I have three 13in dia x .110 thick milling machine saw blades
thay have a 2in hole in the center. the meterial is high speed steel I have confermend this with a spark test. I have never worked with this steel, looking for help from some one who has. What is the best way to cut it, I asumed it would be worked in the hardend state but how to cut into 1in stripes.
I'm told that it makes very goog small knives
Gib

Cactus I have never worked hi speed steel, but believe that you could use stone blades on a skill saw and go slow. Hi speed steel keeps it's hardness into the red zone, so heat build-up shouldn't be a problem. I can't remember if it is air harding or not, Ed can tell you more.

Ed, I was wondering if you have ever tried to weld M-2? I tried to ad a drill bit to a damascus billit and it just broke up at welding heat. I know the bit was M-2 because it was stamped on the shank. Is it something that is doable or is it not worth the effort?

Gib,I played around with a cold saw blade once.HSS, not sure what else was in the mix.Tried annealling it,that didn't work, in fact the blade shattered while cooling launching shrappnel around the shop.Tried cutting a piece with the torch and it just fizzled up. So I tried using a cutoff wheel on my die grinder.That worked but slow,used a Dremel to clean tighter areas.Profiling and sanding was tough also.That stuff is a belt eater.I have a couple more of these blades but until I find a way to anneal them I don't think I will use them.Here's a picture of the knife I completed.Dave

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid27/pa0600dff4ee797790bab5ef7d59c1f01/fe25756f.jpg

Well, unless you have a heat treat oven, it's very difficult to anneal M-2. As mentioned before, it was created to be a steel that holds it's hardness at high temps. My experience with M-2 is limited to having TRIED to forge it. Let's put it this way, I have successfully forged D-2. D-2 is another type of steel in the same general family. D-2 will simply refuse to move under the hammer. The only way I forged it was to use the power hammer, getting only a few licks in before it was too cold to move at all. The one area where both of these steels are dreadfully lacking, and something I demand in any blade steel is toughness. Don't get me wrong, both will hold a wonderful edge, but if the edge is thin, or you ever tweak the blade, it's flat going to break.
As for welding M-2 to anything else, the only successful method I have ever seen is TIG, and even then it was not a strong weld.
Both of these materials are so "Red Hard", that they will more often than not, crack and crumble when forged. It takes a great deal of time and patience to work with either in a forging enviroment. My attempts were to see if I could produce a better blade through forging than could be had from stock removal of these materials............NOT HAPPEN'IN!
Besides.............Who wants a blade made of that Godless, soul-less material anyway. :p

Thanks Ed, I was working up a billit of 'Frontier damascus' and had added a couple of ball bearings, roller bearings, a file, some nails, some rake teeth and thought why not?

Well, the drill bit crumbled and most fell off the billit at about the second hammer blow. I get some more time I might play a little more and see if I can work some into a billit.

I hate to through good steel away and with damascus finaly found a use for all those small bits of hi-carbon and was hoping to get rid of some broken drill bits, Oh well:rolleyes:

Thanks Ed I have had these blades several years so I will put them back under the bench for a few more till I find a ues for them Gib