Used lawn mower blades

Status
Not open for further replies.
It may be easier to start with known steel, but that's not what everyone has access to. When I started making knives I couldn't get a credit card to order online (wait, when was this internet shopping invented?), couldn't get things shipped over the border, and couldn't find a local supplier that would sell in small quantities. I had to make blades from saw steel.

Japanese swords are often tested on grass mats or bamboo (oh wait, that's a grass too). If a lawnmower blade cuts grass thousands of times a minute in an abrasive environment then why isn't it good to make a knife out of? Not talking a rope sawing monster here but a chopper or sharpened prybar.

I'm not trying to start a fire here, but if you had a lawnmower blade, a 20$ angle grinder, lots of time on your hands... why not? Plus it's gonna have character in a way that barstock won't.

FWIW I pretty much only use virgin barstock or reclaimed steel that I have had analyzed for chemistry and cracks, but have a supply of mower blades, files, massive quantity of saws, springs, planer and chipper knives just in case I get bored.
 
oh why do I get sucked into posting on these... there are 3 going right now...


I HAVE NEW LAWNMOWER BLADES MADE FROM OLD HANDMADE KNIVES...
 
wnease said:
Japanese swords are often tested on grass mats or bamboo (oh wait, that's a grass too). If a lawnmower blade cuts grass thousands of times a minute in an abrasive environment then why isn't it good to make a knife out of?
Click to expand...

because mower blades are designed to not fly apart when you hit a stump or rock for -liability issue.
Comparing a tool made for slicing people, and one that pretty much chops grass is apples and oranges.

if you're going to put all this time into "testing" mower blades to see if a good knife can be made, take advise from the people who have years of expierience and say you're spending too much time trying to make a silk purse from a sows' ear.
Take that enthusiasm and buy a known steel that works well for a knife, put your effort into that and you'll be farther ahead in the long run.
 
Adam & Haley DesRosiers live on a homesteading plot in the middle of nowhere Alaska:

Adam & Haley DesRosiers Knives

Somehow they manage to come up with legitimate blade steel. I've personally sent beginning makers pieces of steel to start their pursuit out properly. I can't think of anyone, anywhere, that I couldn't get a piece of barstock to, whether it involved calling on the assistance of another maker to help, or not.
There is simply no need, reason, or excuse to not use known steel, unless you just feel like being stubborn or foolish. As tedious as it is to chime in on these threads, I feel it's too important not to.
kyturkey, if you don't manage to get something good to start with, get in touch with me - assuming you're serious about this stuff. We'll get you set up, but the onus is on you to show us some devotion, and then maybe pay it forward when you're in the position to, just like so many others on this forum have.
 
Last edited:
Obviously, I'm not in a position to offer an opinion on the subject of lawn mower blades as knife steel... and frankly, I don't care. If someone wants to waste their time learning something the hard way, let them. We don't each learn at the same speed or by the same methods. For some people only hard knocks will get the lesson into their head. So let them have their hard knocks.

While the opinions of experts are valuable and informative, they can also be meaningless at times. I think that's something experts find hard to swallow. Think of it as the lesson they have to learn by hard knocks. Another way to put it... there are always going to be knuckleheads out there that won't take the best advice offered in the best way. If you aren't okay with that you should step back from the advice dispensing business, or prepare for the hard knocksyou have coming.

I say this because I am obviously one such knucklehead. You folks have offered me sound advice a few times too, and I've ignored it. Not out of disrespect, nor out of a belief I know better. I just have to do things my way. I'm hard headed. Of course I'm not so hard headed I ignore all advice. I have no desire to try to file down a mower blade. I have better things to do with my time. But in the end, is the advice you gave me (use cheaper steel until your skills improve) any different than the advice you offer here? The method you espouse worked for you, and that's great. Some folks need to beat their head against a wall a bit before they accept it won't bend. Let'em at it, and take comfort in the fact that you tried to help... even if some of us are beyond help. ;)

- Greg
 
Matthew Gregory said:
Adam & Haley DesRosiers live on a homesteading plot in the middle of nowhere Alaska:

Adam & Haley DesRosiers Knives

Somehow they manage to come up with legitimate blade steel. I've personally sent beginning makers pieces of steel to start their pursuit out properly. I can't think of anyone, anywhere, that I couldn't get a piece of barstock to, whether it involved calling on the assistance of another maker to help, or not.
There is simply no need, reason, or excuse to use known steel, unless you just feel like being stubborn or foolish. As tedious as it is to chime in on these threads, I feel it's too important not to.
kyturkey, if you don't manage to get something good to start with, get in touch with me - assuming you're serious about this stuff. We'll get you set up, but the onus is on you to show us some devotion, and then maybe pay it forward when you're in the position to, just like so many others on this forum have.
Click to expand...

He's right...steel is pretty darn cheap. I started out by straightening big broken crusher springs from my Dad's gravel pit, it took me a full day to forge it into bar stock...I just didn't know any better. Thanks to bladeforum you do. If you are serious and sponge up the advice you don't have to take years to learn to make a decent knife in a decent amount of time, I say take advantage of it. Good luck!:)


-Haley
 
tryppyr said:
Obviously, I'm not in a position to offer an opinion on the subject of lawn mower blades as knife steel... and frankly, I don't care. If someone wants to waste their time learning something the hard way, let them. We don't each learn at the same speed or by the same methods. For some people only hard knocks will get the lesson into their head. So let them have their hard knocks.

While the opinions of experts are valuable and informative, they can also be meaningless at times. I think that's something experts find hard to swallow. Think of it as the lesson they have to learn by hard knocks. Another way to put it... there are always going to be knuckleheads out there that won't take the best advice offered in the best way. If you aren't okay with that you should step back from the advice dispensing business, or prepare for the hard knocksyou have coming.

I say this because I am obviously one such knucklehead. You folks have offered me sound advice a few times too, and I've ignored it. Not out of disrespect, nor out of a belief I know better. I just have to do things my way. I'm hard headed. Of course I'm not so hard headed I ignore all advice. I have no desire to try to file down a mower blade. I have better things to do with my time. But in the end, is the advice you gave me (use cheaper steel until your skills improve) any different than the advice you offer here? The method you espouse worked for you, and that's great. Some folks need to beat their head against a wall a bit before they accept it won't bend. Let'em at it, and take comfort in the fact that you tried to help... even if some of us are beyond help. ;)

- Greg
Click to expand...

My advice (for what it's worth) has never been to practice on crap steel, if you buy 10XX steel from Aldo or from Kelly Cupples, good steel is not really much more expensive than mild, and by the time you pay for abrasives etc. there is no economy in practicing on crap steel when you could have actually produced a usable blade with the same costs. The reason I discourage stupid practices like insisting on trying to justify making knives out of lawnmower blades is to try to save the new folks who stumble on these threads and think it might be a good idea from being mislead by other peoples mistakes. When people insist that it's a good idea to continue in folly against the advice of many of us who have experience I take no responsibility for their idiocy, but I do feel a responsibility to the new folks since these threads somehow get necroposted about every year or so to try to inform them

-Page
 
i would like to voice a little bit of encouragement here.

i play around a lot with scrap mystery steels. if you like spending time working with your hands, and don't *need* reliable results, it is a lot of fun. if you are prepared to accept some complete failures, and a lot of generally less than optimal results, then there are no hurt feelings, and you can get a lot of practice working metal.

the biggest issue is in heat treatment. if you don't know the composition, you can't expect to learn a whole lot from the results of your efforts. for that, definitely go with known steel.
 
Wow, talk about a blast from the past. Thank you all for your input. After the OP and the quick answers given then, I immediately passed on the lawn mower blade idea.

Known steel is cheap compared to the amount of time put into making a knife and not knowing if it will turn out because of crappy steel. Due to life- job, kids etc. I haven't made my first knife yet. I have drawn up a couple of designs and cut one out of a circular saw blade (which I understand is better than the mower blades). I now need to do the blade grinds, and handle. I will get one done eventually. Dad mentioned cutting an osage orange off the farm, and I'm thinking handle material right there.

I did have the opportunity to go to JK's get together back in the spring. It was really cool to see him make a few small tin knives. Seeing the process makes it clearer and helped me to realize that few tools are needed to actually make knives. Obviously, like anything else bigger or more tools make it easier, but it can all be done with hand tools.

Thanks for all the info on this sub forum, I'll be lurking and will probably have questions later. I gotta make time to finish one.
 
this may sound like late trolling but I say heatit and beatit cause its gooood practice learning heating times and colors not to get the steel tooo hot or to thin while forging and frankly any steel will work for those two learning endevers . Good luck and remeber we always like knife porn,so post pics
 
Forgive me I'm new to the world of forum's! but this is my thought on the salvaged material as knife steel. my advice is 1 steel only one! cut it hammer it grind it file it! play with it. Heat it!cool it in different quench liquid's "safety first with the last part!!!! My point is. one steel known inside and out by the maker, and the way it reacts when put through these process! I use leaf springs only leaf springs! and my found knowledge will be" FUN " in the adventure and the secrets found. When nothing new is tried nothing new is learned! but stick with one steel is the key! have fun play safe. O YA! ... test the shit out of your work!!!!! make it brake! if it does inspect it and learn!!
 
Last edited:
Welcome shugart, posting in 5 year old threads is called necroposting and is frowned upon, especially when nothing new or educational is added. I'm sure Stacy will be along soon to lock this one up.
Another thing, all leaf springs are NOT the same so just because a person may use them he/she may not be working with one steel type and procedures will vary from spring to spring. Can you make a good knife from a leaf spring? Possibly, but its a lot easier to do by using a known steel of the proper type.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top