawn mower) the same❣Plus, no separate trimmer required as it all can be done with this great tool! Thank you very much for your thoughtful consideration. All the best to you and your loved ones and happy holidays.

This will make a great BD gift for my wife. I'm pretty sure she'll like it.

i found an english scythe in my fathers spare room before he died. he told he he was going to throw it away. i immediately stole it from him. ive used an austrian in training, and its such an amazing experience. ill never go back to a push mower again

Thank you for this video. The tranquility it imbues to the viewer.

Would not have thought it worked that well, thanks

Seems more like shaving the lawn than cutting it. I'll shave my lawn!

I mow regularly with a scythe, if done right it is just as fast as mowing with a modern 5 hp briggs & stratton petrol mower. But waaaaaay quieter and meditative work. Great Video.

Watching this as the neighbors noisily mow their lawn...

Yes, most effective but lots of labor. Stay awesome Mr. and Mrs. Chickadee.

Why do I keep watching these videos cause how oddly satisfying this is to watch grass get sliced

I feel like I traveled back in time 100-120 years...I love it :) edit: I also love the ASMR aspect of this video.

I wish you guys were my neighbors. Mine gets his loud mower out all the time!

That is pretty dang cool. I’m sick of lawn mowers that won’t run from one cut to the next without breaking down taking up room in the garage and the time wasted hauling them to the shop when I could just get one of these and burn calories instead of gasoline.

Lived on a small farm growing up. I used to help my dad mow fresh grass for the cow with the scythe.

Great video! Love his style. The young lady did a great job.

The scythe or also known as pruner, dalle or dalla is an agricultural tool composed of a curved blade skewered on a stick, used to mow grass, fodder for cattle or cereals. The arrival of mechanical means has led to disuse in developed countries, although it survives in many rural areas and mowing championships are held in areas such as Cantabria, Asturias and the Basque Country. At first glance it could be said that this element is useless today. But for years it was one of the most useful tools in the world by allowing us to cut weeds and sow cereals. In one day, a single worker could weed large areas. This instrument seems simple to manufacture but it had to be built according to quite precise rules so that its use produced good results. The scythe consists of a blade and a handle. The blade has the shape of a large radius arc, which extends in a pointed way through the free end. It was also used as a weapon in numerous rebellions. The first version of the scythe is about 5,000 years old. Only in the 12th century, European farmers created a version more similar to the current one. Thank you

Use a round stone for sharpening, easand lighter than a strimmer, quieter, no pollution, and keeps you fit. Nothing like a good scythe! Well done.

I have actually used a scythe in just that way. Its actually pretty efficient. Also quiet, non-stinky, and it doesn't scare bird and other varmints away!😊

My grandfather dies of old age in 1965, but I was told that in his day he could swing a scythe efficiently. Everything he cut fell the same way, making it easy to pick up. I had a brush scythe in 1985 and cleared land with it.

It’s amazing how fast that tool clears land.

Never knew one of those could work so good! Plus you have to know how to use it! Thank you Mr. C.

That is so amazing! I learned so much from watching this. This will be a much better to clean up my back yard's weeds.

Awesome core workout. I astounded the neighbors years ago by using a sling-blade at a house I was renting, but I've never tried a true scythe. Looks like it needs to be razor-sharp, judging from your video. Thanks for sharing.

This looks like it would relax your soul.

That thing is stupid sharp... Damn.

this is the 2nd scythe mowing video ive seen in my recommendations in a week

I admit the horn for your stone was amazing.

Imagine doing this in a neighborhood in huntington beach.

I now have 2 snaths and 3 blades for various types of jobs. It's such a relaxing occupation compared to mowing with gas or electric engines - almost like a walking meditation. My flock of ducks and geese like to follow me as I mow. Yours is an unusual blade to my eyes, but it looks like a good one for grass.

I like your little chestnut starts.

Now that is a right sharp scythe. Now get ya a "bull rake" to gather it all up.

So relaxing and surprisingly challenging work the scythe.

Here is where I’d have to go modern, when I’m out in the yard mowing like a Pink Floyd learning to fly video, heck I’d even push mow lol