I'd also suggest that Atlanta cutlery has some interesting kit knives and blades for sale (note: I'm not affiliated with them, except as an occasional customer).
www.atlantacutlery.com
They have dagger blades (some that are really cheap) and an Arkansas toothpick kit.
Or you can do as I did as a teenager: I cut down a machete blade with a bolt cutter and mounted it as a sword. I certainly learned a lot about how NOT to mount a blade (the blade is now of constant width, as in a ninjato or some dhas). Recently, I found the blade again and rehilted it as a dha, and I learned about handle shock in those long-handled blades (fun stuff! I wish I had the money for a real dha!). If you like that idea, you could go to
www.coldsteel.com, buy one of their two-edged machetes, and try rehilting it as a proper seme. Or not.
Have fun! I did stuff like that in high school and college, and it's a lot of fun and a real learning experience.