I used to send 4 dozen a month up to a guy with a shop in Homer. He would sell to the tourists but would also sold a lot of them to the natives, who liked them because of the traditional style and the steel I made them from.

Moosetrot

I have two "tourist" models from the 80's that are not bad.....
(And I remember part of the night at the red dog,,,,,)

I got my caribou ulu from Moosetrot in 2017. Beautiful.

Nessy - I just have to post this for inspiration....



I thought you might be planning some radish roses!

Man, just thinking of the fine hand saws you have killed lol
Making a pattern/sheath for a blade shaped like that would take some studying.

Moosetrot what kind of saws would you recommend, other than old. Does it matter if they are pitted with rust ?

So.....If it's Patrice Approved...I definitely want one now !!!

Yeah. in some respects I have "killed" a lot of old handsaws but the majority of them were headed to the scrappers until I "saved" them. Some of the older saws have very ornate handles and hardware holding them together. If those handles are in decent shape I always hang onto them. About 10 years ago I ran into a guy that restores saws. We worked out some great trades, handles for blades, and we both came out winning. Sometimes I run into classic saws that are in excellent shape. I don't have the heart to cut them up so they get hung back up in the basement

I REALLY like the ones that have the manufacturers touchmark on them. They look really cool and add a little class...and price. I made some clear plastic patterns I use to orient the touchmark to the ulu pattern.

I only use carpenter handsaws from around the 1880's to 1890's. Back then the entire blade was tempered nigh carbon steel. Sometime after that they started only tempering along the cutting edge. Kind of tough to make an ulu unless you can use the entire blade. You can tell when you grind them by the sparks they make. As I said earlier if, when I grind, they don't spark right I toss them.

I prefer the ones that are pitted with rust. Gives them some character. I soak in vinegar for a couple days and clean them up some, all by hand.

You CAN make an ulu out of nearly any material that can be sharpened. Many of the earliest ones were made from slate. In 1981 I was in an archeology dig on a 2000 year old Aleutiq hunting site on Chugachik Island on Kachemak Bay, near Homer Alaska. I found a slate ulu blade and sat and admired it and imagined its uses by the natives who held it before me. I could not keep it but I certainly kept the memories which spurred me to start making them.

They used slate, copper, and a pile of other materials. It was when the whites (probably the Russians) brought in the handsaws that they figured it was the best blade material. The blade material I use and the traditional styles are the main reasons the natives prefer my ulu over a lot of the others.

My ulu are in the "user" class and there's a ton of them in Alaska, all over the U.S., and even in Europe in some galleries. I think most of them have wound up on display on shelves but they are certainly made to be used. I am going to start putting out some more decorative ones, using old Inuit and Aleut carving designs. Sometime I will get my hands on some heavy sheet copper and see what I can do with it.

I have used all kinds of antler and bone for handles. I usually use Moose or Caribou. I got some Caribou from The Beav that worked very well and was very appreciated.

I learned to use an ulu on Salmon from an Aleutiq woman on the shore of Kachemak Bay. I am often asked how to sharpen them, and as in most things, it is best to keep things simple. She used a beach stone, giving the cutting edge a few swipes when necessary.

Moosetrot

As Patrice showed in the pictures, a great kitchen knife.
Not used as they were intended, from the natives....

Forgot to mention I have sold or given a lot of them to folks who may have weak or otherwise disabled hands/arms. As Patrice and Vinke said they are great in the kitchen. The angle of cutting pressure is far different when using an ulu versus a long chef or whatever knife. They work well and are very efficient in the kitchen.

My son and I have used ulu when skinning bear, deer, and beaver. Also forgot to mention I used one while frost-scraping Beaver, as Boco taught us, and it worked extremely well.

Moosetrot

Thanks Moosetrot , I have an old two man crosscut that is very old. Both handles are missing and the blade is very pitted, it’s not something I wanted to throw away and now I know what I will do with it.

Have fun!!!!!

Moosetrot

I think Patrice ulu is on the small side. Probably good for someone, a woman, with small hands. A guy would want a some what larger ulu to fit his man size hands. Most ulus are symmetrical, like patrice,s. The Kobuk River natives use ulus that are longer on one side. I like that style.

Nice knives.I would need a bigger handle though.

I have made a lot of them through the years. I use my Ulu with meals and for dicing veggies and other works that a knife is needed. Here are a few I rounded up in the house and a few other knifes. Mine are nothing special but I like using my home-made product. I have given away a lot of them to friends and for a token of appreciation.

Nice work, Snowy! They certainly are versatile tools that are fun to make.

Moosetrot

And the same to your display of knives.

Another picture i found that shows some of the more substantial handles I use.

Moosetrot