Welcome from Florida.
I too have been interested in knife making, but have to keep things simple. Maybe a forge later on. I have some worn out 10" circular saw blades and a Dremel to cut with. I was also wondering about using old lawn mower blades.
We have a section here for knives, I look forward to learning from you.
I was in your area once, for 6 weeks back in the 90's. At the time I worked for Georgia-Pacific and helped close down the distribution center in Birmingham and move the operation to a new warehouse in Midfield. Beautiful state.