Cemented Tungsten Carbides and Their Application to the Wood Working Field

Cemented tungsten carbides and their efficiency in wood working is described. Cemented tungsten carbide is a man-made metal, obtained by pressing and heating powdered metals in various combinations. In powder form they all possess the same hardness, yet in combination they can be produced in different grades with respect to hardness, strength, and heat properties. The softest grade is as hard as the hardest steel. Those produced for the wood working industry are twice as dense as steel, have four times its thermal conductivity and are not affected by elevated heat. Cemented carbides are three times as rigid as steel, their minimum compressive strength approaches steel’s maximum. Proper surface finish for lumber can be obtained by “jointing” the knives in the cutterhead while the machine is running. A simple technique has been developed for jointing carbide knives, a process similar to jointing steel knives. A diamond grinding wheel is used for grinding steel knives. Broken carbide knives can be repaired and have proved capable of giving 20 to l tool life over high speed steel, knives. Machinery operations, such as rough surfacing, finish surfacing, molding, finger jointing, edge and veneer jointing, and tenoning are using carbide tooling with outstanding results.

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