Tech Talk
What are the "Advantages of High Speed Steel"?
If the material is artificial you have to use Carbide (or Diamond). Although most tools are now made from carbide there is still applications for High Speed Steel, ie; moulders, planers and drills. HSS tools have some distinct advantages. They cut with very low resistance, are easy to sharpen and even hone, are less expensive, don't chip as easily, and cut very smoothly. The downside is I know of no man made material that you can saw, drill or profile and get any kind of edge life with HSS. We had a customer (since out of business) who was determined to prove us wrong. He was going to be the first to run MDF on his moulder by buying the best (as in most expensive) HSS corrugated knives he could find. It was a dismal failure, and by the time he realized it couldn't be done, he also realized that he hadn't quoted the job high enough to cover the cost of the tools he really needed. Thus begun his demise.
by: Doug Reid, President, B.C. Saw
