I recently made a small paring knife out of a dull hacksaw blade I had lying around.
In the past, I’ve had trouble making a quality knife simply because I didn’t have the metal to do it.
 

Finished Knife
 

Raw Materials
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

Scrap Hacksaw Blade
  Next time, I will have to use a stainless steel blade.
        
Forging