Product Detail—M42

Product Summary

 

This steel performs exceptionally well in hardwoods.  Users have told us that they get up to 8 times longer life from this steel over M2 HSS.  The M42 has a high cobalt and tungsten content which makes it a more durable knife able to maintain a sharper edge longer.  This steel should be ground with a white wheel or better, such as borazon.  Users in softwood applications will likely see an improvement over M2, but the improvement is much more significant in hardwood applications.  Many customers will use the M42 for long run patterns, while using the M2 for short run and custom pattern applications. 

 

Difficult woods to machine, such as hard maple, hickory, and knotty woods, present problems for all types of knife material.  A general rule of thumb is that the harder the knife material, the more brittle it is, thus when the knife encounters a foreign object, silicate, or a knot, the knife edge can shatter, breaking out a piece of the knife, often this damage is removed by re-sharpening or regrinding the knife, but it can damage the knife beyond repair.  In such circumstances, we suggest using a less expensive knife such as the M2.  It is a softer material so it will be able to absorb the shock which would otherwise fracture a knife.  The knife will dull sooner and will require more frequent re-sharpening, but that may be preferable to replacing an expensive knife.  A particular problem in hard maple is the inconsistency of the silicate pockets.  If one is encountered in the first few feet of board, it can damage the knife, but if silicate is not encountered the knife will perform quite well.  For S4S work of varying types, we may suggest a variety of carbide insert tooling.

 

We maintain a substantial stock in Atlanta, Georgia.

· Highest Grade M42 HSS

· Cobalt and Tungsten

· Hardness:  65-67 Rockwell C Scale

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