table saw blade?

[huskymill]

hey i was thinking about using a 10" diameter table saw blade to make at least one knife, probably could get more out of the amount of material, but do you think that would be a good material to use for a blade?

[pocomoonskyeyes]

I believe Crash has made a knife from a saw blade, I'm sure he can tell you. BTW you should be able to get more than one blade. Just trace your outline either side of the hole. You can use the left over for Arrowheads.

[Camp10]

If it's a carbide tipped, then no it wont make good knife steel. If the tips are the same steel as the rest of the blade than it is probably a steel equivalent to L-6 and should make a good knife. Poco is right, if you are careful with your designs, you should be able to squeeze a couple of knives out of a 10" blade. Have fun!

[crashdive123]

Yep - saw blades work well.

[klkak]

I've made Ulu's from table saw blades. The more expensive blades are made of high speed steel.

[Ole WV Coot]

Work great for a nice slicing knife. I have used them for years.

[klkak]

The Ulu's the natives up here use are pretty big. most are 8" to 12" tip to tip. Here's are a couple pic's of the first Ulu I made. It is 9" tip to tip. This ulu is more for cutting meat and filleting fish.

[Ted]

Wow Kev, that things awsome!

[Rick]

Very knice. (couldn't resist) That is a nice blade, however. I have an Ulu that I picked up in AK. I also have a couple of used blades hanging in the garage. I had never thought about making an Ulu out of them but the circle lends itself specifically to that type of blade. Thanks!!

[SARKY]

Some splain to me why a carbide tipped blade would be different from a non carbide tipped blade for making a knife. You're not using the carbide tips, you're cutting the blade out of the body of the circular saw blade. I've got a bunch of old wornout 10 inchers and a couple of 18 inchers 3/16 thick. I'm thinking about trying my hand at making a knife or two.

[klkak]

Blades with carbide tips are made with lower quality steel then blades without carbide tips.

[huskymill]

thanks for the advice and the info on the carbide tips was really good. i didnt know that.

[crashdive123]

Some splain to me why a carbide tipped blade would be different from a non carbide tipped blade for making a knife. You're not using the carbide tips, you're cutting the blade out of the body of the circular saw blade. I've got a bunch of old wornout 10 inchers and a couple of 18 inchers 3/16 thick. I'm thinking about trying my hand at making a knife or two.

Both Camp10 and Klkak seem to agree on the quality of steel on a carbide tipped blade. I really don't know what the steel is on them, but I've seen some fantastic (and tough) knives made from carbide tipped saw mill blades. I'm guessing the stell is different from the smaller blades? The only real caution I was given was to not try and cut through the carbide tips - as you will pretty much destryoy your cutter (bandsaw blade, cutting wheel, etc.) If I had one, I'd at least try it to see how it turns out.

[klkak]

Crash, I've made some knives out of an old mill blade and they were really good knives. I made some Ulu's out of smaller blades that had carbide tips and they didn't hold and edge very well. I must admit it could have been the result of poor treating.

[Camp10]

Carbide tipped blades are usually 4140 and while you can heat treat them to low to mid 40's rockwell, it wont take the treatment of the high carbon blades.

[crashdive123]

Carbide tipped blades are usually 4140 and while you can heat treat them to low to mid 40's rockwell, it wont take the treatment of the high carbon blades.

Do you know if that's the same for the large blades as well?

[Camp10]

Do you know if that's the same for the large blades as well?

No I dont. I do know that I got a masonry blade that was around 24" and it was not high carbon steel. Every saw mill blade I have ever work with was a high carbon steel and made good knives.

[rebel]

KNIFE CHARACTERISTICS
Knife Steel

Steel is a mixture, or alloy, of iron and carbon, combined during the smelting process. Specifically, steel is iron that has a carbon content of 1.7 percent or less. The characteristics of steel can be modified by the addition in varying amounts of other metals, principally chromium, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, nickel, or tungsten, and by adjusting the carbon content.

Specific traits of the steel can be further enhanced through physical manipulation of the metal by heat treatment, quenching, hardening and tempering. The science of metallurgy is devoted to developing properties in steel and other metals to optimize their performance in specific applications.

Heat treating is the process that gives steel its hardness, as well as toughness, strength, durability, wear resistance, and ductility. As a generalization, the process involves thoroughly preheating a component, such as knife steel, to 1400-1500 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 30 minutes. It is then raised to the range of 1850-1950 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes to one hour.

To achieve a high degree of hardening, the steel is then subjected to rapid cooling. Stainless steels are typically air cooled at room temperature. Tool steels are generally "cooled" in warm oil. The beneficial changes in steel that occur as a result of the heat treating process do not actually take place during the heating cycle, but rather stem from the rapid cooling down or "quenching" cycle. The abrupt fall from high temperature changes carbon particles in the metal into hard carbide crystals.

As soon as the steel is quenched, it is tempered. This involves again heating the steel, this time to the tempering temperature, which is a function of the desired hardness one would like to achieve. Tempering temperatures range from 400 degrees Fahrenheit for most tool and stainless steels to 950 degrees Fahrenheit for some premium stainless steels. Hold time at the tempering temperature ranges from 30-60 minutes. After holding the steel at the requisite temperature for a corresponding specific period of time, the steel is allowed to cool. The tempering process is normally repeated a second time.

Several features are desirable in the steel used to make the blade of a knife. The intended use of the knife must be known, however, because steels well suited for one purpose may not perform well in another. Some steels represent a "compromise," and may function adequately, but not optimally, in a variety of applications.

Properties desirable in a knife blade include the following:


edge holding ability;
toughness, strength and flexibility;
resistance to corrosion.


High carbon steel is steel with 0.5 percent or more carbon content. It requires at least 0.5-0.6 percent carbon for steel to be sufficiently hard to keep an edge. Edge holding ability is produced by use of such high carbon or "hard" steel, with low chromium content. Cutlery grade steel is typically of this composition.

Hard steel will produce a sharp, long-lasting edge. A blade that is extremely hard will stay sharp for a long time. When it does lose its edge, however, considerable effort will be required to restore it. The addition of carbon makes steel harder. However, toughness is sacrificed because the steel becomes more brittle, less malleable, and less able to withstand shock and stress. Extremely hard blades can sometimes snap because they lack the toughness provided by a medium carbon content.

Toughness and strength is a characteristic associated with the medium carbon content steels. This chemical composition produces a "soft" or flexible steel capable of better withstanding bending and impacts. Soft steel is tougher and easier to sharpen. Soft steel, however, will not be hard enough to provide superior edge holding ability.

Simple and basic, high carbon tool steels make excellent, tough knives. Tool steel O-1 is probably the most popular knife steel of the last century. It produces a rugged, tough blade of excellent quality. Edge holding ability is also exceptional. It tends to rust easily, if not properly cared for.

The high carbon series 1095, 1084, 1070, 1060, and 1050 represent tool steels that are often used in cutlery applications, although 1095 is very popular for making knife blades. These series of tool steels exhibit the following characteristics, ranging from 1095 to 1050 in descending order: more carbon to less carbon; best edge holding to better edge holding to good edge holding; and tough to tougher to toughest. Because of their toughness, 1060 and 1050 are often found in swords. 1095 is a common knife tool steel that is not too costly yet performs in a superior manner. It holds an edge well and is functionally tough. Similar to other tool steels, it is subject to rust. Most basic USMC type field knives produced by Ka-bar, Camillus, and Ontario are made from the extremely durable 1095.

A-2 is an air hardened tool steel frequently used in the construction of combat type knives. Toughness is superb, complemented by good edge holding ability.

D-2 is a high grade tool steel gaining a following among higher end production and custom knife makers. Although not a true stainless steel, the "semi-stainless" D-2 is more resistant to rust and corrosion than other tool steels. It possesses superb wearing properties and excellent edge retention, but is not quite as tough as other commonly used tool steels

I've knocked the carbid tips off if they haven't fallen off after annealing. The knives are used in the kitchen so, they get regular use and what I've found is that they hold an edge just as good or better as the expensive knives. If you have to sharpen them a little more often, so what? Here are some pics of my small (7 1/2 and 10 inch) cirular saw blade knives:

[Camp10]

Hey Rebel, I'm not trying to knock what you have used for knife steel especially if you have good results with it. There are so many kinds of steels that some will swear by and others will swear at. We all have our biases (is that a word?)and I like to pick steels based on what I have learned about them.

I sell many of my knives and because of that I have to keep my results as close to uniform as I can. I use many different kinds of steel and like to recycle and experiment but I also have to test new stuff and make sure that I can keep the hardness around 57-60 Rc while still staying tough enough to stick in the hands of people that might not treat a knife like I would.

[rebel]

Hey Rebel, I'm not trying to knock what you have used for knife steel especially if you have good results with it. There are so many kinds of steels that some will swear by and others will swear at. We all have our biases (is that a word?)and I like to pick steels based on what I have learned about them.

I sell many of my knives and because of that I have to keep my results as close to uniform as I can. I use many different kinds of steel and like to recycle and experiment but I also have to test new stuff and make sure that I can keep the hardness around 57-60 Rc while still staying tough enough to stick in the hands of people that might not treat a knife like I would.

I can understand where you're coming from. I'm a novice and I'd never sell one of mine because they aren't worth the postage. I'm glad you folks are around to helps me out!

[Camp10]

I can understand where you're coming from. I'm a novice and I'd never sell one of mine because they aren't worth the postage. I'm glad you folks are around to helps me out!

Well, if your knives can survive the kitchen test they must be pretty good! I like the looks of the patch knives as well.