Webbwood/(Dymondwood)/etc machining

Quite a few years ago i used to machine Pergo flooring for inlays and such, and just matter of factly used carbide router bits. Don't recall any unusual or undue wear issues.

Has anyone machined the old Dymondwood, or Webbwood, or similar with a moulding profile?
If so, is stellite better tooling, or carbide?
(leave diamond out of the equation here, not one i can make in house)

Thinking of a 3 or 4 wing solid body brazed tool perhaps 2" x 2" depth x width of profile. Shaper tool.
I prefer stellite (VR wesson Tantung) as being not only easier to work with (can be ground with normal AlO abrasives), but it is generally superior to carbide for woodworking tools in sharpness and durability.
OTOH, if carbide would have significant advantage in plastic impregnated lumber, i'd consider it.

Thanks for any insights.

smt

Stephen, I would think that the resins that impregnate the veneers wouldn't abrade the cutters any more than the silicates that live in the veneers themselves. Your main issue IMHO would be heat and possible smearing if the SFM is out of range. I know the products are used often in pen turning so I may be way off base with that concern. I’d chance making the cutters with your favorite materials and experiment with process variables.
Joe

A bit of info about expected LF of profile would help. HSS will do it all. Until it doesn't. Tool wear with some of these materials also happens from chemical attack. Pergo is a laminate floor and may have the top melamine surface impregnated with Aluminum oxide for wear protection. Many laminates do. Sparks when cutting? Yup. Got to make a chip.

Couple notes:
Scratch the pergo reference - the *material i used 30 years ago was far different than what is sold as "pergo flooring" today.
Which currently is a thin layer of hard material over cheap plywood or pressed board, with a metal oxide top clearcoat.
It is possible that the flooring supplier was naming any resin impregnated solid wood with that name, or that i was misunderstanding.

The material i would receive to machine into inlays or arcs was a solid piece of wood impregnated with resin and dye. I believe the wood was poplar, could have been birch. There's still some in a rat hole here, somewhere This is both the type of material i'd like to find, and might end up machining with a large bullnose profile after it is laminated to other solid wood. Actually, almost a "clamshell" base shape.

Webbwood is not too far from here, so if this progresses, will dig deeper there.
Dymalux is in Maine, a little further afield.

Neither seems to make product longer than about 3-1/2' so that is an issue.
Any other likely candidates?

So if the project goes in that direction, rather than, say formica pressure bagged over a solid substrate, the cutters would be machining a phenolic or acrylic impregnated solid wood. I don't think HSS will hold up, but could be wrong.

Yesterday i ordered some Tantung G from VR Wesson, It's my favorite brazed tool material for wood & wood panels products. They say it will take 4 weeks to process.

* impregnated wood material i remember - was actually hoping this might still be available as a low cost source for impregnated wood that would not need an applied ("varnish", e.g.) finish. Still looking.

smt

Ligma? Was a nice product. Imported by Formica.

Might have been, Scruffy. That has a familiar sound, anyway.

The rathole i thought remainders were stashed is full of 25/32" cabreuva flooring, same era. so it still speculation.

Also leaning toward making the moulding blanks and facing with one of the solidcore HPL products. Which puts it back to HSS knives. Still a very theoretical project, but moving forward in fits and starts. As mentioned above, Tantung G was ordered, so will arrive at some point "just in case".

smt