How Ulu Knives Are Made

Our first concern is making high quality cutlery and a great Alaskan artifact. The most important part of any knife is the blade.


We begin the production process by selecting the highest quality American stainless steel available.


The 3000 pound coils unwind a ribbon of steel that is fed through our 100 ton punch press. This creates the basic shape of the ulu blade.


The beveled edge is then shaped into a precise angle.


For steel to hold a good edge, it must be heat-treated to 1950 degrees Fahrenheit in our computer-controlled furnace.


We then polish the surface to a mirror finish using several different compounds and polishing wheels.


Then, after the blade is hardened and polished, we grind or hone the edge using a special 16” stone. This must be done under a constant flow of coolant to preserve the hardness of the edge.


The blade is important, but we take great care in making the many different handles. Our Alaska birch and American walnut are the most popular. We use state of the art equipment to shape each handle to exact specification.


Every handle is treated to several finishing operations, and along withe a quality inspection, receives its final coat of oil and is packaged for presentation.
