M42 bandsaw blades

I’ve tried without success, to find the specification for what have been described as M42 bandsaw blades.

What does M42 actually mean/describe?

Are M42 blades always bimetallic with tool-steel backing and teeth tipped with HS (cobalt) steel?

Can blades having carbide-tipped teeth be classified as M42?

Thanks for any help.

Sam

Bi-metal, triple tempered M42 cobalt high speed steel with hardened teeth. M42 tool steel, a type of molybdenum high speed tool steel, has good wear resistance and hot hardness along with high hardness values. See **LINK** ?

Hi Sam,

I'm not an expert on bandsaw blades but my research indicates that M42 grade blades are general purpose, bi-metal bladse suitable for cutting aluminium and steel.

Sawcraft.co.uk reference here: **LINK**

A useful reference to bandsaw blades by Lenox tools : **LINK**

(Something that I learnt in the Lenox guide was how to break in a new blade to extend its life)

Paul

As Peter says M42 is a molybdenum/ cobalt HSS. M42 bandsaw blades are invariably bimetallic - the M42 is welded to a flexible backing material, then the teeth milled. There is a short video of the process here

I don't think a solid M42 blade would be flexible enough to run on a bandsaw!

Carbide tipped blades cannot (legally!) be classified as M42 - carbide is a different material entirely.

For what it's worth I use M42 blades (from Tuffsaws - no connection etc.) and they really do pay for themselves over time.

Robin

Can blades having carbide-tipped teeth be classified as M42?

Unlikely that any manufacturer would want to do that - the carbide tipped blades we use at work are 3 or 4 times the price of bimetal blades. As in the situations we use them carbide tipped blades last 5x or more as long as bimetal they are cost effective, plus they save the blade change time.

Nigel B.

Many thanks to Peter, Paul, Robin, and Nigel B, your combined responses and links have led me to realise that M42 is the nomenclature for a version of high speed steel (HSS).

It wasn’t, as I was first trying to determine - a metric ‘something-or-other’ or perhaps some percentage-combination of chemical composition, e.g. 18-8 stainless steel.

I particularly find the Lenox **LINK** most valuable, especially their diagrams of shear-plane angles and swarf formation. The video mentioned by Robin is also worth a look.

To a limited degree, I shall be addressing M42 hidden within a subsequent post.

I don't expect to do that for some time yet.

Incidentally, did you spot the Achilles heel?

Regards,

Sam

Edited By Sam Stones on 29/11/2020 00:34:03