There have been types of dao without guards, including recent ones (see pic), and plenty of Han through Tang dao. But I think most, if not almost all, dadao had guards. I don't remember seeing a contemporary photo of one without a guard. Disc, cup, short curled-tip cross-guard, and S-guards are all common. I do see some that are without guards today.
5-6 lbs is very heavy for a dadao, and seems too heavy for 1/4" and tapering.
Is the cross-section of the blade wedge-shaped?
As a one-piece sword, it should ring. Swords that don't usually have some movement in the hilt or guard that absorbs the energy of the vibrations.
Would be interesting to know how hard the edge is. One can estimate using hardness-testing files without much impact on the blade. Not so easy to do it completely non-destructively.
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