Some ?'s on types of tool steel

[HunterBlades]

Hi my name is Darin Hunter and I am a beginner in the knife making arena. I have made a few knives out of various different materials and am curious to know the quality of what I am using. My very first knife I made was ground out of a chain saw bar as I had heard that this was a decent/inexpensive steel to start with. I have also used planer blades and band saw blades from a saw mill. My first question is what types of steel are these generally made from. I asume a tool steel of some sort possibly D-2 but am not sure. I have just recently made a knives from ATS-34 and 440C and am getting ready to have them heat treated/tempered. Also I was wondering if anyone knows of a reasonably priced supplier of stainless steel for knife making. I enjoy knife making a great deal and am getting serious on getting educated so as to make better quality knives. I would appreciate any feedback that you all may give to me.
Thanks,
Darin

 

[shappa]

Find the shop talk forum and ask all the questions you can think of. Someone there is bound to have the answer. If not they'll make one up. Just kidding.

Welcome to BFC

 

[Bart student]

Chainsaw bar = usually 1095 but HT'ed on the low side, so it should be HT'ed again to make a decent knife.
Planerblade = usually D2.
Band saw and the likes = usually L6, unless you have a circular saw with HSS sawtips, that steel is something else, I guess 1095. One-piece bandsaws or circular saws are almost always L6 or 15N2.

Greetz and take care, Bart.