Ulu from a saw blade

[Ji in Hawaii]

I was in the hardware store this week and walking through the saw blade aisle I noticed that the 7-1/4" steel 140 teeth plywood/veneer (non-carbide tipped) blades were only $7.99. The squirrel in my head started running full speed so I bought it, brought it home, and proceeded to make myself two new ulu knives from the saw blade, and some deer antler I had collected on Maui. I chose a single bevel chisel grind since this seems to be preferred by many Alaska natives. I made one in a Alaskan Fish River style, and another in a Canadian T handle style.

Turned one of these...


... into two of these.

[Hobie]

[FWiedner]

I wonder if Ulu is both singular and plural for these tools... ? Like moose or fish...

Those look well done. How did you cut the saw blade up?

I notice that you have a camera but DID NOT provide the highly expected photo documentary of your work and process.

[20cows]

Beautiful!

[Pitchy]

Great work, very nice.

[M. M. Wright]

Good work Ji. I like 'em.

[Borregos]

Very nicely done

[Pete44ru]

.

Nice, Ji - I like the Fish River version best, but they're both excellent.

I'm also interested in how the saw blade was cut & the teeth removed......................

R U gonna make rustic sheathes ? ? ?




.

[J Miller]

Ji,

Excellent work. I've seen pics of those knives before ... somewhere ... long ago. Always wondered what they were called.

What are they used for, skinning and such? Or??

Joe

[rjohns94]

Very nice. I like the fish river style. How did you attach the T handle onto the saw blade on the Canadian? Great work.

[Grizzly Adams]

Great job, Ji ! Very authentic looking.

I lived and worked in bush Alaska for many years, and collected a number of these knives. In Western Alaska it is called an Uluaq or Keginalek (sp ?), depending on the dialect. It means "Woman's knife." Ulu has become a more or less generic term for this style of knife.

[ollogger]

Very nice, well done!


ollogger

[Grizz]

Good stuff Ji

I'm gonna follow your example. Plan to make a hook knife too and the saw blade might be a good starting point.

Did you do any heat treatment?

[Grizz]

Joe, in the traditional days they were used for food processing and for splitting hides for kayak and oomiak covers. They had stone versions before the cultural exchange started.

[Ji in Hawaii]

I wonder if Ulu is both singular and plural for these tools... ? Like moose or fish...

Those look well done. How did you cut the saw blade up?

I notice that you have a camera but DID NOT provide the highly expected photo documentary of your work and process.

Yah, kicking myself for not doing a tutorial. I used my dremel tool with a 1-5/8" metal cutting blade, and took my time so as not to heat up the blade too much.

[Ji in Hawaii]

.

Nice, Ji - I like the Fish River version best, but they're both excellent.

I'm also interested in how the saw blade was cut & the teeth removed......................

R U gonna make rustic sheathes ? ? ?

Dremel tool with metal cutting blade for the cutting, and my bench grinder to remove the teeth. I chose the non-carbide small teeth 140 for ease of grinding away the teeth. It went rather quick. I do have leather and a awl, just need to get some brass rivets to protect the stitching then I'll make a sheath.

Thank you all for the positive comments.

[wm]

Well done. It is surprising how much useful knife making material is tossed away.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Ji,

Excellent work. I've seen pics of those knives before ... somewhere ... long ago. Always wondered what they were called.

What are they used for, skinning and such? Or??

Joe

I've used a ulu to skin goats and pigs, worked really well. the curved blade allows for a smooth sepparating of skin from flesh.
Also great for cutting pizza and chopping up herbs. Ulus are a utility knife used for just about every purpose up north.

Here's a couple of videos of a friend of mine in Kotzebue, AK of his daughters cleaning freshly caught salmon using ulu knives which he made for them:

[Ji in Hawaii]

Very nice. I like the fish river style. How did you attach the T handle onto the saw blade on the Canadian? Great work.

I used a 3/8" steel bolt which I rounded and notched, and silver soldered it on. The top of the bolt I ground a rectangular tip, and after drilling a 3/8 hole into the antler handle I use my Dremel with small round carving tip to make a rectangular notch at bottom of hole to accept the bolt. This prevents twisting. I used Marine Tex a heavy duty epoxy to hold the antler handle in place.

Thank you.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Great job, Ji ! Very authentic looking.

I lived and worked in bush Alaska for many years, and collected a number of these knives. In Western Alaska it is called an Uluaq or Keginalek (sp ?), depending on the dialect. It means "Woman's knife." Ulu has become a more or less generic term for this style of knife.

Thank you!
I believe they are also called Uluit. The men catch all the fish and game, and the women do the rest processing it. Amazing hard working people. I'd love to settle there in AK but my wife (who could easily pass as a Inuit) would freeze to death.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Good stuff Ji

I'm gonna follow your example. Plan to make a hook knife too and the saw blade might be a good starting point.

Did you do any heat treatment?

Thanks!
I just really took my time when cutting and grinding so as not to effect the factory temper of the steel. I don't have the knowledge yet as far as tempering steel is concerned.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Thanks again everyone for all the encouraging comments. I love ulu knives and owned several in the past but these are my first self made examples.

[Pete44ru]

I'd love to settle there in AK but my wife (who could easily pass as a Inuit) would freeze to death.

She won't trade in her grass skirt for a Moosehair one, huh ? . .



.

[J Miller]

Ji,

My wife is 1/8 or so Miami Indian, she told me of her father using one of those knives. It was bugging her badly until you posted the videos of the girls using the knives. Then it dawned on her he was using it to skin and gut the fish he caught.

Joe

[Ji in Hawaii]

Here's a series of three videos showing a woman cleaning salmon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tU5nmz ... kQ&index=5

Video of a seal being butchered:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-XI2Q3JYxU

Inuit cuisine video showing allot of ulu use
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2J6mOQdQ9c

[wecsoger]

Thanks for the post and the pictures.

I've accumulated couple saw blades and this looks like a perfect use for one or two of them.

I'm lucky enough to have a small home plasma cutter. Couple minutes with a sharpie and I'm good to go.

No deer antler though. (grin)

[piller]

Wecsojer, you could use a dowel rod and shape it to your hand, then stain it and coat it in epoxy. It would still look pretty good. Not as good as antler, but it would look good.

[AkRay]

Nice work, Ji! My mom would have been happy to show you how to use an ulu. Being Inupiaq(the Alaskan version of Canada's Inuit) she used ulus all her life. I've never attempted to make one myself.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Nice work, Ji! My mom would have been happy to show you how to use an ulu. Being Inupiaq(the Alaskan version of Canada's Inuit) she used ulus all her life. I've never attempted to make one myself.

Thank you. I would have been honored.

[Ji in Hawaii]

In the past couple months I have replenished my ulu inventory via eBay and Etsy buying a few used older (antique?) ulus at quite reasonable prices, three so far with one more in the mail.

Here's my recent online purchased ulus



I also have a late 80's vintage Normark (Sweden) Hunter's Hatchet which is basically a long handled ulu which has worked great at skinning game.

[FWiedner]

I also have a late 80's vintage Normark (Sweden) Hunter's Hatchet which is basically a long handled ulu which has worked great at skinning game.

Really... ?

What sort of animals are you skinning with the hatchet?

Looks like a lot of handle to get in the way to me.

[Ji in Hawaii]

I also have a late 80's vintage Normark (Sweden) Hunter's Hatchet which is basically a long handled ulu which has worked great at skinning game.

What sort of animals are you skinning with the hatchet?

Looks like a lot of handle to get in the way to me.

Wild pigs, and feral goats. The goats are about 80 to 100 pounds, and the largest pig was 300 pounds. No problem with handle.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Thanks for the post and the pictures.

I've accumulated couple saw blades and this looks like a perfect use for one or two of them.

I'm lucky enough to have a small home plasma cutter. Couple minutes with a sharpie and I'm good to go.

No deer antler though. (grin)

I piece of hardwood like walnut or mesquite works great too.

[Grizzly Adams]

In the past couple months I have replenished my ulu inventory via eBay and Etsy buying a few used older (antique?) ulus at quite reasonable prices, three so far with one more in the mail.

Here's my recent online purchased ulus

Nice example on the left! Are you sure the other two are of Native origin? I have seen similar tools in a saddle maker's shop.

[Ji in Hawaii]

In the past couple months I have replenished my ulu inventory via eBay and Etsy buying a few used older (antique?) ulus at quite reasonable prices, three so far with one more in the mail.

Here's my recent online purchased ulus

Nice example on the left! Are you sure the other two are of Native origin? I have seen similar tools in a saddle maker's shop.

I don't believe any of the three are native in origin just native used from a few videos I have seen. I know mezzaluna (Italian halfmoon) knives were many times used by natives as ready-made ulu knives. The funkiest of the three the red handled one can be seen in this video in a Greenland Inuit's hands butchering a seal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-XI2Q3JYxU

[Grizz]

Guessing those are trade knives from the fur days?

I got the 10" saw blade de-toothed and the layouts done and the scandi style bevel about 75% done on two ulus. I am making two bigger ones and two smaller ones and will have a piece of steel to make a crooked knife with, although I don't think that will be successful, the metal may be too soft and bendy to do boat work with it in knife form. Will know pretty soon.

Thanks so much for posting up your art work. It's been on my list so long that it was glued to the bottom of the bucket I would still be procrastinating if it wasn't for you, thanks for the leadership.

Grizz

[Ji in Hawaii]

Guessing those are trade knives from the fur days?

I got the 10" saw blade de-toothed and the layouts done and the scandi style bevel about 75% done on two ulus. I am making two bigger ones and two smaller ones and will have a piece of steel to make a crooked knife with, although I don't think that will be successful, the metal may be too soft and bendy to do boat work with it in knife form. Will know pretty soon.

Thanks so much for posting up your art work. It's been on my list so long that it was glued to the bottom of the bucket I would still be procrastinating if it wasn't for you, thanks for the leadership.

Grizz

Can't wait to see your finished product. What will you be using for the handle material?

[Grizz]

Wood like the one above. I don't have any antler here, but I like wood a lot.

I am beveling one side only. I think it will be a great fish knife.

[awp101]

Very cool and very good!

The wheels are turning again...