Abstract: A shearing device for shearing sheep. The shears include a hollow handpiece, comb, fork, cutter, and tensioning arm. The comb has a planar face and is rigidly attached to the front of the handpiece. The fork is pivotally mounted within the handpiece with the cutter attached to one of its ends and supported in sliding engagement with the comb's planar face. An arrangement for adjusting the pressure with which the cutter engages the comb includes the tensioning arm which is pivotally mounted with a first end portion abutting the fork and a second end portion extending along a fixed, pivotal axis that is colinear with the pivotal axis of the fork. The adjusting device applies a force to the second end portion of the tensioning arm symmetrically about and axially along the fixed, pivotal axis and the tensioning arm serves to transfer this force to the fork symmetrically about and axially along another axis that is perpendicular to the planar face of the comb.