Seen where someone making knife blades with circular saw blades was cutting the steel with a Dremmel tool. What cutting wheel using? Mine I used just made shiny scratches.
try annealing it first, it will soften it alot and make it easier to work. or you can use the large dremmel cutoff wheels, looks like they have a fiber mess in them, I used them to cut out a blade froma lawnmower blade whithout doing anything to the lawnmower blade.
you can also use a plasma cutter they eat through anything. :thumbsup: those dremmel cut off wheels are good if ya get the big ones as jmar595 said. good luck and post some pics
Thanks guys. Be looking for big wheels after season over. Wished I'd thought of doing this before I retired. I had access to a really 110 volt plasma cutter that I used a lot. Maybe I can borrow. Seems big bosses can borrow tractors and such, maybe something little for me. Going to chase deer in morning. Perhaps find very, very slow one.
You have to anneal it first the the normal cutting wheel will work.
...and plasma cutters aren't 'the best' choice when cutting out knife blanks. they heat the steel unbelievably hot in the area proximal to the cut. high heat = grain growth = weakness in the steel. so unless you're cutting way "outside the lines" so to speak, then grinding to get close...I'd use the abrasive wheels.
I used to use the dremel, then upgraded to a cheap angle grinder with a 4" abrasive cutoff wheel. then you can swap out to a griding wheel and freehand some of the profile grinding with the one tool.
however, nearly all my knives are forged to shape so I most often hotcut. heat the steel to red, hammer a chisel though it (cuts like a warm knife thru buttah)
I always cut mine out on a band saw, but I always used annealed metal to work with and hardened the blade after shaping.
Go to youtube and search "knife making"
you see a couple good ones at least and the good ones show you how to anneal and harden after finishing the shaping and intitial sharpening and drilling any holes you need.