• It's time to cast your vote in the January 2025 Turning Challenge. (click here for details)
  • Conversations are now Direct Messages (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Alan Weinberg for "Elm Burl Bowl" being selected as Turning of the Week for January 27, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Purchasing HSS

Where ever you purchase, be sure it's name brand material. The name should be etched on each piece. There's a lot of off shore material of questionable quality.

All HSS steels are not equal. Hardness can vary all over the place. Sears Craftsman router bits used to be advertised as HSS, but were almost soft enough to sharpen with a file.
 
I have purchased blanks from both D Way and Thompson. You get better metal, though you pay more.... I have an insatiable need to experiment....

robo hippy
 
Thanks Mike. I just ordered some 6mm round rod. I need to make a new round skew. I made one out of High Carbon steel and hardened it but it just doesn't hold an edge very long. I was using it last night and got frustrated having to stop and sharpen way to often. this HSS is hardened to 61 or 62 and should do the job.
 
No I use water or oil hardened drill rod most of the time. My favorite small skew was a 3/8" spade bit that I ground into a skew but it finally wore out and I built this 1/4" one to replace it. Maybe I just need to reheat treat it. I might not have done a good enough job last time. Probably over annealed it. I'll try doing that just for interest sake. I use it a lot when turning ornaments so it will get some testing. The HSS I ordered should be in today or tomorrow so I'll make another one and compare.
 
I did a brief read of the hardening procedure and would need to read more. When I looked at it many years ago it seemed like it needed a heat treating oven to be able to control the temps properly. I need to research and see if Blacksmiths have a way of hardening it. The reason I use A-1 and O-1 is the heat treating isn't that critical and you can harden it easily and temper it in a home oven if you want really accurate. Most of the time I temper to light straw color which is usually good enough.
 
No clue as to the hardening process. When researching drill rod for tool rests, I found out the A2 is harder than the others. Almost to the point where you can weld it on and it is pretty good as is. No clue as to Rockwell hardness either. Mostly I was thinking that it would give a more durable edge for round skews or skewchigouge type tools...

robo hippy
 
robo hippy said:
No clue as to the hardening process. When researching drill rod for tool rests, I found out the A2 is harder than the others. Almost to the point where you can weld it on and it is pretty good as is. No clue as to Rockwell hardness either. Mostly I was thinking that it would give a more durable edge for round skews or skewchigouge type tools...

robo hippy
Click to expand...

The links that I posted above describe the hardening and tempering processes and they are way outside the capability of a hobbyist.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top