Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ)
"Should I mount my Woodsman with two blades up or one blade
up?"
It doesn't matter. Try each way to see if you
prefer one over the other. People who like to look down their arrow
shaft often prefer to use blades as reference points.
"Is it better to mount broadheads with epoxy or hot melt glue?"
Both products have advantages and disadvantages.
Epoxy:
You won't burn yourself while using epoxy.
It's much easier to straighten a head that doesn't spin true.
Use either "Two-Ton" epoxy or the "Five-Minute" formula. Two-Ton takes longer to
cure but it is stronger.
Once epoxy dries, it's hard to change heads.
High heat will work but you'll ruin the temper of your broadheads in doing
so.
Think of epoxy as a permanent bond.
Hot Melt:
Easily change heads whenever necessary.
Never overheat your broadhead ferrule. Warm it just enough to get a good bond
with your molten glue but never overheat a ferrule.
"What does 3:1 mean?"
A 3:1 ratio means the broadhead is three times as
long as it is wide. Various broadhead designs and shapes have been
thoroughly tested for decades. A 3:1 ratio has time and again been
proven to give the best penetration while still retaining maximum
strength, angle of attack, wound channel size and aerodynamic
properties. A 2:1 ratio design would cut a bigger hole but retards
penetration with excessive drag. A 4:1 ratio (or even higher) of course
will penetrate even better but sacrifices durability and wound channel
diameter. 3:1 has proven itself as as close to perfect as you can get.
"Can I get heavier glue-on Woodsmans™?"
The bottom (front) of your Woodsman ferrule is deep enough to allow
adding a bit of melted lead. Just make sure you add the same amount
of lead to each head. Bass fishing mail order catalogs sell 15gr.
and 30 gr. pure lead worm weights that are shaped like small bullets.
These can be dropped into the bottom of the ferrule. Pure lead bird
shot in smaller sizes will work well too. Just be sure to count
the number of shot pellets used to get the weight you desire. Note:
This is an excellent way to bump the weight of your arrows. It does
not affect arrow strength at all.
"What are the biggest mistakes made while sharpening?"
1. Many people try too hard. Bearing down too
hard (through frustration) will remove too much metal and weaken the head.
Using a grinding wheel or belt sander is risky. It's very easy to overheat the steel and ruin the temper. Hard-pressed power strokes with a file will prematurely wear down file teeth. There is no need to force the blades into the file. Smooth, controlled strokes allowing the teeth of the file to do the work is best. Always finish filing with very light strokes.
2. Finish honing on something very hard. A Black
Hard Arkansas stone, a ceramic stone, or a fine grit diamond bench stone
work very well. We prefer DMT diamond stones.
"When I opened the package I noticed the tips come to a very fine 'needle point'. Won't they be prone to curling?"?
Yes! The reason the Wensel Woodsman™ broadhead out penetrates other three blade heads is its long and lean design. (Three times as long as it is wide.) The factory grinding process grinds two blades at once and runs all the way to the solid steel tip. This means the tip is ground at the same 3:1 ratio resulting in a 'needle point'.
Needle points are prone to curling. (This is the reason that Magnus
changed the grind on their two-blade heads to a 'diamond point'.)
Once the steel at the very tip starts to curl, the steel behind
it follows suit. Some people insist on using the heads just like
that, but we recommend changing the angle with your file during
the sharpening process. On the last 1/16" or so, change the angle
and file a three sided pyramid tip. This dramatically changes the
strength of the tip, eliminates curling , and does not seem to adversely
affect penetration. (We continue to receive reports from successful
bowhunters reporting complete pass throughs with pyramid tipped
Woodsmans™.)
As a matter of fact. On Dale Karch's 2005 musk ox hunt he left the needle tip intact on his Woodsmans™ and he got complete broadhead penetration through the hide of the other side. And his tip curled. His broadhead penetrated all the way through the musk ox and exited the other side with a curled tip. Musk ox down.
Another traditional bowhunter on the trip was Ted Judson from Michigan. Ted DID pyramid his Woodsmans™ and he too got complete broadhead penetration, but with no tip curl. Musk ox down.
We personally don't like the idea of curling tips so for now we recommend that all of our customers file the tip down to a nice pyramid shape. We are working with Magnus to change the tip grind right at the factory level so they would come to you already 'clipped'.
As a side point, our heat treating process is tested during the
manufacturing process. The curling issue is NOT a heat treating
issue. It is a result of too much unsupported steel right at the
point of impact coupled with the fact that once a bend starts it
continues. Blunting that point eliminates the initiating of the
bend, so it never happens.
"What's the warranty on the Woodsman™ broadheads?"
We decided to offer what we call a 'Bowhunter's Lifetime Warranty'.
If you ever have a Wensel Woodsman™ broadhead break or fail to perform up to expectations due to any defect in material, construction, quality control, or design flaws, during normal bowhunting use, please return it to us. We'll replace it free of charge.
"Woodsman look a lot like Snuffers. Are they similar?"
Many broadhead designs look similar. Our Woodsman
broadheads are longer than Snuffers, not quite as big around and have no
front vents. You wouldn't think there would be much difference, but there is! Test them for yourself. We have. There's a reason they have been the top selling traditional head since their introduction. Thousands of bowhunters use nothing but Wensel Woodsman broadheads.
When Gene designed the Woodsman, he was looking for a three
bladed version of the excellent old 3:1 ratio "Hunters Head". That idea
evolved into the present Woodsman design. In fact, Roger Rothhaar's
excellent "Snuffer" was originally a three blade version of the old
Pearson "Deadhead". That head evolved into what "Snuffers" are
today. Still, the true test was in taking them to the field and hunting with them. The results have been phenomenal! That's why we're confident once you've tried them, you'll agree:
Wensel Woodsmans are,
"The most deadly broadhead you'll ever shoot."
Links to our other sites:
3RiversArchery.com
TomahawkBows.com
