MsDebbieP's Company Tours #11: Steel City Tool Works (Part II)

Today, Rick and I attended the Woodstock Wood Show and had the pleasure of meeting Jim McEntee, Vice President of Steel City Tool Works.. (See Part I of the interview with Jim)

At the wood show, Jim introduced me to Terry Ross, Sales Manager for the Ontario Region, and David Campagna, Sales Manager for Eastern Canada Region.

After some discussion about LumberJocks and what we are up to, we talked about the new products that will soon be introduced by Steel City. (for example: the jointer with the granite fence, as mentioned in part I of the interview).

I then asked about the carbide blades, as requested by IowaWoodcrafter in another discussion.

I hope I have this information correct: The carbide steel blade is much tougher and will last longer than the High Speed Steel. But, the HSS blades are more precise and give a cleaner finish. Selecting which blade to use, depends on what type of work you will primarily be doing with the machine.

The jointer that we looked at had a spiral blade (carbide inserts) as opposed to a straight blade. Going for the expensive carbide blades can add another $500 to the cost of the machine and takes a long time to set it up.

Rick attended a demonstration on jointers and planers and the presenter (a cabinet maker by trade) prefers the HSS blade over the carbide. He says that most people (hobbyists etc) sharpen their blades once a year but he sharpens his once a week.

Thanks again to Jim, and to Terry and David, who made me feel right at home at the Steel City booth, wearing my beaver hat and red plaid coat!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)