Lawn mower blade sword ?

S

scotjute

Joined
Aug 7, 2001
Messages
212
Has any one ever made a sword or dagger from a lawn mower blade?
If so did you simply grind it down to the desired shape or was it reforged?
Looks like they would be just about the right size for a short sword or dagger. The steel should have sufficient toughness/shock resistance with at least a minimum ability to hold an edge. And they're fairly cheap. I can't imagine taking one and breaking it by hand by beating on something. Maybe if you pry with it using flat side up it could be bent.
I may try one, but was just curious if any others had tried it first.
Thanks.
 
I've seen the bigger throwing knives made from them. I think it is just stock removal. No real forging involved. Not sure of heat treat on a lawnmower blade though. What are those things anyways? L6?
 
Here is a link to my photo album in which are two shots of old 'machetes' or field type knives. I know pic's are a little dark-sorry.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291777833&idx=4

The darker blade with no handle was given to me by my grandfather. When I was a kid (I'm 39 now)he told me that it was a "Japanese Machete from the war". Others have said it resembles a lawn mower blade. Looks a little long to me to be a lawn mower blade but I thought it might have been a cut down leaf spring. I have heard that leaf springs have been used for this before.

Anyway...if anyone has any ideas on this, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks...

Mongrel
 
OUCH! Dohble post...may as well take advantage of it :)

Anyway...I tried to post some brighter pic's. Also threw in a couple more...

One thing I might add-I don't know what steel this is but it cuts well. I have taken 3" trees down with the darker one when it had a handle. I just keep a file in my pocket to touch it up. The slight curvature to the blade (on edge that is) and the hooked end help I'm sure.

Anyone know if these might be examples of war-time manufacture?

Mongrel
 
Mongrel,
Didn't see the hole in the center, which a lawn mower blade would normally have. Unless perhaps someone welded over it. They might have come from some type of light-duty tractor-driven shredder or bush hog, which is like a lawn-mower but bigger. How thick is the metal? They look heavier than standard machete! Have you ever weighed them?
 
Hey Scotjute,

Yea that's what led me to believe they may have been leaf springs and not 'lawn mower' blades. There are no welds of any sort along the length of the blade. Only holes are for the handle rivets. The original handles were very small which may indicate they were made by a small statured people like the Filipino's or Japanese.

Basic shape of the end of the blade does resemble a lawn-mower blade though. I had never thought that they were until someone else suggested it.

Someday I'll get around to putting a proper handle on them and cleaning up the blades. If I get real rambunctious (sp?) I might even see about getting one parkerized or bead blasted or someting heheh.

Mongrel
 
Sorry I missed your edit, Scotjute.

As to blade thickness-

Both of them are just a bit thicker than my Ontario U.S. Mil. 18" machete.

I don't have a caliper here but they are basically a 'fat' 1/8" thick (that's with a crappy ruler)with the lighter colored on just a hair thicker than the dark one. Both of these blades are stiffer than the Ontario also, and are tapered all the way down to the tip. I have not weighed them though they feel lighter in the hand than the Ontario also. If I remember correctly they seem to be a harder steel than the Ontario. I can touch up the Ontario with a fine file but it loses it's edge quicker, the 'brush knives' as I like to call them really take a medium stone to do them up right. I'm not an expert on steel but that has been my experience with them.

If you'd like to see a side by side comparison with the Ontario I can put some pic's up with a link.

Mongrel
 
My vote is for leaf springs. Unless those holes were put in the handle by you, they look like where the leaf spring would be pinned to the other springs in the stack, and bolted to the shakle. Most "tribal" blades tend to have stick tangs that are then glued into a handle with some sort of resin or melted plastic. It is a lot easier to drill one hole in some horn, bone, or wood, than it is to drill 3 aligned holes in a piece od steel.
 
Lawnmower blades are very soft. They have to be to survive the abuse they suffer when they hit something other than grass. (Like, every 10 feet in my yard!)

If you were going to make a short machete or something out of such a place, I'd recommend getting it professionally tempered.
 
I think it were leaf-springs, because the lawnmower blades I use, are 2 to 3" wide and from 16 to 30" long and have 3 holes in the center.
the middle hole is for the axlebolt on is mostly about 1" diameter.
They are not dead soft but tough, and I guess between 45 and 52HRC.
I cut strips with an angle-grinder and forge them into final shape.
Steel is similar to 5160.

Jan
 
I know that Wayne Goddard made some knivs from a lawnmower's blades. It migh be soft, but I guess it's nothing that a good heat treatment won't fix.
 
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