[How do I?] Choosing the right steel for the job.

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joe_m

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My metalworking hobby is really just to support my woodworking addiction. Today's dilemma is choosing the right steel for my task without going bankrupt.

I want to make a couple sets of cutters for a plow plane (Stanley 45/55). That's a non-powered handheld woodworking plane with cutters of varying profiles. The cutters are 1/8" thick, 3-4" long and vary in width from 1/8 to 1".
I know I can buy real tool steel (paying a lot of money I don't have) shape the profiles I need and then harden/temper them. But that really seems like overkill for this application. I see for the non-tool steels that something like 1018 can be case hardened - but I understand case hardening as a brittle exterior with a soft gooey core, I need something that I can harden the whole thing at least enough that it can touch wood for more than 5 minutes without being dulled to the point of uselessness.

The big boys are using A2 and O1 to make premium blades, but I'll be making sets of 40+ blades and that is too much $ for my budget. Are there other high-carbon steels out there to be had cheaper than tool steel, that can be hardened to what I need? I should add that I'll be buying online - this little 1/2 horse town doesn't sell much more than tinfoil and rebar.

Thanks
Joe
 
Joe,

Is there an automotive repair shop in your area that does leaf springs? Many are automotive leaf springs are made of 5160 which is excellent steel for blades and a single leaf will make many of them. You might also try Craigslist.

Tom
 
George should ring in on this one, since he has built a number of fine planes. Probably could dig up a thread or two of his showing the work.
 
Yes, I see they use A2 and O1, but as I mentioned in my post - those are expensive steels compared to the normal high carbon steels that were used in the originals.
It's also overkill for these blades. And I suspect LN uses them because Hock started the trend for these uber-blades and everybody else - LN, Veritas, Pinnacle etc - have jumped on the bandwagon.

But I'm living on a very fixed income. I bought a vise in April, that blows this months metalworking budget, next months metalworking budget, and a little bit of June's budget. Enough A2 to make 40 small cutters, each the size of half a popsicle stick would run a few hundred bucks. It's not going to happen.

I know I can - if I drive 85 miles to the nearest pick and pull junkyard - find leafsprings. I'm not going to find them in this little town - the local craigslist recycling mafia has that racket locked up (we'll pick up anything made of metal for FREE!!!!) And even if I found them, then I need to grind them (consistently) down to 1/8 and cut them to length and width - with a bandsaw I don't have - before starting on the actual shaping of the profiles. I was hoping that someone would jump in and say "1018 doesn't harden that well, but 1060/1045/???? is good and you can find it at this store (insert link to your favorite online metal dealer). I can't afford the A2/O1, and the 1018 is cheap enough but not suitable - I just need something in the middle.

So far I've looked at speedy metals, online metals and metal depot but haven't found anything in 1/8 thickness, varying widths except for 1018 and the A/O tool steels.
 
Try looking at Metals Supermarket: http://www.metalsupermarkets.com/MSC-Home.aspx I've found odd sizes, pieces, and alloys that others haven't carried.

On a side note, the Harbor Freight band saws are pretty inexpensive, especially with one of their 20% off coupons and maybe used ones on Craigs list for even less. Just something to consider. :)

-Ron
 
Enco lists O-1 0.125x1inchx18in flat stock at just under $15. A-2 is going to be quite a bit more than O-1, and W-1 will be cheaper than O-1 if you can find it as flatstock. If you are really looking to keep costs down, you may try brazing a smaller piece of tool steel to a mild steel shank. That way you can stretch 40" of O-1 out to cover your 40 cutters.

There is a product called "Cherry Red" that is supposed to be able to harden mild steels. I have not used it personally. I think a pound of that is going to make the price difference between tool steel and mild steel shrink to nothing.
 
I'm sorry but I don't have an answer for a very admirable problem!

Not being able to reform thin or cut metal leaves you to having to buy the correct form. so you may as well buy the right material to begin with 3' of 0-1 1/8x1 runs about 40$ as established and speedy metals has it ground for that price. I'm sorry for that but I'm about as cheap as they get and I'll be buying some for an upcoming project. Other than the shipping you don't have to pop for the full amount at once they sell by the inch.

To save money you can keep an eye out and perhaps find something free or nearly so and then see if it can be made to work with tooling in hand. Old bucksaw, old band from a lumber mill etc. Mainly something that already has a lot of carbon in it. If .088 thick is good a 24" power hacksaw blade would do you if you could find a source of used ones. Else new would be 20$ and back to "so you may as well buy the right material to begin with".

Bed frames may offer you something to try. They vary wildly in hardness.

Steve
 
Not sure if they would be big enough but I have found old planer blades are great to wood cutting tools. Big industrial wood working companies and cabinet shops often scrap the blades after a few sharpenings. of course many are going to carbide inserts now but if you ask around they may have old HSS ones they don't want.

Jeff
 
I would recomend using the case harden method and just remember to sharpen one side of the knife only.

Some other recomendations, water quench any of the medium carbon steels 1040, 1060 etc.

Oil quench 1090 steel (aka old files, railroad tie plates, plow boards, disk blades, etc.)

If you can find old circular saw blades (non carbide ), heat to cherry red, and burry in sand to cool, cut with a hack saw, file to shape then reharden+ oil/water quench.

I've been softening old hydraulic cylinder rods and axle shafts in the wood stove then burrying in dry kitty litter (oil dry) makes them machine much nicer on the lathe.
 
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