John,
Recently I read that one of the advantages that High Speed Steel has over high carbon steel is that it does not need to be heat tempered and therefore of course, it will not loose its temper from overheating from grinding. Is this true?
If it is, why not make bench chisels (and carving chisels) from HSS? I have read of turning tools and of course, drill bits made from HSS.
Rooms
Replies
Rooms,
I'm sorry for not responding sooner but the last few weeks have been hectic.
The source you quoted on the advantages of high speed steel was partially incorrect. Like all steels, high speed steel needs to be hardened and then tempered to make it usable after the blade is manufactured.
The advantage of high speed steel is that it won't lose its temper and go soft at temperatures that would ruin the temper of an ordinary carbon steel tool. This was huge advantage in metal working because it allowed lathes and milling machines to turn much faster, producing more parts in less time, and this was the source of the name "high speed steel".
It is true that, up to a point, you can be a bit careless when sharpening a high speed steel tool and not damage it but it is still quite possible to overheat a high speed steel through careless sharpening.
High speed steels are much more expensive because they require considerable amounts of pricey alloy metals like chrome. They are also more difficult to work with during manufacturing and and in many formulations won't hold the slim sharp edges needed in woodworking.
Given the drawbacks to high speed steel, most manufacturers have decided to stick with more basic steels for woodworking tools that aren't exposed to high temperatures when they are cutting.
John W.
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