The Tanto Advantage

[monterey]

Just read the Ashby Article in Trad Bowhunter and got myself confused regarding the sharpening instructions for the tip.  It seemed like the article said to sharpen the tanto tip on the opposite side of the single bevel???

Anyway, I'm confused on that score.  Can somebody clarify this?

[crossstickspro]

I second that motion    
Larry

[Dave2old]

Sorry guys if it wasn't clear. Indeed, sharpen the "unbeveled" Tanto edge on each side of the head. Let's say it's a left bevel broadhead ... so the left side of the broadhead as you look down on it is beveled its full length, all the way to the tip. Thus, the Tanto is already sufficiently sharp on the left side. So take a few careful whacks with a mill file on the right Tanto bevel, that is, on the unbeveled thus thicker edge of the head, to balance things out. Now flip the head over and do the same again. If this doesn't cut the mustard, I'll bet Sharpster can explain it better. Dave

[maxwell]

Gave me a head ache also- off went the lights sleep restores the brain.   Didn't help  pics anyone?

Bill

[Dave2old]

Problem is, perhaps, that the story talked about sharpening a single-bevel Tanto, while the photo show a double-bevel Tanto!

[Sharpster]

I just spent an hour drawing a tanto tip picture and photobucket is givin me greif trying to download it.    :rolleyes:  

I'll try again in the morning... sorry,

Ron

[SlowBowinMO]

Hey Ron, try this.  Easier than messing with Photobucket.

 http://www.imagelinky.com/

Hope this helps, Tim

[Sharpster]

Thanks Tim,

Got it with PB this morning.

Expaining sharpening configurations for tanto tips on single bevel heads is tough to put into words for sure.

With the head horizontal and pointed away from you, the primary bevel will be visible on either the LH blade in the case of a LH single, or on the RH blade in the case of a RH single as in the drawing below.

As Dave said, the bevel on the tanto should be visable from the same side as the primary bevel.

The primary bevel is ground from the "top down" to the unbeveled side of the blade but the tanto tip bevel is ground from "the bottom up".

 

Hope that didn't add to the confusion...

Ron

[Dave2old]

Thanks, Ron. Wish we'd had that sketch for the article! Now, on top of everything else, you're a graphic artist! To conclude the Tanto mystery for folks, even though there's a photo in the TBM article, maybe you can provide a sketch of a Tanto on a double-bevel head? Sorry, but we need you!    Dave

[monterey]

That pic proved the adage that it's worth a thousand words.  At least that's the case for my feeble brain!

So, apparently Ashby is telling us that the tip pictured above is needed to prevent "skidding"?

BTW, even though I follow all the releases if the "Ashby Reports" on this forum I equally enjoy reading the TBM articles.

[Sharpster]

Dave, The hardest part of that was fighting with photobucket. I'm gonna try the link that Slowbow posted but, that looks almost  too  easy.

Monterey, The tanto tip has two advantages: like a chisel tip it prevents the tip from curling over, and goes one better by reducing the chance that the head will skip across bone on any angle shot, which the chisel tip is prone to do.

Incedentally, Ed says that there is little or no difference in performance when the tanto is sharpened single bevel as discussed above, or if it's double beveled like a knife blade. The configuration that should be avoided is single beveling from the same side as the primary bevel. He said that configuration is the most likely of all to skip off/across bone on angle shots.

I'll see about doing a drawing of a double beveled tanto tip but, got to get to work right now, I'll see about posting it this evening.

Ron

[crossstickspro]

Thanks guys the pic really clears things up, now do you have any advice on how to convert my zewickys to a tonto tip I tried one but think i just ruind it
LarryMc

[WildmanSC]

Please ignore this post.

Bill