Planer Blades

[Coldwood]

I picked up a 9-1/2 x 1 in. planer blade at a yard sale for pocket change. The mark on it indicates that it was for an old Baxter D. Whitney & Son planer.
Somebody had sharpened half of it into a rudimentary knife edge and it is sharp as a razor. I'm going to make some kind of knife out of it, my plan is to grind it, not try to forge it.
I know it's expensive high speed tool steel, but don't know the composition. Has anybody worked with this stuff before? Any advice or recommendations?

Thanks, Don

 

[peter nap]

It's probably D2. If you have the patience and equipment to make it into a knife, it will make a very good one.

 

[Ilovetoolsteel]

It's probably D2. If you have the patience and equipment to make it into a knife, it will make a very good one.

My bet would be M2, From what I understand it's more shock resistant than D2. Most high speed cutting tools for woodworking that don't have carbide faces are M2. Router and drill bits for example.

 

[peter nap]

You may be right. I have always gone on the assumption that the planer blades were D2 however that has been questioned before. I can't tell. They both seem to forge alike, grind alike and wear alike in knife form. They are both impossible for me to heat treat.

 

[Coldwood]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the input. From the online research I've done since I posted this, I'm thinking it's M2.
I touched a corner of this blank to my grinder, it doesn't seem to overheat or discolor.
I'm guessing, based on what you've said, that I should just go ahead and carefully grind this to shape and not worry about any further heat treatment or tempering.
Because of its size, my plan is to make something wicked sharp for kitchen, camp and general use.

 

[Walt2]

I recently had someone show me some small planer blades that were, according to the mfg., made out of A2.