blade material

[Whit30]

Hello, Looking to try to make my first knife. I have searched but didnt find info I needed on using a file or possibly a cross cut saw blade for the blade material. Would a crosscut saw blade be a good material to use? Also I see many use files for their blades. Will any file work? Also do I need to do anything to these before cutting out the shape since i'm sure atleast the file will be too hard. I'm sure these have been asked a million differant ways and I appologize but I didn't see it. If there are tutorials I would greatly appreciate a link or where I may find the info.
Thanks for your time and help in advance!

[Whit30]

One other option. I read someone possibly using blades from an ag disc. I do have chipped or broken blades from an old farming Disc. Would this be a better option, and if so would it be good for a stock removal blade and a forged blade?
Thanks

[Ray Rogers]

First, welcome to the forums, Whit! Second, forget all those salvage materials and buy some good blade steel.

There are many threads on using salvaged steel, and it is a good thing to do for many reasons after you know how to answer all those questions you just asked for yourself. Until you can answer those questions and truly understand what all those issues cover you are just banging around in the dark with salvaged steel. Get some good blade steel like 1084 if you plan to heat treat it yourself or some 440C if you plan to send it out for heat treatment. That way, there is no question about what you have and what the requirements are for heat treating it. It takes a knowledgeable smith to test a piece of salvage steel and figure out how it should be treated or even if it should be used. No one - and I do mean absolutely no one - can tell you with certainty what steel was used to make any of the items you mentioned including the files and that includes the manufacturers of those items in many cases! So, that's not beginner territory.....

[Crex]

Well said Ray. Really hard to get folks to admit that last part. Although I use a lot of recycle it took me many years to get here. Nothing wrong with having fun with the stuff, just very frustrating for the beginner to get consistant results and build confidence. Too much other technical stuff to learn to make a good blade. Always try to start serious students out with good old Aldo's 1084...hard to beat for learning the basics.
That said, WHit, you need to fill out your profile. you might be right next door to all the help you need in getting started.
Welcome aboard.

[Longshot]

Welcome to the Forums! I work with a lot of salvaged steel and I can tell you that it is very true what the previous comments stated. However, if you just wanted to get a feel for shaping and deciding what you wanted in your knife, the salvaged steel will do just fine for practice. This way you don't spend too much on your better, more expensive steel. If anything, you will make some very interesting letter openers, or a small knife that you can use around your shop for odd jobs you dont want to use your good knife for. Just remember before starting any project, you do your research on the materials that you are working with so that you know how to work with them as safely as possible. Knifemaking is far more enjoyable when you don't grind off your fingertips!