Will a 3 blade shave hair?

[K. Mogensen]

Started sharpening my woodsman's tonight and can get them pretty sharp. The only thing is, they won't shave hair. They'll cut my thumb, but not my hair. Could it just be the blade angle? I thought I read that the angle is steeper than a 2 blades.

Thanks for the help!

[Eric S]

my Snuffers will shave the hair on my arms. My wife knows hunting season is here because my arm are almost hairless.  

[JCJ]

My Woodsman's shave hair like a hot knife going through butter. They just plow it off. All I use is a flie and a Butcher's steel to sharpen them.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Get My snuffers so sharp I can shave My beard.

[kadbow]

YES

[String Cutter]

K.M. Unless you use something like the Snuffer Tamer the angle will be set @ 33degrees. While alot of guys here say they can pop hair with theirs?? I never could get them that sharp. And I've tried everything that I've read about except a belt sander. Some  guys just have a nack for it. I don't..
But I can take a file , leather and 2/4 blade and get it "razor" sharp.
I know I will be chastized?? But I don't see how you can get a 33% angle as sharp as a 17 or 21 degree angle... Just aint possible IMHO...
Though I would just love to push a razor sharp Snuffer thru a whitetail. I think it would be uneithical for me to use them because I just can't get them that sharp..

[JimB]

I'm no math wizard but I thought 3 blades would be a 60 degree angle(30+30)vs a standard 2 blade which would be a 50 degree angle(25+25).60 is sharper.

What method do you use to sharpen them?

[Lefty]

All of my 3 blades pop hair and that includes woodsmans, snuffers and G5 montecs.  I start with a file, move to stones, then ceramic rod and finish on leather until the hair pops.  Take me about 15 minutes per head when they are new and just a couple minutes to touch up.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

String Cutter, You must be doing something very wrong then.. There is lots of members here that get their snuffers shaving sharp.

[Fletcher]

The ones I hunt with will shave.  The 60 deg angle won't feel as sharp as the 40-50 deg angle obtained with a two blade, but it will get sharp.

JimB, how do you figure the 60 deg angle is sharper than the 50?

[Sean B]

I have bald patches in my arms and legs from my woodsmans and my MA 3s.

[Walt Francis]

Yep

[StanM]

I designed the Phoenix broadhead to combat this very issue for hunters. A standard 3-blade head has a 60 degree angle. Because the Phoenix is single bevel, it has a 34 degree angle, much sharper.  It is very simple to get the head super sharp. They come sharp out of the package and are easy to get silly sharp after you've shot them in. Bottom line is 34 degrees is sharper than 60.  The fact that they rotate on impact is also a bonus.

[Friends call me Pac]

For the last 6 days I have tried to get my brand new ww sharp enought to hunt with.  I read lots of threads, watched videos and nothing worked for me.  

I bought a new file 6 days ago to sharpen my ww that I got from Braveheart Archery the day before.  Went to work and nothing but frustration.  

Tonight I bought a new file and a leather belt and tadaaa!  I have bald arms now and only two heads sharpened.  I need one more for the quiver but I don't have any hair left to test it on.

Took me about 10 minutes from start to finish with a brand new head from the package to get it shaving hair.

If you are having trouble who knows it just may mean you need a different file.  Made all the difference for me.


 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=092529

[String Cutter]

Nothing against you guys. I am glad that you are blessed enough to gett'em that way. But I've bought 2 dozen Large snuffers and over 1 dozen files missing with them.Plus sandpaper, pvc pipe, , a snuffer tamer, jewlers rouge ect I just can't get them as sharp as I want.
Jimb, I was using a Laskey kit. w/ extra course all the way to extra fine. Clamped the little tool all the way near the end so I would miss the ferrel. Then worked the edge down to 17degrees using the tool. Made a really thin smooth razor edge. But took alot of work with a black marker.
Then I saw Fred Bear sharpening one in his video. And said to myself. Self I am going to learn to do that.. Well, many many hours later while watching t.v. I finally got the feel for free hand sharpening with a bastard file....I don't use stones sticks or anything but a piece of leather. And when I say it is sharp you best keep your hand and string  away from it.
I have had the pleasure of hunting with several of you guys on here and some that are not. And several times the folks I have hunted with were using 3blades... And about every time I've asked to see what they had in their quivers.... they were pretty sharp. But not scary sharp to me...
SHARP is subjective anyway?? Just like ugly, pretty, ect.... and If'n you are happy with hunting with you're sharp? Then be happy with it and it is probaby good enough for hunting. But I prefer a 2/4 blade that I can sharpen out in the field with nothing but a file and my belt. It gives me more of a ragged edge which I prefer to a smooth edge of the stone.

[Bill Carlsen]

I get my Razorcaps, woodsmans, snuffers, etc. shaving sharp. The secret is to get a burr with the files/coarse stones and then remove it with very little pressure then hone on a fine ceramic rod.

[vermonster13]

At Denton Hill this year I sat down with Ron of KME and did a little demonstration on how to get Snuffers shaving sharp with the new stones KME is now selling. I only used the medium stone and got the blade sharp enough to shave my forearm bare. vtmntman and Ron can both attest to it(Ron can teach you how to do the same in minutes). It's not difficult by any means. The problem I see most guys have is that they apply to much pressure to the broadhead while sharpening.

Charlie Lamb can teach you how to get them shaving sharp also and I believe he has a tutorial on it in the how to forum here.

[StanM]

Originally posted by Bill Carlsen:
I get my Razorcaps, woodsmans, snuffers, etc. shaving sharp. The secret is to get a burr with the files/coarse stones and then remove it with very little pressure then hone on a fine ceramic rod.

Very good advice right there.  The only thing that I would add is that for me I like to take the burr off by going back into the blade, one time, VERY LIGHTLY.  I sharpen my Phoenix by hand with a chainsaw file.  After I use the file, I flip it over and strop the edge with the round steel handle like you'd do on a kitchen knife with a steel or ceramic stone.  Hair poppin' sharp and it the whole sharpening system doesn't take up much room      

BTW Bill, I was going through some older Traditional Bowhunter magazines last night and saw the pic in your avatar in the Traditional Harvests section.  Pretty cool!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Originally posted by String Cutter:
Nothing against you guys. I am glad that you are blessed enough to gett'em that way. But I've bought 2 dozen Large snuffers and over 1 dozen files missing with them.Plus sandpaper, pvc pipe, , a snuffer tamer, jewlers rouge ect I just can't get them as sharp as I want.
Jimb, I was using a Laskey kit. w/ extra course all the way to extra fine. Clamped the little tool all the way near the end so I would miss the ferrel. Then worked the edge down to 17degrees using the tool. Made a really thin smooth razor edge. But took alot of work with a black marker.
Then I saw Fred Bear sharpening one in his video. And said to myself. Self I am going to learn to do that.. Well, many many hours later while watching t.v. I finally got the feel for free hand sharpening with a bastard file....I don't use stones sticks or anything but a piece of leather. And when I say it is sharp you best keep your hand and string  away from it.
I have had the pleasure of hunting with several of you guys on here and some that are not. And several times the folks I have hunted with were using 3blades... And about every time I've asked to see what they had in their quivers.... they were pretty sharp. But not scary sharp to me...
SHARP is subjective anyway?? Just like ugly, pretty, ect.... and If'n you are happy with hunting with you're sharp? Then be happy with it and it is probaby good enough for hunting. But I prefer a 2/4 blade that I can sharpen out in the field with nothing but a file and my belt. It gives me more of a ragged edge which I prefer to a smooth edge of the stone.

Your most likely using way to much pressure. Just the weight of the head will do it, After You get the bevel right. Mark the edge with a sharpie.. Use pressure to take off the mark and then NOTHING but little strokes.

[elkbreath]

funny thing, i couldn't shave with my snuffers.  I asked my pop if they were sharp enough in his opinion.  He touched them lightly and said 'for sure'!  Then, without prompting, he shaved the hair off is arm with them....  Could be your shaving technique!