Big Sawblades make Big knives

[ChadWG]

I'm really impressed by your work and detailed photos. It's not easy to do the project and you even go the extra mile to detail it along the way. I just need more info. If you ever get the time, could you explain the process a little more so I can attempt it? I'm ready to go down to Home Depot's rental office. I've seen them chuck concrete saw blades when they are done with them.

Does the grinding of the blank hurt the edge if you don't plan on heat treating it?

Could you use a plasma cutter to cut the blank?

Is heat treating necessary? If so, how are you doing it? Do you have to own a kiln?

How do you do the grinding for shaping and polishing without effecting the blades hardness?

I guess you can see I'm concerned with how the blade will perform with no heat treating since I don't have a kiln or forge.