HSS Cutting Tools

High-Speed Steel cutting tools are subjected to intense friction, high heat and extreme wear, and are required to have high wear resistance, high hardness, and high red hardness to combat these problems.

High-Speed Steel (HSS) cutting tools are made of high-speed steels such as M-1, M-2, M-4, M-48 and T-15. They are also used to cut and shape tool steel and high-speed steel into a tooling component.

HSS Cutting tools are available in many shapes and sizes to perform a wide variety of cutting and forming operations. These HSS cutting tools are formed from a blank of high-speed steel into a cutting profile and then hardened and tempered to HRC 62-68. These cutting tools are usually fixtured into a machine using a collet, chuck or tool holder providing a rigid connection to the machine.

Cutting tools perform many functions from cutting a block of raw material to drilling a hole to shaping a profile to finishing a close tolerance dimension. HSS cutting tools are used in nearly all types of machining operations.

M-2 Tool Bits are used in lathes to machine a shape onto a piece of tool steel. M-2 works very well on interrupted cuts because it is the most shock-resistant of the high-speed steel grades. M-2 posesses relatively good heat and abrasion resistance making it a good choice for most ferrous and non-ferrous alloys.

PM T-15 Tool Bits are used in lathes for machining of harder tool and high-speed steels.  PM T-15 tool bits are used when you need excellent abrasion and heat resistance. The PM production process imparts better grindibility and toughness for interrupted cuts and high speeds.

Drill Bits are used in various machine types, such as lathes, mills and drill presses to drill a hole in a tool steel part. Drill bits can be purchased as individual bits or more commonly, in drill bit sets. These sets are available in a wide range of sizes and high-speed steel grades for difficult-to-machine materials.

Reamers are used to enlarge or smooth the surface of a previously drilled hole. Reamers are used in lathes, mills and drill presses and can also be fitted to be used in any of the CNC machining centers. They are manufactured for very close accuracy and are available in a wide range of sizes.

End Mills are HSS cutters used to cut slots, pockets and profiles in tool steel. They have 2 to 4 flutes, or cutting edges and have cutting edges on the end of the tool to provide plunge cutting and face milling capabilities. End mills are available with a square end or ball end, and in a wide range of sizes for various machining operations.

Push Broaches are long cutting tools used to cut slots or keyways in fabricated parts. They have a series of cutting edges along a single plane that will shear the material as the broach is pushed through the part. Push broaches are designed to complete: roughing, semi-finishing and finishing in one operation and are available in a wide range of sizes.

Rotary Broaches are HSS cutting tools used to produce a square or hex-shaped hole in a fabricated part. A hole is drilled into the part then the rotary broach is pushed through the part to produce the desired shape. Many sizes are available in both standard and metric sizes.

Gear Milling Cutters are used to cut a gear tooth profile into a work piece. These gear cutters are made of high-speed steel and are manufactured for heavy-duty use. They are available in a wide array of cutting styles, diametrical pitches and diameters from 1 3/4" to 8 1/2" diameter..

Tool Holders make the connection between the machine and the cutting tool. The tool holder must be sturdy and secure while providing ease of change for the operator. These tool holders are available for standard lathes, mills and CNC machining centers. Tool holder types include tool bit holders, drill chucks, broach holders, collets, tool posts and cemented carbide insert holders.

Saw Blades are cutting tools produced with the cutting teeth aligned in a linear fashion to provide continuous cutting. The saw blades are generally made of a high-carbon spine with M-42 high-speed steel teeth welded to the spine material. Saw blades are available with many different tooth pitches and spacing for the most demanding cutting applications.

Carbide Inserts are made from cemented carbide and are used in the machining of tool steel in CNC machining operations from turning, to face milling to threading. Carbide inserts require a very sturdy tool holder and are available in many configurations, angles and sizes.

Drill sharpeners are used to provide a new cutting edge on a worn drill bit. They sharpen the end of the drill bit by cutting back the length of the drill and redressing the angle. Drill sharpeners are available from the easy-to-operate models for the home enthusiast to fully automated drill sharpeners for the production tool shop.

Fixturing Blocks are used to hold the work piece off of the surface of the machine. Common fixturing blocks include 1-2-3 blocks and paralells.  These fixturing blocks are precision ground and hardened and are necessary in order to avoid running a cutting tool into the machine surface.

Machinist Vises are required to hold the work piece to the machine. The tool steel component is clamped in the vise, where it can he held in various positions, in order to facilitate machining. Machinist vises are available in many sizes and configurations. 

For more help in choosing the correct tool steel, high-speed steel and cutting tools, pick up our Tool Steel Simplified download below.

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