Mitres might be challenging at first, but they add great dimension to woodworking projects, as they don't leave unsightly end grain. With practice, you'll be a master of bevels and mitres in no time.

After getting the angle right the blade depth will need to be changed to only a little deeper than the thickness of the cut to be made. Blade height can be changed by a catch that will move the baseplate up or down and expose more or less of the blade.

As you'll see, angled edges are tricky as the cut surfaces don't line up as perfect as you expect - this problem is multiplied when you try and create a squared box with mitred edges. We'll look at techniques to minimize these errors and make clean cuts.

The chief alloying elements have a strong influence on the properties of high speed steel, and the various grades were developed through extensive experimentation.

Tools made of high speed steel frequently keep a sharp edge for longer than other carbon steels, and the variety of grades and surface treatments available provide options for specialized applications. These products see use anywhere from woodworking to machining high-grade alloys.

In a similar way to when we learned that sawdust can be used to clean up excess glue in the All About Glue Lesson, we can also use glue and sawdust to act as a filler for small gaps.

To cut a straight and even bevel without the aid of a table saw and fence, you'll need to make your own fence. Accounting for the width of the baseplate and the blade kerf, a fence can be set up along side the wood to be cut, either by clamping (more stable but longer setup) or with heavy-duty double-sided tape (easier but less stable)

A mitre is an angled cut cut relative to the square side of the material. This is most typically seen on wood picture frames. The image shown above is a typical mitre.

As with the Making Perfectly Straight Cuts Lesson, set up a fence along the angled cut line, remembering to offset the distance of your circular saw base plate and blade kerf and to set the fence on the side of the wood you wish to keep so the cut off portion falls away. Then, clamp your wood to a stable workbench and cut your mitre.

Our particle metals include the standard grades M4, T15, M48 and A11 (a primarily vanadium-based steel); these are also included in the regular inventory. The fine-grained and uniform structure of these particle metals grants them high impact toughness and makes them exceptional for cold working.

Over forty classifications of high speed steel are recognized by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), and more still are also produced by manufacturers. Two general categories comprise these various classifications: those primarily alloyed by tungsten and those alloyed by molybdenum.

Another common treatment is titanium nitride (TiN) via physical vapor deposition, which enhances edge retention significantly. This, combined with a lower coefficient of friction, means an extended lifespan and improved machining, though TiN-coated tools react adversely with titanium or nickel alloys.

Sometimes, even when you double check everything, bevels can come out irregular. Most of the time the result are thin fins of wood where the saw blade didn't cut, these can be easily resolved with a small trimming plane.

With everything set up the circular saw can be run along the wood to create the bevel. As with other cuts, it's advisable to position your work so that the cut off portion falls away from the wood. In the video example below I was cutting directly on top of my workbench, which has the potential for the blade to cut through the wood and into the bench.

Apply glue on top of the gap and use a toothpick or sheet of stiff card to force glue into the gap, push sawdust from the same same wood as the frame into the gap. Since sawdust is a great at absorbing moisture you can apply another layer of glue on top (if needed) and then another layer of sawdust to fill the gap.

Though not traditionally considered to be cutting tools, punches, dies and other components in progressive stamping can also be made from high speed steel. Additionally, the properties of high speed steels, particularly hardness and wear resistance, are desirable for hand tools such as chisels, files, blades for hand planes and kitchen and pocket knives.

Griggs leads the industry in high speed steels, not only for the quality of our steels but also for affordability, rapid response and delivery, ISO-9001 expertise and dedicated customer service. Every order includes a certificate of quality, and we’re ready to back that by refunding you if our high speed steel fails due to defects. Contact us today to request a quote and learn more about our options and how they can benefit you.

It's important to not extend the entire blade when cutting for safety reasons, any more blade exposed than what you need can be a hazard as the exposed blade will be under the work piece and outside your view - making it very easy to accidentally cut into your workbench, the power cable, or yourself (yikes!).

The powder is then subject to hot isostatic pressing—a combination of high pressure and near-melting point temperature—to compact it. This produces a fine-grained, homogeneous bulk structure with a uniform distribution of carbides and little to no precipitation of alloying elements. We refer to the resulting alloys as particle metals, designated with PM.

High speed steel tools often receive a bright or black oxide finish for use with non-ferrous or ferrous metals, respectively. Other coatings and treatments are possible, as well. Nitriding diffuses nitrogen into the surface of the steel during heat treatment, producing a case-hardened surface that shows higher wear resistance at the expense of notch hardness.

For decades, Griggs Steel has provided quality high speed steel to many clients for all of their machining and fabrication needs. Our standards for both our products and service keep us moving forward to satisfy customers and build lasting relationships with them. What is high speed steel? What makes it stand out in industry, and what can we make for you?

Additionally, we manufacture several grades using the proprietary Crucible Particle Metallurgy process, a form of powder metallurgy. This involves pouring the molten alloy through a spray nozzle and atomizing it to produce tiny droplets of steel that quickly cool into a fine powder, stored in sealed and decontaminated capsules.

Broadly, high speed steel excels in hardness and abrasion resistance, with different grades trading for toughness, hot hardness or reduced brittleness. As a result, these alloys see the most use in industrial cutting tools—tool bits, milling cutters, saw blades, drills, taps, broaches and more.

A bevel is an angled cut relative to the face of the material. This can be an angled cut along the entire side of a plank of wood, or cut at the end of the wood. The picture above is a bevel cut into the end of a piece of wood.

Making a bevel with a circular saw is just as easy. Almost every circular saw has a tilting baseplate that allows the angle to be set. The thumb screw or catch to loosen the tilt will be in front or behind the blade and off to the side, usually in line with the trigger.

Each grade is designated with T or M, respectively, as well as a unique number distinguishing it from other grades. Despite this naming, all but two M-type steels also contain some tungsten, and all T-types but one contain some amount of molybdenum; both of these form the metal carbides essential to achieving the desired properties. ASTM specifications exist for 7 T-types and 17 M-types.

High speed steel comprises a set of steel alloys named for their capacity to cut materials faster than traditional high-carbon steels previously used in cutting tools. This is on account of exceptional hardness, abrasion resistance and resistance against softening at high temperatures, owing to the alloying metals and heat treatment used. We follow the American Society for Testing and Materials in its definition of high speed steel as given in Specification A600-79—a high-carbon steel containing tungsten and/or molybdenum, along with chromium, vanadium and sometimes cobalt.

Work up the sandpaper to about a 220 grit for your finish sanding. Clean off the frame after sanding to remove any dust or debris with a tack cloth or lint-free rag.

With the base positioned flat against the wood, run the planer in the direction of the wood grain with the blade facing forwards in one smooth motion. If done correctly the wood will curl as it's shaved (planed). Hand planes aren't just for corners, they're also commonly used on relatively flat surfaces to help level any high spots - look for another lesson on planes in a future class.

The plane works by having a flat and level bottom with a small notch cut out from which a sharp blade protrudes, it works much like a shaving razor except with this razor you can control how much of the blade is exposed. It's best to start with very little blade, then work your way up exposing more blade as required.

The good news is there's some things we can do to try and make the mitres fit better. Clamp your sander into a bench vise so that you're got a sturdy station to sand at, put a 150 grit sandpaper on the sander and gently press the mitre onto the sander making sure the contact is as level as possible.

Up to now we've been focused on right angles with our wood projects, but there's going to be times when you're going to want more complex shapes to your woodworking. The next step to adding interesting details to your work is with angled cuts, in woodworking terms angled cuts are called either bevels or mitres.

From the Sanding Lesson we know to start with a coarse sandpaper of about 100 grit, paying special attention to the transition between joined pieces and the corners, and working our way up to higher grits. If sanding reveals any more voids at the mitres then reapply the glue and sawdust trick again, wait until dry and then continue sanding.

The base can be tiled with a rough degree of accuracy, which is usually enough as most bevels are used for trim work and not intended for joining where precision would be needed.

Other HSS grades are used instead for more specific applications, typically for better wear resistance or hot hardness. M3, M4 and M7 feature increased carbon and vanadium for higher abrasion resistance and grindability, and M42 possesses a high cobalt content that gives it exceptional hot hardness.

Both a bevel and a mitre are types of angled cuts, and both are easy to make without a compound mitre saw. However, bevels and mitres are also easy to cut with the humble circular saw. Almost all circular saws have a pivoting base that will allow a bevel cut, and a mitre cut is just an angled variation of the straight cuts we learned in the Making Perfectly Straight Cuts Lesson.

After a few cuts, something you're sure to notice is that the mitres don't line up, even when you're checking with a square and sure you cut everything as precise as possible - this is where an ugly truth emerges about mitres: they're really hard to get right!

As seen in the next picture below, I had the blade set slightly less than the full thickness of the piece, leaving a ridged profile.

We produce and ship HSS stock in the form of block sheets, plates and hardened round bars of various sizes. Our regular inventory includes the M2, M3, M4, M7 and M42 grades of high speed steel. M2 is widely considered the industry standard for high speed steels, well-balanced in toughness, abrasion resistance and hot hardness for general purpose, replacing the original T1 grade in most uses due to the molybdenum inclusion improving most properties and being more economic.

If you're cutting a 45° angle the measurement is easy with a speed square, just line the flange edge of the speed square on the side of your wood with the flat side of the square on the face of your materials and scribe the angle with a pencil. If you're doing an angle other the 45° then the speed square has you covered with the markings on it, or you can use a protractor and a straight edge to achieve the angle you want.

The idea here to to try and even out any small variations from the mitres and get a better fit. Go slow and check your work for squareness often, using a carpenter's or speed square. Eventually you will get to a place where your frame will be mostly square and the mitres tight (this is a Sisyphean task, as getting perfect mitres can be tough even for seasoned woodworkers).

Cutting a mitre with a circular saw is almost the same as making a straight cut as learned in Making Perfectly Straight Cuts, only we're cutting at an angle. Measure and then mark your mitre with a pencil on the face of your wood, continue the mark from the face over the edge and onto the side of the piece - this will help keep reference when you're cutting.

Flip the frame over so the front is facing upwards. If your frame has any gaps that couldn't be trued up by sanding they should be apparent now with the corrugated fasteners installed.

The heat treatment used is also a major component of what defines high speed steel, as its martensitic structure contributes to its high hardness. This is achieved by austenizing to nearly the steel’s melting temperature, then quenching in a salt bath or by air cooling and multiple tempering cycles to convert any remaining austenite to martensite.