A different kind of knife

[Brasilikilt]

After seeing a weird knife like this in an old sporran making video,I decided that I "need" one of my own to use for a sword scabbard project.
http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=0958&fb_source=message (skip ahead to :48 to see the knife in use)
I saw one for sale in the local leather store which was too far out of my price range. Just like so many other things, I went ahead and did a bit of research to eventually make one for myself and begin another for sale.
I used a piece of an antique (already broken) felling saw for the blade,plain walnut for the handle and a little piece of brass tubing for the ferrule.
I made a sharpening jig for my belt sander, bought a cheapo angle gauge at Harbor freight and roughed the bevels out at 15 deg.
That and an insane amount of stropping with super fine grit sandpaper (320 up to 2000 grit)and then green and black buffing compound, resulted in a highly polished "scary sharp" cutting edge which skives and cuts through heavy 1/4" veg tanned saddle leather as if it was nothing.

 

[bubba.50]

looks a lot like the ulu knives the eskimo women use to peel caribou & walruses & such. also use them to chop them up & other diverse uses from cuttin' hair to choppin' buildin' blocks for igloos.

 

[hawkthrower]

Those are called round knives and have been a part of a leather workers arsenal for many hundreds of years. They are probably one of the best tools available for cutting leather and also one of the hardest to really master.

Ron

 

[Rifleman1776]

Yep, an ulu. My son gave me one from Alaska. I find it difficult to use and have relegated to a dark spot in the kitchen cabinet. Never tried for leather working. They can be ordered from many Alaska web sites.

 

[BrownBear]

You have to go about it a little differently, but ulus are about the hottest thing going for filleting salmon. There's a lot of sweeping wrist motion in using them, rather than the "stiff" wrist typical for conventional knives.

Dandy tool once you've seen one used by an artist with them.

 

[omarick1948]

Just like Hawkthrower said, This is a Round Knife, made for cutting leather. Tandy Leather still sells them...I think? Not even related to the Eskimo Ulu knife.

Nicely done representative you made.
:thumbsup:

 

[Brasilikilt]

Hey all

I agree that this knife (Head or round knife)looks vaguely similar to an ulu, but is not the same. It's funny to imagine a sporran maker in 1950's Scotland using an ulu!
The main difference I notice is that an ulu has a handle that runs parallel to the edge while a head/round knife handle is perpendicular.
Also an ulu seems to be a general purpose utility knife whereas a head/round knife is used solely for cutting leather.

 

[MSW]

yes, what you have is a very nicely made round knife. my eldest daughter (a leatherworker by trade) tells me that this is a tremendously useful tool for leatherworking, especially if kept sharp (as you have done).

nice looking work, and thanks for the post!

 

[tenngun]

Saw a video of an Eskimo women skinning a beaver with one. Beavers are a pia to skin. She was zipping along not leaving a mark on the skin is any fat or meat left on. It came off looking like it was already fleshed. I just hated her :haha: grumble grumble.

 

[ZUG]

Very NICE and I can see it has a SHARP polished edge. As I would love to have one for cutting leather I would end up cutting a finger off or some other body part with all that exposed edge. I'll stick with a convential style knife. By the way my grandfather was a shoe maker as in MADE shoes and he had some of the sharpest knives I've ever seen or got cut by - many stiches - still makes me wince when I remember back so long ago :shocked2: .

 

[Rifleman1776]

Saw a video of an Eskimo women skinning a beaver with one. Beavers are a pia to skin. She was zipping along not leaving a mark on the skin is any fat or meat left on. It came off looking like it was already fleshed. I just hated her :haha: grumble grumble.

I watch some of the Alaska shows and have seen natives skinning seals, caribo and other animals. They do it slick and fast. But, I'm sure, experience figures in more than just the use of an ulu.

 

[BrownBear]

Just like Hawkthrower said, This is a Round Knife, made for cutting leather. Tandy Leather still sells them...I think? Not even related to the Eskimo Ulu knife.

Nicely done representative you made.
:thumbsup:

That's an astute observation due to that long vertical handle. Ulus have horizontal handles no longer than a hand is wide. You'd be hard pressed to get the swinging wrist action of an ulu with that vertical grip.

I've seen and used ulus in several native villages around Alaska. All were local-made the long slow way with a file on a circular saw blade. Each of the guys quit filing once the teeth were gone and went to shaping the back side. Grips were everything from caribou or moose antler to whittled 2x4 or even a hunk of garden hose split and taped on. The women using them could teach most of us a thing or two about knife sharpening. Man, were those edges keen!

 

[thecapgunkid]

It's a moon or round knife. There is a video on Youtube that you should watch before entertaining using it.

Well done project and singular in the achievement.

One word of caution, though; I made shoes for about twenty years before I took the time to sub it for my straight, clicking knife. Keep it sharp and polish it on a rouge wheel while using it. It will also take you some time to master using it on curved lines, so don't spare the practice on scrap leather...

When you cut with it, have a piece of masonite or oak plank to serve as a cutting board. Don't use the composite rubber boards out there in craft stores because the point sinks into them and forces your hand.

You will know the knife is doing it's job ( usually on wet leather) when you don't hear it dragging. Any noise coming from the cut means the blade is dulling and you are not far from a mistake or slip.

There are a couple of techniques for using it out there, and NEVER let your hand get in front of the blade..

 

[wrichi]

Dear sir
street side shoe repairers/makers have and use this type of knives in India.
Thank you

 

[crockett]

The plains tribes, such as the Sioux, used to make half round profiles that fit in the hand and were used for skinning. I think most were obsidian but some may have been flint.