Ulu Knife

A Ulu (pronounced Yoo Loo) is an all-purpose knife traditionally used in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals etc. I've made a lot of knives over the years, but this one is probably my favourite, it feels great in your hand and it only took an afternoon to build. I also made a leather sheaf from some homemade goat leather.

• A large saw blade ( I used a mill saw)
• Hardwood for handle
• Brass rod for pins
• Vinegar
• Expoxy Glue
• Grinder
• Gas Torch and Firebricks
• Print out of Ulu plans (credit to D. Comeau knives)
• Oil for quenching

Print out the attached PDF of the Ulu and using a glue stick fix it onto the saw blade. Use an angle grinder to cut the Ulu out and then grind the bevel onto the blade. Drill both holes into the Ulu blade and give everything a sand down.

You'll notice that I didn't cut the slot out in the handle and kept it solid, this saved a lot of time and I really like the look.

I normally use a gas torch and some firebricks at this stage, but you can also use some charcoal and a hair dryer as a blower. You need to bring this up to about 724°C (1335°F), but the easiest way to tell is when it's glowing 'Cheery Red' or a magnet no longer sticks. When it's hot enough dip the cutting edge into some oil (I use cooking oil, but you could probably use old motor oil).

Once it's cooled down sand it to remove the burnt oil and then stick it into an oven for an hour at about 200°C, this will temper the blade so it doesn't chip.

I wanted to darken up the metal so I boiled the blade in some white vinegar for a few minutes, this formed a grey Patina. I then washed the blade to neutralise the acid.

I then cut out two pieces of wood for the handle and then carved them into shape. I had to cut a slot on each side of the handle so when they come together on the blade they go together without any gaps.

Cut two small brass pins and make sure everything fits together snugly, once you are happy mix up some 5-minute epoxy glue and then glue everything together. Apply some clamps to hold everything firm while the glue sets.

Sand the handle down to remove any of the glue runoff and polish up the brass pins. Then apply some linseed oil to the wood to bring out the colours, I applied some 3-in-1 mineral oil to the blade.

I used some homemade goat leather to make the sheath, it came out really good and looks great. However, the process I used to tan the leather used a lot of salt and the salt flash rusted the Ulu. Oh well, it just makes it look older and more authentic!