WENSEL WOODMANS

[Terry Green]

[Swinestalker]

How do you folks think the Woodsmans will do with lower-weight bows, say 40 -45 lbs. on deer sized game?

[bolong]

I have killed hogs and deer with them. Had one of the origionals break ona hog inside the insert.No other problems. Shooting the elites now.

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by Swinestalker:
How do you folks think the Woodsmans will do with lower-weight bows, say 40 -45 lbs. on deer sized game?

That's what they were designed for.  Just ask Gene or Barry.

[Pat B.]

Rob, I'd be interested to hear how you sharpen these heads..  Thanks for your time !

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Pat B.:
Rob, I'd be interested to hear   :D   how you sharpen these heads..  Thanks for your time !

as showed to me by master blade sharpening guru, sensei ron @ kme ...

1. the blades must be straight and sometimes with new woodsmans there's a bit of concave showing.  there are 2 basic ways to remove the concave ...

[list=A]

• use a sanding belt (table belt sanding station or a handheld belt sander that's clamped to a table top) with 120 grit or so and lay down the head so that the belt is moving from the back of the head to the point ...

... put a bit of added pressure on the tip to remove that needle point - it can be a subtle set of angles to each blade side or it can be a very chiselled pyramid look.  i opt for the subtle angle (which is hard to see in the pix) 'cause i think that works best with bows 55# and under ...

   

• OR, you can hog the blades flat on a good mill bastard file such as a 12" grobet (also making sure to remove the needle point!) - just lay the head down flat on the file and push from the file's tip to its handle base end ...
  
     
  

2. after getting the blade edges straight, work the blades using that good mill bastard file ... that is, press and push the broadhead from the front of the file to the files base end.  i do 5 pushes on each duo of blades, then 4, then 3, then 2, then 1.  this will significantly raise a burr on the edges that can readily be felt.  this head is now sharp enough to efficiently and humanely kill deer and hogs if well placed.  but we can do lots better ...

3.  remove the burr on the blades ... basically, this is blade stropping and can be done with a fine stone, or hard leather - i like a fine stone.  the blade is LIGHTLY pushed on the oiled stone, just a few strokes on each pair of blades.  VERY LIGHTLY.  all yer doing is removing the burr which will reveal the razor's edge that's underneath ...

   

4.  i like to do a bit of "final stropping", as ron showed me - just a few really LIGHT strokes on a piece of corrugated cardboard ...

   

[Swinestalker]

Originally posted by Terry Green:
 

Originally posted by Swinestalker:
How do you folks think the Woodsmans will do with lower-weight bows, say 40 -45 lbs. on deer sized game?

That's what they were designed for.  Just ask Gene or Barry. [/b]

Duly noted, thanks.

[Pat B.]

Rob, thank you for the lesson on sharpening..

BTW, I really do know the difference between here and hear!

[cacciatore]

I broke the spine of this 180-200# wild boar with a WW original,the blade severed also a major arthery.She never made a single step.

[cacciatore]

I had a pass through on this nice 225# black bear.

[cacciatore]

Hearth shot on this 200#Boar WW original.

[cacciatore]

I started to use them 2 years ago and I have to say that I recovered all my animal within 50yards,but the shots were really good ones too.

[ChrisM]

Shot a buck close to my stand and shot high but the arrow went clean through the spine and into the body cavity.  The only reason the arrow stopped was the bone was digging into the shaft.  The head was fine no bend or messed up tip.  PS I put a pyramid point on the head.  The bow is 49@27 with 510grain arrow.

[Gene Wensel]

Many people who have trouble getting WW sharp do a couple things wrong. Many simply try "too hard." First rule: ALWAYS, ALWAYS make your final few file strokes VERY light. Frustration often leads to excessive "power filing" which keeps rolling over a thin edge. LIGHT strokes at the end. When I finish filing with very light strokes, then I say to myself, "I'm now done removing metal and just want/need to polish (hone) it." Then I use something very hard. I use a fine diamond bench stone but a ceramic stone or black hard Arkansas will also work to hone the edges smooth. I then always strop my edges with White Gold Honing Compound on a leather strop, pulling the head straight back toward me. This product is outstanding for putting a mirror edge on a honed head. It is essentially diamond dust impregnated in wax. It works much better than jeweler's rouge in my opinion. Its inexpensive too. I get mine from pinewoodforge.com

[Terry Green]

Thanks Gene.....I've used jewelers rouge for years....looks like I'm gonna dump that.

[Rob DiStefano]

thanx for the tip on the white gold - i just ordered some out.  like terry, i'd also been using jeweler's rouge.    

[Montanawidower]

Thanks Gene,  and now what to do with that lifetime supply of jeweler's rouge?    

Jeff

PS  I still drool at Mike's double buck picture.  That is amazing.  Anybody have a link to the story behind the photo?  I spent my first 18 years in southern Illinois and sure miss those bruiser bucks!

[nschlag]

montanawidower,
what part of s.i.? i lived near mt. vernon, now in the pinckneyville area.

[Karl Kortemeier]

Great info on sharpening.

[flyfish1]

every once in a while I think about trying a different broadhead, then I ask myself- what am I gaining? Penetration... doubt it, cutting capability...really doubt it, acuracy... no way, ease of sharpening... no way, and a lifetime warranty. Just a great, great design.