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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

>  He grew up  
> on an Amish farm in LanCo so is familiar with using a scythe and a sickle, 
> but 
> he heard that there's a "trick" to using the grain cradle...Anyone ever 
> used 
> one???
> 

Again, the resident Luddite has.   It's a little different than a scythe.

The thing most people do wrong with is scythe is to loft it.  For cutting 
grass the heel stays on the ground with with the side away from the cutting 
edge 
no more than an inch high and parallel to the ground.   As the scythe is 
moved 
in its arc, the grass is being pushed up by the angle of the blade and since 
it (the grass) is anchored to the ground, the blade has a positve cut.  At 
the 
end of the arc, the blade is left  in the same position, heel on the ground, 
back edge of the blade parallel and close to the ground, and swung back to 
the 
next starting position.   The blade is never lofted as one sees in pictures 
and movies.

The grain cradle begins the same way, heel on the ground, blade parallel and 
close to the ground, fingers leaning back toward the mower very slightly.  
But 
at the end of the cut, the cradle is lofted in a motion like a 'J' on it's 
side, that is, the line of fingers go from verticle to horizonatal, catching 
the 
bundle of grain and keeping the stems parallel and the heads all on one end 
(that's the important part).  Then the cradle is brought down quickly so that 
when the butts of the cut off straw hit the ground, the cradle is slipped out 
from underneath it (keeping the fingers almost horizontal but flipping the 
cradle back upright to clear the sheath of grain).  

The result is a sheath of grain laid on the ground in a neat bundle, stems 
parallel, and all the heads together on one end.  This way the binder who 
follows the mower can scoop up the bundle in one motion and tie it with straw 
of 
grain, and stand it up (with a number of others).

It's way easier to pick up if you see it done rather than reading a 
description.   </HTML>