I just got a arctic ulu from an older neighbor I take food to, I told him I was fleshing a beaver today and he gave it to me said he bought it on his trip to Alaska it dosenr have any markings but a wood handle I've read u can use these for fleshing are they good? I'm gonna try it out tomorow

A guy I know switched to an ulu for fleshing beaver a few years ago and really likes it.

The grizzle getter is patterned off the ulu and works very well for fleshing beaver.

Good for fleshing over your knee,like some do with the victorinox.

Great for cutting pizza too.

No telling where it came from. Could be handmade by an Alaskan, or could be a souvenir replica made in Asia for the tourist trap distributors. Although if not stamped it's probably handmade. But yes, good sharp ones are handy. Some people skin big game with them too.

The women here clean skin with them everything from mink to wolves. Called a Uluk here.

Although Seal fat is usually shaved off the skin with one and works great.

Can cut meat and fish and yes Pizza too.

Couple of mine.

Thanks guys, so do I flesh with them on a beam? Over my knee do I put something on my leg? I hope its not just some cheap one the steel seems nice ill post a pic.I really want to learn to use it now

My daughters and wife use them on everything, turning big things , like the Seals in the boat, into small things, like bite size pieces to eat
Made from old handsaws.

I find mine very effective on the beam for getting the head started on coons.

What's with the lines on yours?

My wife and I each have one made by our own T-man Ulu man MooseTrot. We use ours pretty much just in kitchen. But I could see fleshing beaver with it if I trapped many of them.

Mac

About this first thing you see when land in Anchorage, and if you pick up a state magazine, the ulu store will have a full page ad on the inside cover. They must sell a ton of those knives to tourist.

Always wanted to try one.

Caribou I like the looks of those with the handles directly on the blade. A good substitute for the handsaw blades would be old chainsaw bars. The bar itself is two pieces of high carbon steel sandwiched over some smaller pieces. I cut mine with a plasma cutter , makes good knives !

Disclaimer-Due to some unforeseen equipment and life problems I do no currently have any ulu in stock. There are some folks on here that have been waiting for me to make some but I simply have not yet but have been gearing up again to make up a batch of them.



Here are some grainy but representative pictures of my ulu. The first one (4 of them) are all Moose but it shows the different sizes pretty well. The second one has a lot of different ones. Keep in mind that all of these have been sold already. My ulu all come with one of the little cedar standing blocks as shown in the pictures.

I make the blades for the ulu from handsaws from the 1880's-1890's as it is about the best high carbon steel ever made. I cut them cold and grind them cold to not mess up the temper. When I grind, if they don't spark just right I toss them away. I bed the blade into the handle, usually antler, with epoxy and then pin them with brass pins. They are built to be used but most wind up on a shelf on display.

My personal preference for handle material is Moose. It's tougher for me to work but it seems to be more durable than others and has a rougher surface that is easier to hang onto. Second is Whitetail as it is quite similar to Moose. Caribou tends to be pretty smooth but is very nice looking and traditional. Elk is good and tends to run larger than the others, so if you have large hands it might be a good choice. I put a lot of work into shaping and polishing the handles. With use they tend to loose the high polish but not the durability.

I use the knife bevel for skinning and other general use. If you are going to use the ulu for fleshing, the chisel bevel may work better for you and is a little faster to re-sharpen. Fleshing with an ulu has traditionally been done over the knee. There are some pretty decent fleshing videos using an ulu on YouTube. There's even one on there "Ray Heidel-Ulu Maker"...that's me!

Moosetrot

Those look fantastic! I'd be in the market for one of those if you ever get back to making them.

Posco-Very soon I will have the time and equipment back in place to start making a bunch. Thanks for the interest!

Moosetrot

Put me on your list if you would. Those look great.

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I saw an article where someone made some from old circular saw blades. Not sure if he used 7 1/4” or 10”?

You can buy blades from Woodcraft stores for about $12. Just add handle. Wood, antler or whatever.

I have one I have used for years on large hides like buffalo or elk. Use it to clean skin beaver to.

I also use mine on beaver tails slick as a whistle.

Handy thing to have around once you learn how to use them.