Replies

1. 
   SCFrankland | Dec 22, 2003 04:50am | #1

   Lets put it to you this way. What kind of blades do 90% percent of us run in our jointers and planers and I think that you will so come to your answer. High speed steel will not last as long as other metals but it does hold a good edge while sharp and is cheap and easy to sharpen. They will hold up for sometime even in a production setting if used correctly.

   Scott C. Frankland

   Scott's WOODWORKING Website

   "This all could have been prevented if their parents had just used birth control"

2. 
   Tao | Dec 22, 2003 05:00am | #2

   Heat is the enemy of steel tooling.  HSS molder knives usually give well over 5000 lf of cut before needing sharpening because the wood is fed fast enough to keep the knives properly loaded so they don't heat up as much.  More heat is generated by rubbing than cutting.  Typical molders produce 8 to 20 cuts per inch, depending on wood species and desired finish quality. Feed rates are typically around 80 - 100 ft per minute.

   In hand fed applications, there is a lot more rubbing as opposed to cutting, and a lot more heat is generated, so steel tooling doesn't last as long.  Carbide doesn't get as sharp or cut as clean, but it handles the heat better, so I'd recommend it for hand feeding. 

   I'm not much of a fan of spending money on tooling that you "might" use someday.  I've found it more cost effective to buy the tooling I need as I need it. 

   Michael R

1. 
   Scrit | Dec 23, 2003 03:08pm | #5

   I run a lot of carbide tooling on my SCM spindle moulder simply because it's what standard profiles come in these days, however, I do use Whitehill blocks for bespoke profiles and the knives I use there are predominently M2 steel. The new Whitehill-style Euro blocks are steel body blocks and do quite a good job of heat dissipation. They are chip limiter design (legal requirement in Europe now) and I've found that with the limiter knives installed there is much less rubbing and the cutters do hold an edge longer. Using a power feeder also increases the life of the cutter, too, as Woodwiz has said. M2 has the advantage over carbide that you can more easily touch-up a dulled edge in the shop to get that last 20 foot piece out before the cutters go to the sharpening service.

   Scrit

3. 
   migraine | Dec 22, 2003 07:04am | #3

   Try looking on the Ballew web site http://www.ballewtools.com or call 1-800-cut-rite.  They sell many different brands of shaper cutters, including insert tooling.  I still prefer the Freeborn brand of cutters.   The can be ordered in carbide and Tantung(awsome stuff, just keep it aways from glue lines, mdf, and particle board)   They have a great catalogue.  I have found the larger daimeter cutters do a better job, with less tear-out

   They carry King Cutter, Amana, Freeborn, F/S, Whiteside, etc.  Plus they do custom grinding for shapers, router bits, Williams/Hussey, lock knife, corrugated knife bodies

4. 
   rslatm | Dec 22, 2003 03:45pm | #4

   We run M2 steel on our Wadkin moulder to run antique flooring.  You should be working with your tooling supplier. They should be able to provide technical help. Put the burden on them.  Also check out woodweb.com   A pro forum with lots of readily available technical  information online. Take a good look around before you ask any questions. Typically it's usually already been asked.