Recommendation? Blade steel/HT for an unusual tool

[Ippon98]

First things first, I'm no knifemaker. I'm pretty handy and have a good selection of tools, although none specific to knifemaking. At work we use an unusual guillotine looking tool to cut laminate flooring. Needless to say, the blade on it gets pretty dull. We use it every day, quite a bit. The blade that it comes with is good when new, but a chore to take off and hone frequently. I thought it'd be a fun project to make a new one out of something that might hold the edge a little better. I'ts a simple shape so I thought it a great opportunity to develop some new skills. I would send it off to have a HT done on it, I could do everything else.

Anyways, here is the picture of the type of tool it is. Thanks for any advice on this or anything else, I'd love to learn whatever I can.

 

[NJBillK]

Your best bet would be to look up the part number in the tools manual and call the manufacturer.
Find out everything you can regarding the dimensions and alloy.

Worst case scenario, pull the blade out and trace it out entirely, take note of the thickest too. Sharpen it while it is out, then pop it back in.

Once you have this info, you can look up targeted alloys that will perform to your (higher) standard.
- Is there much shock resistance and impact toughness required?
- Are the cuts Very slow and straight across?
- Is it a rocking cut, is it sliced across multiple times?

How does the machine function?
- From the looks of it, the machine makes a slow, even cut across the material in one flat press. Essentially push cutting the material.

With this info you can start to whittle down your alloy list. Would D2 or 4V work better than CPM10V? Or do you require more toughness, say something like 52100 or 3V?

At the moment, Who knows...

 

[kuraki]

NJBillK makes good points. It's be mostly concerned with how rigid the machine is, how much does the blade flex during a cut, and what kind of damage does a "dull" blade have. Is it worn? Chipped? Rolled?

Worn with no chips maybe 10v. Chipped out maybe 3v. Rolled over maybe a change in edge geometry.

 

[REK Knives]

Guillotine blades operate by push cutting a blade straight though what you are cutting, with the cut terminating on a cutting board. For this reason the grind has to be PERFECT, as in CNC machine perfect with no variation. In the paper cutting industry they use a type of carbide for the edge I believe. One company who I have worked with in the past and can make a custom guillotine blade for you is LA Grinding... you can contact Bob who is who I dealt with - very helpful. (Bob@lagrinding.com)