Sandvik and other A2 tool steel, where to buy it?

[Nick Sorenson]

It seems like A-2 steel would be pretty common. I'm thinking of getting some in 2" by 3/32" by however long (maybe 3 feet). I see MSC and McMaster have A-2. I see knife makers use the common tool steels all the time and Sandvik is one that's mentioned. Does anyone know where I can get A-2 tool steel to make plane blades?

MSC has Starret but it's pretty pricey. I have a scraper by Sandvik and it's great. I can imagine their other steel would be great as well.

[David Weaver]

Speedy metals has some. i don't know anything about A2, george will, and several other folks would, but you have to have foil wrap for it to harden it, at a minimum, and it needs to be soaked at a high temperature.

It costs more than O1, but like brass and some other things, looking around is probably in order. Mcmaster is nice for O1 because they are fast, have a huge selection and the prices aren't far off of other places, but I think when you get into costlier things, they are not consistently as competitive.

Speedy Metals is one that a lot of folks on here have used, no clue what they have.

You should be able to find scads of knife supply places that offer blanks in the 6-18" range, and maybe one will have it cheaper or have something else you'd be interested in trying.

It will be difficult to make an iron, have it heat treated, and make it better than LV/Hock/IBC/LN, and you may not save anything in the end. Any particular reason you'd make something as common as 2" and 3/32nds thick, the standard stanley replacement thickness?

Not telling you not to, but I think I've been in the same place as you are now, and I will only deal with O1 going forward, because the price and the ease of "garage" use makes it worthwhile to do so.

[David Weaver]

I will make one other comment, because I have been dinged by this - to some people, a ground piece of steel means one that is dead flat - dead dead flat, and to others, it can mean that it was ground at one time, but has been bent.

Make sure when you're buying something that is flat or very close to flat, and if there is any bend at all it is slight and in the direction of the length of the iron.

If you find someone who will sell you A2 30% cheaper than a reputable source, but you get it and you can't use it, you're going to stare at it and wonder what to do with it for a long time.

[Nick Sorenson]

I'll probably try O-1 first and see how that does. Definitely sounds easier from what I've read.