Introduction: How to Make a Ulu Knife From a Old Saw Blade Plus a Bonus Cutting Board

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About: Two of my passions in life is woodworking and resin work. A lot of my pieces combines the two together. You can check out some on my work on either Instagram or in my Etsy store “resinandwoodworld “. Many of m…

Instead of discarding the old 12 inch saw blade off my miter saw I decided to recycle it into my version of a ulu knife using the tools I had available. It was a fun project and I tried to include as many photos as I could. As a bonus I am also including how I made a ulu cutting board with a knife holder. And as I am not a professional knife maker I didn’t do some steps such as heat treating the blade which I’m sure would help to keep the knife sharper longer. Thanks for looking and be sure to post your version of a ulu knife if you decide to make one. Find more photos of finished knife and cutting board in last section.

Supplies

Safety equipment:

- eye protection

- face shield

- heavy gloves

- clamps to secure work

Supplies for knife

- saw blade

- cutting wheels

- grinding wheels

- sandpaper

- buffing wheel & compound

- 5 minute epoxy

- masking tape

- drill bits

- finish for knife handle

Supplies for cutting board

- wood strips

- gorilla glue

- food safe oil finish

- double sided tape

- scrape 9" x 9" mounting board

- two stainless steel screws

Machines I used

- right angle grinder

- sanders

- buffing wheel

- drill

- dremel

- clamps

- lathe

Step 1: Designing the Ulu Knife

- I started out by laying out a 5 1/4 inch by 4 1/8 inch section.

- I used a paper plate for blade curve.

- I used a 5 gallon bucket for handle top curve

- I used a cool whip container for side of blade curve

- Follow steps on photos for remainder of dimensions

Step 2: Cutting the Ulu Knife Out of the Saw Blade

- Start by laying your ulu paper template out on the saw blade and mark out with a marker.

- "IMPORTANT" be sure to secure metal blade before working on it and always wear safety equipment when working or cutting on the blade.

- I used a right angle grinder with a 4 1/2 inch cutting wheel to do most of the cutting.

- I used a drill bit in the inside corners of the blade.

- To finish the cuts I couldn't get with the 4 1/2 inch cutting wheel I used a 1 1/2 inch cutting wheel on a dremel.

- When cutting out the blade side of the knife I took my time so the metal wouldn't get to hot and even sprayed it with a water bottle to keep it cool. I was trying not to weaken the metal on the blade cutting side.

- I finished off by using a metal file and grinding stones to clean up lines were I could.

Step 3: Sanding and Polishing the Ulu Knife

- After getting the outer edges of the knife cleaned up I used a sanding disc on the grinder to remove the print on the blade.

- Next I used a pneumatic right angle sander to sand the blade starting with a heavy grit and finishing with a 1200 grit sand paper.

- Next I polished the blade using a polishing compound on a buffing wheel.

- Next I started grinding a edge on the blade (I should have done this step before sanding blade)

- I ended up having to resand and polish blade again. And this wasn't the last time.

Step 4: Placing Wood Scales on Ulu Knife

- For the knife scales I used two pieces of padauk wood that was about 3/8 inch thick and two 7mm tubes for pins.

- Next I drilled two hole in the knife to accept pin tubes

- Next I marked out the wood scales to fit the shape of the knife handle.

- Next I cut and sanded the wood scales just outside the lines I marked. You will finish shaping after they are glued on the handle.

- Next glue and clamp the wood scale on one side of the knife with 5 minute epoxy and let harden.

- Next drill pin hole through the wood scale you attached.

- Before attaching other scale be sure to sand any epoxy that may have gotten on the other side of the handle.

- Next glue and clamp remaining scale on handle.

- Next cut and glue tube pins in handle.

- And before shaping wood scales on handle be sure to tape off metal parts of knife with masking tape.

Step 5: Shaping and Sanding Ulu Handle Before Applying a Finish

- I started shaping the wood handle by using a pneumatic sander for the rough shaping.

- The first step I did was to take the wood down to the metal on the outer edges of the handle.

- Next I rough shaped the profile of the handle to the shape I wanted.

- I finishing up by hand sanding starting with 180p grit sand paper and stopped at 400p grit sandpaper.

- Before applying a finish be sure to remove any sanding dust.

- Next apply a finish of your choice. Photo shows how I clamped knife to apply finish. I went with a ca finish which is a durable finish many pen turners on there higher end writing pens . It's a finish where you apply many coats of thin ca glue (a type of super glue) and then sand smooth and polish with a buffer.

Step 6: Cutting and Gluing Wood Strips for Ulu Cutting Board

- I cut enough pieces of maple and african mahogany strips to make a cutting board nine inches wide when all glued together. All the pieces I used were almost 1 1/2 inch thick.

- Next I sanded matting sides flat before gluing.

- After removing sanding dust I glued and clamped all the pieces together using gorilla glue.

- After the glue had dried I removed the excess glue and flat sanded the board with a belt sander.

- I finished sanding with a orbital and sheet sander.

Step 7: Placing Cutting Board on Lathe and Cutting Concave in It

- I didn't want to attach a lathe mounting chuck directly to the cutting board so I cut a scrap 9" x 9" board to place the chuck on and then used double sided tape to connect the cutting board to it. I also wrapped two inch masking tape around the outside edge to help secure it.

- After attaching cutting board to the lathe I cut a concave in the cutting board that was about 6 3/4 inches across and about 5/8 inch deep.

- Next I hand sanded the cutting board and then removed the sanding dust.

- Final step is to apply a food safe oil to the cutting board. I used a walnut oil on this one.

Step 8: Making Side Knife Holder for Ulu Knife

- To make the knife holder I used two pieces of 1/8 inch thick padauk wood.

- I taped off one of the pieces of wood so I could see my cut lines better after laying the knife out on it.

- After cutting it out I glued the cut piece of padauk with the full piece. ( just follow photos )

- Next I cut it down to 8 inches long and sanded a 45 degrees on each end.

- Next I drilled a hole on each end for mounting screws. I wanted it removable incase it had to be replaced or cleaned.

- Next I put a finish on it before mounting.

- Last step was to mount the holder to the cutting board using two stainless steel screws.

Step 9: Finished Photos to Inspire You to Make a Ulu Knife

Thanks for looking and be sure to post pictures of your ulu knife if you decide to make one. And if you get a chance check out my Etsy store at resinandwoodworld.etsy.com or you can find me on Instagram at resinandwoodworld.