On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 10:49:16 -0800, "Harold and Susan Vordos"
wrote:


If you've never tried carbon steel for machining, especially if you're
running reasonably modern machines, you'll never know the frustration that
comes with its use. Once you're used to the performance level of HSS,
it's nearly impossible to revert to lesser cutting tools. It seems so
unnatural to cut so slowly------but then perhaps for many of the home shop
types, that isn't a problem. Having worked in industry, it drives me nuts!
I own a 1-1/8" carbon steel drill, purchased for a buck at a flea market.
Absolutely worthless for anything but non-ferrous use.

Right, but man has known how to make carbon steel for hundreds of
years, long before machines went any faster than one could turn a
crank by hand or with oxen.