Welcome to the Carbide Processors Blog
Indoor air quality
Posted on Monday, August 20th, 2012 at 2:22 pm.
Indoor air quality in the shop is very important for many reasons. First is the employee safety and health, second is government regulations and third is the effect of poor indoor air quality on the equipment and other parts of the operation.
In states, such as my home state of Washington, we have state industrial safety and health. They have a voluntary compliance program. As part of which, they will come in and put collection meters on the employees to collect air samples. They will then analyze these for particulates and report the results to you. I believe California and a few other states have similar programs. If you’re in a state with private insurance, often times insurance companies will test your indoor air quality for you.
If you don’t want to bring the government in your operation then, I suppose, your best option is to find a private lab that can test your indoor air quality.
In any case, government regulations are not written in terms of air quality. They are written in terms of worker exposure. The government really doesn’t care how dirty your areas are as long as you are taking measures to protect your employees.
If you’re going to install a ventilation system, you really should have the air quality tested to see where you stand and to determine how much you need to improve.
Ventilation systems are typically straightforward and range from fairly inexpensive to as much money as you want to spend.
It is quite common in saw shop’s to see a simple collection system that gathers air from over the brazing station and from the grinders and then blows that air up through the roof. In many jurisdictions this is perfectly legal and acceptable. You will want to check your local laws very carefully because each city, county, village state or whatever political subdivision may have their own air quality laws.
When you exhaust the shop air through the roof, make sure you take into account the direction of the prevailing wind, as you really don’t want to have the wind blowing your exhaust back into the shop.
Free Tools
Posted on Friday, August 17th, 2012 at 9:28 am.
Yes, we have some Free (no strings attached, actually free) tools to give away. We had purchased several dozen ALVIN 4″ drafting triangles to send out as a free gift with orders or for a promotion. We sent these little drafting triangles to get our company name imprinted on them. Unfortunately, the imprinting job on some of them was a little smudged. Tom, being very conscious about product quality doesn’t want to send these out with the orders becasue of the way the imprinting looks. He really isn’t kidding when he says that the quality of the product is important and he only sells (or gives away) top quality products that meet his high expectations. In fact, we all work pretty hard to make sure everything we sell has meets the highest standards in quality.
That being said, we still have a several dozen 4″ drafting triangles, and the actual quality of the triangles is great, just not printing. These little triangles need a home. If you don’t mind the smudged printing on them then we would be happy to send one to you, and we’ll enven cover the shipping. Email me at CSQ@CarbideProcessors.com with your name and address and I’ll send one out to you.
If a triangle is not what your looking for, we also have other free tools on our website. You can choose a free gift to be sent out with your order, or receive a free gift for registering for our weekly email. We do not share your information with anyone, and our weekly email is just another way to find out about sales and receive coupons for use in our store. You can take a look at the Free tools we have for registering on our site.
Making Tenryu Saw Blades
Posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2012 at 1:26 pm.
Tenryu is very careful to only use the best materials and tightest tolerances when manufacturing their Infamous Tenryu Saw Blades. Tenryu saw blades have unique tooth design and geometry for smoother and easier cuts.
Tenryu uses only modern, advanced grades of carbide for longer cutting life. Depending on the application; the carbide tips have Titanium, Tantalum and/or Niobium added to increase lubricity for smoother faster cuts. Tenryu adds Vanadium for grain growth control to create a stronger, void free material. This also helps with heat management by putting the cutting heat into the chip instead of the blade. Resin filled, laser expansion slots for reduced vibration means the blade runs truer and up to 10 decibels quieter. More energy goes into the cut because there is less vibration.
Tenryu Saw Blades are made with individually hand-hammered, tensioned saw plates for true run. This means there are no high spots or low spots and no lumps, ridges, twisting or twisting ridges. The saw blade runs as a single, homogenous tool with no flat, tight or loose areas.
Tenryu saw blades are polish ground for incredible smoothness, because a smoother tip means a much better cut. All the major and minor angles of the saw tip geometry are carefully calculated for beautiful cuts and fast cutting on all of Tenryu’s new blades as well as on their re-sharpened blades. The angles on the saw tips also help reduce heat build-up and greatly increase the cooling effect.
The saw tips used on Tenryu blades are big pieces of advanced material. The tips are an advanced, sub-micron grade of tungsten carbide. Tip life is up to 10x that of ordinary carbide saw tips. They are tough for long life and they are slick so they slide through the cut. There is excellent side clearance so the action is all cutting and no rubbing.
Tenryu uses a Nickel – Chrome alloy steel for their saw plate to create a stiffer, corrosion resistant blade for better cuts and longer life. It also allows for a higher Rockwell value while providing a tougher, more forgiving blade.
The carbide brazing Tenryu uses to make their saw blades is done with a high silver braze alloy. The braze alloy is about 50% Silver. This makes it expensive but it is really worth it. Unlike other attachment methods, good brazing forms a mechanical and a chemical bond between the carbide and the steel so that the bond is much stronger than either the steel or the carbide. It also acts like a suspension on a car in that it cushions the hard carbide tool tip to protect it from chipping, breaking and excess wear.
Braze Alloy-common types and forms
Posted on Tuesday, August 14th, 2012 at 1:45 pm.
Most Common Braze Alloys and their Forms
BAg – 3 Braze Alloy 50% with Cadmium 1170° F 1270° F 1500° F
BAg-3 braze alloy is the standard brazing material for Carbide tools. Cadmium is a great health danger and is widely and heavily regulated. Because of this, BAg-3 braze alloy is often substituted with BAg-22 or BAg-24 Braze alloys, which do not contain any cadmium.
BAg – 7 Braze Alloy 56% with Tin 1145° F 1205° F 1400° F
Bag-7 braze alloy is a comparatively weak braze alloy for thin kerf saws in sawmills. It is an excellent braze alloy for artist, hobbyist, eyeglasses, etc. BAg-7 braze alloy is easiest to use and most forgiving. It also has a great color match with stainless steel.
BAg – 22 Braze Alloy 49% with Manganese 1260° F 1290° F 1525° F
BAg-22 braze alloy is a great replacement for BAg-3 as it gives the same kind of strength and impact protection, but does not contain cadmium. It is not as widely used as the BAg-24 braze alloy because of the way it melts and flows out. It is sometimes described as “gummy”.
BAg – 24 Braze Alloy 50% Cadmium Free 1220° F 1305° F 1550° F
BAg-24 braze alloy is the most widely used replacement for Bag-3. This braze alloy melts and flows out very well and is easy to use. Charpy tests indicated a loss of strength of about 30% – 40% compared to Bag-3 resulting in greater carbide tip loss and carbide tip breakage in sawmill saws. Proper fluxing and using proper brazing techniques can greatly increase the strength of the braze joint.
Rated by Strength (Weakest Can still give 40,000 psi Tensile when used properly)
From Strongest to Weakest:
- BAg-3 Braze Alloy
- BAg-22 Braze Alloy
- BAg-24 Braze Alloy
- BAg-7 Braze Alloy
Rated by Ease of use
From Easiest to Hardest (requires higher skill level)
- BAg-7 Braze Alloy
- BAg-3 Braze Alloy
- BAg-24 Braze Alloy
- BAg-22 Braze Alloy
Forms of Braze Alloy
Wire
Braze Alloy in wire form is the most common and cheapest form to purchase braze alloy in.
Ribbon
braze alloy in Ribon form is simply just wire rolled flat. Ribbon is much more expensive form to buy braze alloy in, but can be a great labor saver. Braze Alloy ribbon can be cut to shape with a good pair of desk scissors.
Sandwich
A layer of Braze alloy ribbon on each side of a layer of Copper. Generally in a 1:2:1 ratio. This form of braze alloy provides stress relief as steel grows and shrinks about 3 to 4 times as much as carbide during the brazing process. This sandwich formof braze alloy, also sometimes referred to as Trimet, is recommended for carbide shapes larger than 1” in any dimension. It is also widely used for saws with small tips, as it is a bit cheaper than straight braze alloy and provides additional strength.
Preforms or Shims
Braze alloy in special shapes such as rings formed from wire or flat parts stamped out of ribbon are called preforms or shims. This is the most expensive form to purchase braze alloy in, but can often be the least expensive form to use due to savings in labor and material.
Solving a Common Filter Coolant Problem
Posted on Thursday, August 9th, 2012 at 10:06 am.
All grinders have a bit of oil or grease in the sump. Sometimes this oil or light grease is agitated with air and can get whipped into a butter-like consistency. Once the oil or grease is in this butter-like consistency, it does not re-dissolve. There are some things you can do to try and prevent this from happening.
I would check the pH of the machine coolant first. Neutral pH is 7.5. Most coolants for filter units are slightly basic and have a pH 8 -9 partly to prevent this sort of thing. By having a machine coolant with a more basic pH, the solution changes oils and greases into soap (saponification.) If your coolant turns acidic (below 7.5 and maybe 6 – 6.5) then you risk having the oils and grease turn into a whipped or butter-like consistency. See our section on Machine Coolant and Machine Coolant filters for information on how to test coolant.
Follow the filter coolant manufacturers’ recommendation for pH adjustment.
If your coolant supplier doesn’t give you any directions then you can add sodium carbonate (washing soda, maybe water treatment chemical) or sodium hydroxide (caustic lye). Sodium bicarbonate or any other antacid will also work. Even Alka Seltzer.
Be careful when adding the sodium carbonate or sodium hydroxide, and add it slowly. It will generate gas (probably largely CO2) so do it in an open area with a fan on.
Check for a leak on a fitting. A little is normal as with weeping hydraulic cylinders.
Check for air in the filter system or in the coolant dispensing system. Typically just draining the system and refilling will prevent this if it is just an air bubble. If it is a loose fitting it may be sucking in air.
You should be able let the coolant sit and skim the “butter” off the top.
You can also use scrap cloth or similar as a crude filter until you can remove all the “butter”.
Salmon Fishing with Saw Filers
Posted on Wednesday, August 8th, 2012 at 10:47 am.
We were invited to join Mike West and about 20+ more Saw Filers on their annual Salmon fishing trip this year. It was a great time for everyone. Saturday night we started out our weekend with the filers by going to dinner at Bennett’s Restaurant in West Port, WA. Tom Bought Dinner and drinks for all the saw filers and their wives. There were about 29 of us in all, and we definitely brought life and laughter to the restaurant. The great staff at Bennett’s did a remarkable job of catering to such a large and boisterous group. We had some great waitresses and an amazing cook. The food was incredible and so was the company. We all had a really good time filling our bellies before our big fishing trip on Sunday. Special Thanks to Tom Walz (President of Carbide Processors), the wonderful Staff at Bennett’s and all who came out on Saturday to make it a really great evening!
We headed out very early on Sunday morning to start our voyage on the Tequila Too. About 26 met up at dock 6 to begin our journey. We left dock at Grays Harbor about 6 AM. We had some great Deck hands (Rich and Daniel) and a great Skipper (Captain Ken) who helped us reel in and net about 12 Salmon that day. Despite a little sea sickness, I think everyone had a really great time. Jim Davis and Burl had the biggest catches of the day. It was my first time meeting a lot of these guys and after talking to them I have developed a very great appreciation for what they do. These truly were some really great people and we were very grateful to be able to spend the day fishing and talking with them.
IWF Atlanta
Posted on Tuesday, August 7th, 2012 at 1:18 pm.
We are very excited to be attending the IWF in Atlanta this year. Tom has been many times before, but this will be my fist time going to the IWF, not to mention my first time in Atlanta. We are looking forward to seeing some old friends like the wonderful people at Whiteside, Southeast Tool, Woodpeckers, Popular Tool, Vortex and many more of the people we have done business with over the years. We are always looking for more unique and great tools to sell on our site and are excited to see what incredible things we may come across this year at IWF in Atlanta. For anyone interested in attending the IWF 2012 Atlanta, here is information on what things to expect, places to stay nearby, and a schedule of some of the events going on. Hope to see some of you there!
2012 IWF in Atlanta:
Here are some tips that the IWF site suggests for making the most out of your experience:
IWF is an extensive trade show. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and be sure to plan ahead so that you can optimize your time there and experience the most of what this year’s Atlanta IWF has to offer.
A few weeks before the show, read trade publications or visit IWF’s web site (http://www.iwfatlanta.com/home) for up-to-date lists of exhibitors and their booth locations.
Use this information to determine your objectives for attending the show. Establish three priorities: (1) exhibitors you absolutely must see; (2) secondary exhibitors that you would like to see; (3) exhibitors with new ideas and new technology. Be sure to leave some time in your schedule for exploring. Then, using the Pocket Guide, Official Fair Directory you will receive at registration, the IWF website or myGPS kiosks on site, locate the exhibitors on your list to establish an efficient route of all your “must see” booths. For the best results: plan your visit, then follow your plan. Some of the exhibitors we will be visiting are our old friends at Southeast Tool (booth 4753), Whiteside Machine (booth 6516), Woodpeckers– who we met at a previous IWF – (booth 6160), Vortex (booth 6556), and Popular Tools (booth 7324). We will be stopping by to say hello to our old friends and hopefully be meeting some new friends as well.
There will be discounts and special deals for all IWF attendees at many places located near the woodworking fair. You can print a special coupon to get discounts on restaurants, special events and attractions and even lodging. You can print your coupon from the IWF site (http://www.atlanta.net/savings/print_card_iwf.aspx?mtg_nbr=86285)
There are great educational conferences being held Tuesday August 21 – Friday August 24th like the Wood Bioenergy symposium, Reshoring Made in America Symposium, Business Strategies for a changing market Syposium, Automating your shop and Wood 101- The basics symposiums. You can find a full list of the symposiums as well as pricing and how to sign up below or by going on the IWF website.
IWF 2012 Education Conference Schedule At A Glance
Click for detailed session information.
Tuesday, August 21 – IWF All-Day Symposiums
All day
| Symposium | Presenter | Time |
| From Low Tech to High Tech – The Finisher’s Guide to Perfect Results | NueMedia, LLC | All day |
| Wood Bioenergy | BBI International w/ Biomass Power & Thermal Magazine | All day |
| Getting Lean, Green and Keeping up with Market Trends in Door and Window Manufacturing |
Door & Window Manufacturer Magazine | All day |
| Closets – Your Niche for Growth | Association of Closet & Storage Professionals | All day |
| Exploring Countertop Options: Turning Opportunity Into Profit | International Surface Fabricators Association | All day |
*A continental breakfast and lunch are included with the purchase of an all day Symposium
IWF Education Conference – Regular Sessions
Wednesday, August 22
| Session | Track | Time |
| Reshoring – Made in America | Furniture and Upholstery | 9:00 – 11:00am |
| Business Survival and Growth | Business Management | 9:00 – 10:30am |
| Business Strategies for a Changing Market | Business Management | 9:00 – 10:30am |
| How to Specify Engineered Hardwood Products |
Manufacturing | 9:00 – 10:30am |
| Mass Customization | Manufacturing | 1:00 – 3:00pm |
| From Strategy to Results | Business Management | 1:00 – 2:30pm |
| Working Local and Regional Markets for New Sales of Cabinets, Furniture and Millwork | Business Management | 1:00 – 2:30pm |
| Wood Properties and Identification: What You Need to Know | Business Management | 1:00 – 3:30pm |
| Marketing 101: Basic Advertising and Marketing Techniques (CMA Session) | Marketing | 9:00 – 10:30am |
| Marketing 102: Advanced Marketing Strategies for an Established Company (CMA Session) | Marketing | 12:30 – 2:00pm |
| Sales 101: Qualifying A Sales Prospect (CMA Session) | Sales | 3:00 – 4:30pm |
Thursday, August 23 – IWF Education Conference – Regular Sessions
Friday, August 24 – IWF Education Conference – Regular Sessions
| Session | Track | Time |
| 7 Rules for Great Web Content | Marketing | 9:00 – 11:00 am |
| Color Matching | Manufacturing | 9:00 – 11:00 am |
| Leapfrog from Laminate to High End Concrete | New Business Sectors | 9:00 – 10:30 am |
| Lean Manufacturing and the Theory of Constraints (CMA CEU)* | Manufacturing | 9:00 – 10:30 am |
| Recruiting, Retaining and Managing an Age-Diverse Workforce |
Business Management | 1:00 – 3:00 pm |
| Increasing Lumber Yield With ROMI | Manufacturing | 1:00 – 3:00 pm |
| How to Use Dyes | Manufacturing | 1:00 – 3:00 pm |
| Systems for Sales: Using Software for Sales Success | Marketing | 1:00 – 2:30 pm |
| Finance/Insurance 101: Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits!: 4 Keys to Unlock Your Business Potential (CMA Session) | Finance/Insurance | 9:00-10:30am |
| Wood 101: The Basics of Wood Properties, Sawing, Shaping, Gluing and Fastening (CMA Session) | Wood | 12:30-2:00pm |
| Finance/Insurance 103: Cost/Benefit Analysis Systems for Major Business Investments (CMA Session) | Finance/Insurance | 3:00-4:30pm |
Share your woodworking projects
Posted on Wednesday, August 1st, 2012 at 12:02 pm.
We sell a wide variety of woodworking tools in our online store, and have always had a great respect and appreciation for the amazing and beautiful things people can do with these tools. I have recently set up a page on our website where woodworkers can showcase their Woodworking projects and share their amazing and beautiful woodworks for free. We have only asked that they send some pictures for us to put up and share with us some of the tools they used to make thier woodworking projects. Many very talented woodworkers have sent in some amazing pictures of beautiful projects that were crafted using Dado Sets and saw blades, roundover router bits, Dovetail router bits, and many other woodworking tools. We sell what we think are pretty beautiful and amazing tools, but it really is nice to see the absolutely exquisite pieces of art that can come from the tools we sell combined with a great deal of talent, sweat, hardwork, and ofcourse wood. Thank you for everyone who has shared. You can see some of the amazing woodworking projects fellow woodworkers have been kind enough to share with us on our woodworks page. We have been and will be featuring a new woodworking project every week and letting you know some of the tools that were used to create it. If you would like to share or showcase your own woodworking projects on our Woodworks page please contact us. If you are looking to sell your woodworking projects, you can still showcase your projects on our site, and we will add a link for customers to contact you. We really hoped that this would be a fun way for anyone interested in woodworking to share their work and enjoy the work of others and maybe learn a little about what can be created with a little hardwork and some great tools.
Wood Density
Posted on Wednesday, August 1st, 2012 at 11:33 am.
Species surface hardness
When working with various typese of woods, there is always the consideration whether we can substitute a less expensive wood for the species we are using and still get the same performance. When looking at a potential substitute, cost, availability, color and wood density can certainly be important factors.
The importance of wood density
Wood density is very important because this property is related closely to wood strength, stiffness and nail, screw and staple holding power. We can often offset low density effects. If the strength of the wood is low, we can perhaps make the piece of lumber a little larger. If the fastener holding power is low, we can increase the fastener size or number of fasteners to achieve the required performance.
One additional variable that is hard to compensate for by changing the design or manufacturing process is wood surface hardness. A low wood hardness, or softer woods, means that the surface is easy to dent; a dent can damage the wood fibers and give a brittle finishing coating. Crushed fibers can often be restored by steaming the damaged area briefly, finish repair is much more difficult. Softer woods, although they machine easier, are also harder to sand to a smooth finish and are more prone to have a fuzz.
Comparing wood hardness
Surface hardness in the wood industry is measured by the load or force required to embed a steel ball, 0.444 inch in diameter, to a depth of one-half its diameter. The hardness of end grain is different from the two surfaces. I have tabulated the surface hardness for various lumber species and arranged the list from softest to hardest, even within the groups. This arrangement is similar to a ranking of lightest to heaviest.
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Tip: If you are making cuts in hardwoods, using cermet tipped saw blades may help lengthen the life of your saw blade.
The data, the average of both tangential and radial surfaces (flatsawn and quartersawn), but not end grain, are from the U.S. Forest Products Lab inMadison,WI.
I have divided the list into two parts: hardwoods and softwoods. The hardwoods, which are not necessarily hard, are trees with leaves while the softwood trees have needles.
Special note: Soft maple, a lumber trade name, includes both red and silver maple. Note the difference in hardness between the two species that make this grouping. Also note the large differences between the pine, spruce and oak species. ^
Wood Hardness
Here are two different lists for wood hardness by species. Both are “accurtate” and both were done according to scientific principles. However there are sub-species within species. Wood density or hardness also varies by location grown. Typically wood grown in a warmer climate with a longer growing season will be softer. Wood grown in a cooler climate with a shorter growing season will be harder. Condition of the soil and rainfall also influence the condition of the wood. Many tropical woods, for example, are described as being “full of sand” because of the high mineral content.
Hardwoods (Leaf Trees)
Very Soft (Under 450 Pounds)
Aspen
Basswood
Eastern Cottonwood
Quite Soft (450 To 600)
Butternut
Yellow-Poplar (Tulip Poplar)
Red Alder
Spanish Cedar
Moderately Soft (600 To 750)
Soft Silver Maple
Moderately Hard (750 To 900)
American Sycamore
True (Honduras) Mahogany
Tupelo
African Mahogany
Bigleaf (Oregon) Maple
Sweetgum
Slippery Elm
Hackberry
Quite Hard (900 To 1050)
Paper Birch
Cherry
Soft (Red) Maple
Teak
Black Walnut
Southern Locust
Very Hard (1050 To 1400)
Southern Red Oak
OregonAsh
Green Ash
Yellow Birch
Apitong & Keruing
Black Oak
Northern Red Oak
American Beech
White Ash
Rock Elm
White Oak
Bur Oak
Exceptionally Hard (Over 1400)
Hard Maple
Cherry-Bark Oak
Sapele
HoneyLocust
Swamp White Oak
Black Locust
Hickory
Pecan
Softwoods (needle trees)
Very Soft (Under 450 Pounds)
Northern White Cedar
Western Red Cedar
Atlantic White Cedar
Subalpine Fir
Eastern White Pine
Sugar Pine
Engelmann Spruce
Balsam Fir
Noble Fir
Western White Pine
Young Growth Redwood
Pacific Silver Fir
Quite Soft (450 To 600)
Ponderosa Pine
Old-Growth Redwood
White Fir
Lodge-Pole Pine
White Spruce
Red Spruce
Grand Fir
Eastern Hemlock
Bald Cypress
SitkaSpruce
Black Spruce
Western Hemlock
Red Pine
Jack Pine
AlaskaYellow Cedar
Tamarack
Moderately Soft (600 To 750)
Douglas-Fir, Interior
Spruce Pine
Loblolly Pine
Shortleaf Pine
Douglas-Fir, Coastal
Virginia Pine
Moderately Hard (Over 750 )
Western Larch
Longleaf Pine
Janka Scale Of Hardness for Wood Species
100 Balsa
350 Western Red Cedar
410 Basswood
420 White Pine
660 Douglas Fir
690 So. Yellow Pine (Loblolly & Short Leaf)
800 Honduran Mahogany
870 So. Yellow Pine (Longleaf)
950 Black Cherry
950 North American Cherry
1000 Teak
1010 Black Walnut
1010 North American Walnut
1100 Alpine Ash
1100 Heritage Oak
1100 Makore
1155 True Teak
1225 Heart Pine
1260 Red Oak
1260 Yellow Birch
1290 Angelique Teak
1290 Red Oak (Northern)
1300 American Beech
1320 White Ash
1350 Tasmanian Oak
1360 White Oak
1375 AustralianCypress
1400CaribbeanWalnut
1450 Hard Maple
1450 North American Maple
1500 Brazilian Maple
1510 Sapele
1630 Wenge
1686RoseRiverGum
1700 Locust
1710 Kempas
1720 African Blackwood
1725 African Padauk
1780 PauFerro
1820 Hickory
1820 Pecan
1820 Pecan
1860 Purpleheart
1910 Jarrah
1925 Merbau
1980 Bubinga
2023 Karri
2023 SydneyBlue
2046 Australian Beech
2135 Brushbox
2160 Goncalo Alves
2170 Asian Rosewood
2200 Bocote
2200 SantosMahogany
2300 CaribbeanRosewood
2345 Mesquite
2473 Spotted Gum
2820 Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba)
2900 Bloodwood
3000 Brazilian Rosewood (Tamarindo)
3190 Bolivian Cherry (Cerezo)
3220 Ebony
3540 Brazilian Teak (Cumaru)
3680 Brazilian Walnut (Ipe)
3800 Snakewood
4500 Lignum Vitae (Guaiacum Species Only)
Steel and Carbide tools
Posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2012 at 3:48 pm.
The way tools are manufactured and the materials used in the manufacturing process have a great deal in determining the quality of the tool. Often times, in tools made of steel or carbide there are other materials added to increase the strength and wear of the tool. The process tools go through during manufacturing also affect the strength and wear of the tool. Some of these steel and carbide additives and processes are explained below.
Steel Additives
Steel additives are sometimes added to the precision hand tools we sell. Here is a list of some of the additives that may have been added to our lines of precision hand tools and the benefits that these additives offer to the tools.
Chromium is sometimes added to the steel to improve wear resistance, hardness and corrosion resistance.
Cobalt is sometimes added to steel because it improves high temperature toughness so the steel will keep an edge at the high temperatures caused by drilling or cutting.
Copper makes steel tougher, improves yield strength and improves corrosion resistance
Manganese makes steel harden better for a tougher, stronger, more impact resistant material.
Molybdenum improves impact resistance to prevent breakage, tensile strength and elasticity to prevent tool breakage and snapping.
Nickel improves impact resistance, tensile strength, elasticity and corrosion resistance.
Vanadium improves impact resistance, tensile strength and elasticity as well as providing resistance to alternating mechanical stress. Vanadium also improves the grain structure for a tougher tool.
Tungsten produces a fine, dense matrix for a tougher, stronger tool and helps with hot hardness
Carbide Additives
Advanced, fine grain, spray dried, carbide with additives to control grain growth and provide corrosion resistance. This grade has the highest resistance to abrasion (flank wear) and the greatest strength.
Tantalum improves hardness and strength as the tool gets hot during cutting.
Tantalum Carbide (TaC) and Tantalum Niobium Carbide (TaNbC) are added to maintain edge strength at high temperatures. TaC is a grain growth inhibitor preventing the formation of large grains and increasing the hardness of the sintered part.
Titanium additives to carbide improve high red hardness and create very good wear qualities. They machine steel in the very high speed ranges, providing good surface finishes and size control. Titanium Carbide gives “lubricity” to the carbide so that the chip slides across the face of the cutter with less heat and friction. Titanium carbide additives permit the carbide to maintain high hardness at elevated temperatures. Where the material being machined tends to crater, bind, seize, or gall the workpiece, titanium carbide bearing grades should be used.
Tantalum (or Columbium) aids in resisting cratering, seizing, and galling. It improves resistance to deformation under heavy load where very high temperatures are created. Tantalum carbide maintains its hardness and strength at elevated temperatures better than titanium carbide or tungsten carbide.
Molybdenum is a very efficient catalyst to improve manufacturing quality and produce, better, tougher, more consistent parts.
Vanadium is chemically stable and has excellent high-temperature properties. It makes much finer carbide crystals and greatly improves the material.
HIPed Carbide
HIP stands for Hot Isostatic Pressing. You bring the material, either steel or tungsten carbide, up to a point just below its melting temperature. You do this under tons of pressure. What happens is that all the voids and holes in the material are squeezed shut so you get a harder, stronger piece of material. It also rearranges the grain structure to make it a tighter, better packed, more consistent material. This also greatly improves strength and wear properties.
Casting versus forging
In casting you mix the material, heat it until it is molten and then poured it into a mold. In forging you get the material hot and you beat it into shape. Forging provides a much stronger, more consistent piece of material because the act of forging serves as a method to remove any air bubbles that may result from casting. In addition forging also improves the grain structure generally improving all desirable properties.
Hot rolling versus forging
Steel is often made in a continuous casting process where it is poured out into molds. These very large, very thick chunks of steel are then rolled and rerolled and rolled some more to make steel plate and steel sheet. This can cause problems in precision tools because the rolling introduces stress into the steel so that the steel wants to bend. The very best tools are stress relieved through heat treating or forging so that they stay straight and have no tendency to bend.
Machining versus casting
Cheap tools are cast because it is a cheap manufacturing process. High quality tools are forged, machined and polished or forged and polished. If you are making the body for a good router bit, you want a solid piece of steel with no voids or imperfections. Forging gives you this, casting does not. Machining adds a little more to the cost but a great deal more to the quality of the tool. With tools such as screwdrivers the best shafts are forged to shape rather than polished to bring them the final size and to create a smooth, safe, highly effective surface.
