How to use the sickle

1. First off get a good pair of boots on. They're very strong, and withstood a
couple of pretty harsh blows when I lost concentration for a second.
2. Still on the safety theme, thick trousers or jeans are a must, not so much
when you're actually using the blade, but on a number of occasions I felt the
blade lightly brush against my leg when i was surveying my work and I was
thankful for my jeans preventing any scratches or grazes.
3. Gloves and long sleeves were also a godsend, although I guess these may
be dependent on the type of work you're doing.
4. Now then, onto the proper tips. Grab a handful of the stems of whatever
you're wanting to cut about 10-12 inches off the ground. You may need to
vary this, but the point is, you need to have the area of the stem that you're
going to cut in sight.
5. Loop the blade around the stems with the tip towards you and the handle
pointing out to your right (if you're left handed do this the other way round).
6. Whilst pushing onto the stems with the blade, rotate it around and repeat
until they're all cut, you should end up with a nice bunch of cut stems in your
other hand.
7. Voila! For more woody stems you may need to hack at them a little bit,
but when doing this make sure you're aware of where the tip of the blade is
at all times to avoid a nasty jab.
How to use the Spading Fork