How to Make a Leather Sheath for a Ulu Knife
The ulu is a powerful knife, one designed and still made by the Inuit people (the Eskimos of the Arctic). It is a crescent-shaped blade, with a strong handle of wood or bone opposite the cutting edge. The ulu is the "women's blade" according to the book "Arctic Clothing of North America," used chiefly for preparing skins. Both leather crafters and chefs use variations of the ulu in their work. You may build a simple ulu sheath with a few scraps of heavy leather, using some simple tools. You may want a belt loop, or may choose to create a simple envelope sheath, which you can keep in a toolbox or in your pocket.
Things You'll Need
- Heavy leather
- Craft or leather cement
- Heavy shears
- Craft knife
- Butcher paper
- Dental floss or heavy upholstery thread
- Leather stitching awl or heavy-duty upholstery needle
Instructions
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1
Lay the ulu on butcher paper to trace a pattern. The finished pattern will look like a box with one curved side.
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2
Trace the curved edge of the ulu blade on the butcher paper.
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3
Draw a box, using the curved tracing as one side. The entire knife should fit just inside the tracing, with the handle touching the opposite side of the box from the curved edge.
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4
Trace ¼ inch outside of the first tracing, creating a larger version of that tracing.
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5
Lay this tracing on the underside of the leather and trace around it on the leather.
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6
Cut out this shape using your shears or craft knife.
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7
Fold over the handle edge of your tracing so that it covers the blade of the ulu but leaves the handle exposed.
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8
Trace this smaller shape on the leather and cut it out with heavy shears or a craft knife.
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9
Lay this square on the larger piece of leather, on its outward-facing side, and stitch it along the top and bottom.
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10
Cut a ¼-inch-wide strip of leather in the shape of the ulu's blade edge. This will serve as a rip-stop against which the blade rests.
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11
Glue the ¼-inch strip of leather on the inside of the larger piece of material, along the blade edge.
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12
Glue the smaller piece of leather to that ¼-inch strip.
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13
Stitch along the curved edge and the two sides, 1/8 inch in from the outer edges. Leave the handle end open.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Use an awl or a very small drill bit to create stitching holes.
If you will keep your ulu in your pocket or toolbox, simplify the above design by cutting two of the smaller pieces. See the Wilder Tools site in References for an idea of the finished product.
