Which blade should I choose, High Speed Steel (HSS 18% Tungsten) or High Carbon Tool Steel (TS)?
A. In the smoothing and trying planes where you have a choice of HSS or TS, your choice should be based on the intended use of the plane. If you intend to do a lot of scraping a HSS blade will hold its edge much longer due to this metal being designed to hold an edge under high heat. If your main use for the plane is just planing then the TS blade will be just as good as the HSS blade. The wood you are using will dictate if you will do a lot of scraping. Wood like red gum, ironbark eg a lot of our dense eucalypts require scraping. Wood like cedar, silky oak and blackwood will only ever require planing.
