On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 14:50:51 GMT, "Tom Gardner"
wrote:

I'm reading an interesting novel about the island of Nantucket getting
transported back in time to 1200 BC. (Island in the sea of time) The
residence have to gear their technology back quite a bit, understandably.
One of the first things they do is organize the hobby machinists into an
industry to produce necessities and trade goods. Machine shop heroes! One
big problem looming is the finite supply of tool steel and cutting tools.
How would someone with such limited resources make small quantities of
serviceable tool steel cutting tools? They have plenty of mild steel from
boats and cars.

I'll be looking for that book next visit to Borders.

Tool steel is merely carbon steel harder than the material it must cut
for long enough to do the job at cutting speed that doesn't overheat
it. Any steel can be made thus hard in a charcoal fire,
case-hardened with bone meal in a muffle. The result can be harder
and sharper than HSS tooling. It's LSS, works just fine.

High Speed Steel can take more heat than tool steel so it can take
higher speed and feed. But high speed is not necessary to make
goods. High speed in 1200 BC? How fast could they pedal or crank?