Very odd request today

scott kozub

scott kozub

Joined
Jan 1, 2018
Messages
861
I'm making a trade for a whack of antler for an ulu. The customer has asked if the blade profile can match the profile of a beluga atlas vertebra.

Looking forward to this.

$_1.jpeg-1.jpg $_1.jpeg-2.jpg
 
I'm going to mock some profiles up in hard board to see what works. I don't think the recurve will work for an ULU.
 
scott kozub said:
I'm going to mock some profiles up in hard board to see what works. I don't think the recurve will work for an ULU.
Click to expand...

defeats the purpose in my mind. I don’t use them, other than the similar round knife used in leatherwork, so what do I know?
 
Willie71 said:
defeats the purpose in my mind. I don’t use them, other than the similar round knife used in leatherwork, so what do I know?
Click to expand...
I have used ulus my whole life, (mostly traditional Yupik and some Athabaskan, not manufactured "tourist souvenirs") and am quite certain your assessment is accurate. I'm intrigued by the idea, but doubt it will work all that well. Most of my use (and elders that I've observed using them), is the area of the blade that's being recurved on this one (75%+), and the tips of the blade account for almost all other work. Traditionally the middle of the blade is used quite infrequently.
Another note is that if this is to be a 1:1 scale of a beluga vertebra, that will be quite large for an ulu, perhaps 12-14" or more. I have rarely come across ulus exceeding 9".
I don't mean to be a killjoy, and look forward to seeing the final blade and hearing how it works. These are just some observations from a guy who's used them his whole life.
 
This is great input. I don't think it was meant to be 1:1. He said he was going to use it in the kitchen. I've made a couple and played around with them but ave never used one for any length of time or for its intended purpose.

It'll be a bit before I can get started anyways due to the boarder closure and my inability to get steel at a reasonable price.

Do you have a suggestion of what thickness steel would be best? I'm thinking something about 0.1".


AlaskanHunter said:
I have used ulus my whole life, (mostly traditional Yupik and some Athabaskan, not manufactured "tourist souvenirs") and am quite certain your assessment is accurate. I'm intrigued by the idea, but doubt it will work all that well. Most of my use (and elders that I've observed using them), is the area of the blade that's being recurved on this one (75%+), and the tips of the blade account for almost all other work. Traditionally the middle of the blade is used quite infrequently.
Another note is that if this is to be a 1:1 scale of a beluga vertebra, that will be quite large for an ulu, perhaps 12-14" or more. I have rarely come across ulus exceeding 9".
I don't mean to be a killjoy, and look forward to seeing the final blade and hearing how it works. These are just some observations from a guy who's used them his whole life.
Click to expand...
 
scott kozub said:
This is great input. I don't think it was meant to be 1:1. He said he was going to use it in the kitchen. I've made a couple and played around with them but ave never used one for any length of time or for its intended purpose.

It'll be a bit before I can get started anyways due to the boarder closure and my inability to get steel at a reasonable price.

Do you have a suggestion of what thickness steel would be best? I'm thinking something about 0.1".
Click to expand...

What steel do you need? I have 52100 and 15n20 that I could send you.
 
scott kozub said:
I'd be interested in the 15n20. Do you have any in plate form? I'm not set up to forge.
Click to expand...

What dimensions do you need? I have 0.070” and 0.090” approx. they are from industrial bandsaws. Approx 22” long and 6” and 8” tall.
 
I ended up ordering about $500 in steel from alpha. I'll pick it up once the boarder opens. I needed more AEBL anyways.

I really appreciate the offer though. If this was a rush order I'd take you up on the offer for sure.

Now I need to hide from the wife. Don't want to be around when she sees the alpha and pops bill come in.
 
scott kozub said:
This is great input. I don't think it was meant to be 1:1. He said he was going to use it in the kitchen. I've made a couple and played around with them but ave never used one for any length of time or for its intended purpose.

It'll be a bit before I can get started anyways due to the boarder closure and my inability to get steel at a reasonable price.

Do you have a suggestion of what thickness steel would be best? I'm thinking something about 0.1".
Click to expand...
Thinner is better. A lot of the village guys use old reclaimed handsaws, but they generally have lousy edge retention. I use the thin 15N20 that JT sells, .065 I think? Thinner would be nicer, but I've never searched for a thinner source of the stuff. I simply carry the bevel higher, similarly to grinding a round knife. A little bit of flexibility in the blade is really nice, especially for filleting salmon or deboning moose, which is why very thin material is nice.
 
AlaskanHunter said:
Thinner is better. A lot of the village guys use old reclaimed handsaws, but they generally have lousy edge retention. I use the thin 15N20 that JT sells, .065 I think? Thinner would be nicer, but I've never searched for a thinner source of the stuff. I simply carry the bevel higher, similarly to grinding a round knife. A little bit of flexibility in the blade is really nice, especially for filleting salmon or deboning moose, which is why very thin material is nice.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the info. This is very helpful.
 
scott kozub said:
I ended up ordering about $500 in steel from alpha. I'll pick it up once the boarder opens. I needed more AEBL anyways.

I really appreciate the offer though. If this was a rush order I'd take you up on the offer for sure.

Now I need to hide from the wife. Don't want to be around when she sees the alpha and pops bill come in.
Click to expand...

We still get shipments across the border, but they are delayed due to extra shipping volume. It’s personal travel that is suspended.
 
How big is the actual Atlas bone?
If it's large enough, you could just use the profile of the rounded portion for the blade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top