Comparing high-speed steels for wood machining

摘要

High-speed steel is primarily manufactured for cutting tools. In the forest products and woodworking industries, HSS is a common tool material for saw blades, planer blades, moulder and shaper knives, router bits and other applications. After annealed stock is manufactured into a relatively soft tool, HSS can be uniformly hardened and subsequently tempered. The most important property of all HSS is its retention of hardness at elevated temperatures. Because high temperatures exist at the tool edge and accelerate tool wear, HSS is a good selection for many wood machining processes. However, many different HSSes and their chemical compositions and properties are diverse. Further, HSSrnproperties particularly wear resistance, require proper heat treating. Consequently, the forest products and woodworking industries are confronted with a large number of combinations of HSS and heat treatments. This study compared seven HSSes to determine their wear characteristics. The results will help tool and machinery manufacturers select an HSS for wood machining.