Determining Grain Direction

[tychoseven]

I have some lumber mill bandsaw blades that could be L-6. Assuming it turns out to be quality steel, I'd like to make some knives from it. Two questions regarding this:

1. How important is steel's grain direction in a knife blade? Do I want it to run parallel to the cutting edge (my inclination), or perpendicular to the cutting edge?

2. How would I determine the grain direction?

Thanks,
Brian

 

[mete]

Properties parallel and transverse to the rolling direction can be significantly different. The blade should be parallel to the rolling direction and for a band saw it will be parallel to the edge .Grain or rolling direction can be found by etching. BTW transverse properties especially impact are much better in the powder metal steels like CPM154.

 

[Gene Martin]

Being lumber mill bandsaw blades, you should also assume that they are Uddeholm 15N20 or something similar. L6 hasn't been used that way in a long time. I have about 3000lbs of 15N20 from that kind of source.

Gene

 

[Nathan the Machinist]

Properties parallel and transverse to the rolling direction can be significantly different. The blade should be parallel to the rolling direction and for a band saw it will be parallel to the edge .Grain or rolling direction can be found by etching. BTW transverse properties especially impact are much better in the powder metal steels like CPM154.

Wait a minute Mete. I know you're a bon-a-fide metallurgist (and one of my favorite posters here too) and I'm just a dumbass machinist. But didn't y'all tell me that, except for dirty or high carbide steels, it makes no difference after heat treat 'cause all the grain is reformed anyway? What gives?

dumbass machinist awaiting a lesson...