Ulu, A Blacksmith's Gift

G L Drew

G L Drew

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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I was wandering through a museum last week and spotted an ulu made by a local blacksmith. The display said that he was well known for giving these as housewarming gifts to his customers. An ulu in North Carolina in the early 1900's; who would have guessed. I couldn't wait to get back to my shop to make one myself.

Forged from 1/4 inch 1095
Convex grind
Forge finish on the flats and a high polish on the grind
Cutting edge is about 3 inches

$60 ----sold----delivered to the US or Canada. My PayPal account is gldrewknives@yahoo.com USPS money order or a check with time to clear also accepted.

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The ULU knife (pronounced ooloo) is the most renowned knife in Alaska. Native people of northern Alaska invented this knife centuries ago. It is used for hunting, fishing, skinning, filleting and every other imaginable domestic cutting need by the Inuit (Eskimo) people.

The traditional ULU was an Eskimo cutting tool made of slate and bone, with a sharp edge for cutting or carving. The Eskimos made them in all sizes, from a small blade for cutting skins to a cleaver for carving meat

the above mentioned was stolen from a site for a better writing style than mine lol


thats a smooth looking ulu sir. very well done
 
Way cool, Gerry! It's fun to see what's going to pop off the anvil next. Great tool for dressing game. Ask any old time Inuit.
Rick
 
grunt soldier said:
The ULU knife (pronounced ooloo) is the most renowned knife in Alaska. Native people of northern Alaska invented this knife centuries ago. It is used for hunting, fishing, skinning, filleting and every other imaginable domestic cutting need by the Inuit (Eskimo) people.

The traditional ULU was an Eskimo cutting tool made of slate and bone, with a sharp edge for cutting or carving. The Eskimos made them in all sizes, from a small blade for cutting skins to a cleaver for carving meat

the above mentioned was stolen from a site for a better writing style than mine lol


thats a smooth looking ulu sir. very well done
Click to expand...

Thanks for that Grunt; I couldn't have said it better. Being a Jack London fan, I like to believe the local smith spent some time in the Alaskan gold fields, came back to NC and came up with his with his own design of the ulus he saw there.
 
As requested, here is a photo of the sheath that goes with the ulu.

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grunt soldier said:
The ULU knife (pronounced ooloo) is the most renowned knife in Alaska. Native people of northern Alaska invented this knife centuries ago. It is used for hunting, fishing, skinning, filleting and every other imaginable domestic cutting need by the Inuit (Eskimo) people.

The traditional ULU was an Eskimo cutting tool made of slate and bone, with a sharp edge for cutting or carving. The Eskimos made them in all sizes, from a small blade for cutting skins to a cleaver for carving meat

the above mentioned was stolen from a site for a better writing style than mine lol


thats a smooth looking ulu sir. very well done
Click to expand...

It's my opinion (in no way a professional one :p ) that the ulu was directly derived from the simple, effective tools of our common ancestors, such as hand axes and stone knives. Just big chunks of sharp rock, honestly. The ulu developed with a handle behind the cutting edge, while knives in other areas developed handles below the cutting edge. Both styles have their pros and cons, but the ulu is a wonderfully effective tool.

@ GL: GREAT looking ulu. Is there a way you could curl the handle underneath, rather than on top, to make it a little more comfortable on the palm when applying pressure? Just a thought. Looks great as is! :thumbup:
 
Frostyfingers said:
It's my opinion (in no way a professional one :p ) that the ulu was directly derived from the simple, effective tools of our common ancestors, such as hand axes and stone knives. Just big chunks of sharp rock, honestly. The ulu developed with a handle behind the cutting edge, while knives in other areas developed handles below the cutting edge. Both styles have their pros and cons, but the ulu is a wonderfully effective tool.

@ GL: GREAT looking ulu. Is there a way you could curl the handle underneath, rather than on top, to make it a little more comfortable on the palm when applying pressure? Just a thought. Looks great as is! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I'd like to see Gerry do on without the twisted sections and have some of his great looking handle slabs across the top instead !

Great looking piece though Gerry, your work just gets better and better !;):thumbup:
 
GREAT reproduction piece! Those handles would make a good striker for starting a fire with a flint. I could see a buckskinner carrying this on his (her) belt.
 
Yeah. Gerry's like that sometimes. It's called "Cover your out of pocket cost of experimentation". Everybody benefits.
 
Gerry,
I got the package today. The knife and the Ulu are just great!. You need to add this to your patterns of regular production. I think it will do everything your little ax will do-except maybe split wood and it will pack easier too. My brother will have a fit over this
 
I'm pretty sure the style was designed specifically for pulling blubber off of a whale's skeletal structure. The amount of control you get from chocking up right over a blade of that size is amazing.
 
Frostyfingers said:
It's my opinion (in no way a professional one :p ) that the ulu was directly derived from the simple, effective tools of our common ancestors, such as hand axes and stone knives. Just big chunks of sharp rock, honestly. The ulu developed with a handle behind the cutting edge, while knives in other areas developed handles below the cutting edge. Both styles have their pros and cons, but the ulu is a wonderfully effective tool.

@ GL: GREAT looking ulu. Is there a way you could curl the handle underneath, rather than on top, to make it a little more comfortable on the palm when applying pressure? Just a thought. Looks great as is! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Actually, you're close. Early ulus--before encounters with Europeans and their metal wares--were made from sharpened shells found along the beaches. They were used for skinning seals, slicing blubber (though there were larger tools for that task as well), and as a general knife. When Inuit started trading with Europeans (Siberian and Russian at first), they began adapting metal trade items into the ulu. Some ulu have been found made of copper, believed to have been made from broken kettles acquired through trade.
 
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