Cutting knife steel

[Rufus]

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.

[jmar595]

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.

[JEFF B]

you can also use a plasma cutter they eat through anything.    those dremmel cut off wheels are good if ya get the big ones as jmar595 said. good luck and post some pics

[Rufus]

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.

[Curtiss Cardinal]

You have to anneal it first the the normal cutting wheel will work.

[hickstick]

...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)

[Straitshot]

I always cut mine out on a band saw, but I always used annealed metal to work with and hardened the blade after shaping.

[Curtiss Cardinal]

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.