Post At2OPBGd5hf6NJLrdI by tforster@mastodon.cloud
(DIR) More posts by tforster@mastodon.cloud
(DIR) Post #At1xJN37ftwGPu2UDI by ricci@discuss.systems
2025-04-12T23:47:35Z
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These are my mom's kitchen knives, which I learned to cook with. They're recycled saws: the steel is from the sawblades and the wood is from the handles. They were made in the Yupik village of Kongiganak, where my parents lived and taught for 8 years. The shape is intended for skinning and butchering in addition to slicing and chopping. They're great for scraping, scooping up and transporting ingredients, etc. When I switched to using western and asian type knives, I had to unlearn some habits, and I still sometimes fall back to more of a rocking motion than you're "supposed" to. These have been in daily use for about 50 years, and they've still got a lot more years in them.
(DIR) Post #At1xm1lrrkzyoydIWm by elb@social.sdf.org
2025-04-12T23:52:43Z
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@ricci Those are beautiful tools. I feel like we should also talk about that beautiful cutting board.
(DIR) Post #At1yvuh18aOFibdrFo by ricci@discuss.systems
2025-04-13T00:05:46Z
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@elb it's amazing! They just had a friend of theirs who's a retired woodworkers make it for them
(DIR) Post #At1zANwz9h92Vt0mB6 by stepheneb@ruby.social
2025-04-13T00:08:20Z
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@ricci Cool! It’s great to reuse cool metal!A few years ago I made what in effect a giant pencil sharpener for creating the tapered pin ends of legs for a table. To make the giant knife I cut apart an old table saw blade. #woodworking
(DIR) Post #At1zMeN9vLeyv96PUO by ricci@discuss.systems
2025-04-13T00:10:36Z
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@stepheneb very cool!
(DIR) Post #At21mUHiFjG74U0Em8 by jawarajabbi@mastodon.online
2025-04-13T00:37:40Z
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@ricci Beautiful. I really wasn't familiar with this type of knife. Seems very practical for all those purposes. Cool. Thanks for sharing!
(DIR) Post #At21yClbD4XeDPZM9Y by ricci@discuss.systems
2025-04-13T00:39:48Z
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@jawarajabbi they are called "ulu"s , though the few times I've tried to find them commercially they're just not the same product
(DIR) Post #At2Gv5FKDHbxKnRWlc by tforster@mastodon.cloud
2025-04-13T03:27:12Z
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@ricci I have been on the lookout for a better knife for quite some time now. As a vegetarian a typical chef's knife doesn't cut it when it comes to general purpose since the generalisation has to include meat and bones. The rocking motion appeals as it seems like it doesn't require much force. Eg the knife can do all the work. Also, in this age of instant delivery and throwaway tools it's amazing to see a 50 year old knife that is barely middle aged.
(DIR) Post #At2J2VYB0u5cqmvdNQ by ricci@discuss.systems
2025-04-13T03:51:04Z
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@tforster yeah I don't cook meat anymore either. Really the thing these excel at is chopping and mincing. However, when I've found commercially produced ulus, they are just not the same
(DIR) Post #At2M3MQygyw4jHey3c by HydrePrever@mathstodon.xyz
2025-04-13T04:24:48Z
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@ricci you may like italian "mezzaluna" knives (although it will be difficult to find one with that quality of steel...)
(DIR) Post #At2OPBGd5hf6NJLrdI by tforster@mastodon.cloud
2025-04-13T04:51:09Z
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@ricci @tforster Perhaps for those of us not fortunate enough to experience the real thing, the commercial ones will still be a great experience.
(DIR) Post #At2RbMVhPnR8a9ttU8 by tuban_muzuru@ohai.social
2025-04-13T05:26:59Z
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@ricci @jawarajabbi Everyone who's ever skinned a furred animal knows what this is used for. In an era of shoddy craftsmanship, I have a business idea. Find craftsmen who would not skimp on the making of these things - with cutsie little mooseheads engraved on the handles with a laser cutter, and not all that pseudo-"authentic" tourist crap. Then market them at huge markups around the world.
(DIR) Post #At2UkajMDILZ9dNiEK by Shivviness@beige.party
2025-04-13T06:02:14Z
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@ricci Most of the knives and utensils I've encountered in the UK are not remotely designed with actual durability in mind.I like things which are built to last, so I like your mother's knives you've kindly shared with us.
(DIR) Post #At2ZTdHvwz71w1HrTU by jwcph@helvede.net
2025-04-13T06:55:09Z
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@ricci You just reminded me that I have one of those (though with significantly less pedigree 😂) - maybe I should get it back in battery & try using it again...
(DIR) Post #At2gqQXQDkLOjLLd3Y by sortius@mastodon.social
2025-04-13T08:17:47Z
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@ricci amazing knives.This post has lead me down a bit of a rabbit hole already, as I thought they might be linked to the Italian and eastern European rocking knives.Nope, much, much older
(DIR) Post #At2nQagyXqMuNARaIi by Tooden@aus.social
2025-04-13T09:31:32Z
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@ricci Multi-purpose blades would be a good idea, I reckon.
(DIR) Post #At3CAzQJKCOzIPJ4b2 by ZDL@mstdn.social
2025-04-13T14:08:50Z
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@ricci My bandwidth has died so the picture isn't loading, but your description tells me these are the things I know as ulus. Am I right?Like about a third of a circle, connected by a rod at the centrepoint to a wide, slightly-curved handle?
(DIR) Post #At3JsSsYNvZumXC82q by DEDGirl@mastodon.world
2025-04-13T15:35:08Z
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@ricci Those are awesome!
(DIR) Post #At3Kx8SbpNAwrCqmY4 by wedge@woodworking.group
2025-04-13T10:13:37Z
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@stepheneb Are the two oak holes different max diameters?@ricci
(DIR) Post #At3Kx9jf5SPUoNpulc by stepheneb@ruby.social
2025-04-13T13:37:06Z
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@wedge I had previously made a tool for scraping out the inverse shape for making the matching tapered hole. I tested it on the block and was planning to then trim the surface so the cutting edge would be in the right place to “sharpen pencils”. But the central axis of first tapered hole was parallel to the top and bottom.I made the second tapered hole with the top surface of the tapered hole parallel with the top. This was easier to finish ;-)@ricci
(DIR) Post #At3KxAfnbIulih2LNw by stepheneb@ruby.social
2025-04-13T13:47:54Z
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@wedge If I made another diameter tapered hole scraper then a second hole on the bottom would work great for sharpening a different size “pencil”@ricci
(DIR) Post #At3KxBQEoe3s2ilQlk by stepheneb@ruby.social
2025-04-13T14:38:17Z
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@wedge @mycrowgirl In telling this story (adjacent to turning old saw blades into wonderful curved knives) I realized looking through the folder of photos I’d forgotten that the first picture I shared was my first attempt using the knife from my hand plane. I cut apart the circular saw blade to make a longer taper for the table legs.I made a wider block and knew to get the orientation of the central axis correct.@ricci
(DIR) Post #At3KxCFdjXB6c8oTtA by stepheneb@ruby.social
2025-04-13T14:42:33Z
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@wedge @mycrowgirl Used this tool and a number of others we made to help my middle daughter build this Red Maple table in 2017https://ruby.social/@stepheneb/113891068924107925@ricci
(DIR) Post #At3KxCkTsrqe9nF6xc by ricci@discuss.systems
2025-04-13T15:47:05Z
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@stepheneb @wedge @mycrowgirl that looks really cool!
(DIR) Post #At3L0hajfRzSgPLtOi by ricci@discuss.systems
2025-04-13T15:47:51Z
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@ZDL yep, that's correct!
(DIR) Post #At3L980fKStYvzUyHo by ricci@discuss.systems
2025-04-13T15:49:22Z
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@fgbjr glad to bring back memories!
(DIR) Post #At3LXV33K9c9KxEiHo by ricci@discuss.systems
2025-04-13T15:53:46Z
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@sortius yeah someone else in this thread claimed that this is (pre) historically the more common knife shape, and that seems quite plausible...
(DIR) Post #At3Lh8dBWeFAhtjUzQ by ricci@discuss.systems
2025-04-13T15:55:31Z
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@jwcph ooh it looks nice!
(DIR) Post #At3MJk3qoGS7nZc5Hk by sortius@mastodon.social
2025-04-13T16:02:25Z
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@ricci yep, makes sense to have a big curved blade with the handle behind the blade. Much more useful for working animal skins, as well as cooking and other household tasks.A tanner's knife is quite similar, but with the handles on either end of the blade, rather than on top of it
(DIR) Post #At3SLwVK7JSih6tc4e by mark@mastodon.fixermark.com
2025-04-13T17:10:03Z
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@ricci Beautiful.I had to laugh; heard some young person behind me at a kitchen store once looking at a butcher's knife go "What could you possibly need a knife that big for?"So many folk have never actually had to take the meat off a once-living animal. I know this, but it's funny to get reminded of it.(To be fair: I also have never dressed and cleaned an animal. Closest I've gotten is a tiny amount of work on fish. And even there, my uncle did the heavy lifting and I just did some de-boning; he wanted to teach me, but he also wanted to eat!).
(DIR) Post #At3tj9yOu3lNtGnA48 by ZDL@mstdn.social
2025-04-13T22:16:15Z
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@ricci OK, now that I can actually see the picture, it's not the ulu I've used, but very obviously of the same lineage.Best kitchen knives ever made, those are!
(DIR) Post #At520C2vRVT02AV9Oa by JauneBaguette@framapiaf.org
2025-04-14T11:24:14Z
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@ricci I have to ask, how is it more ergonomic to cut with the wrist rather than the whole arm (bigger muscles) as I’ve been teached for everything ranging from writing to building work?
(DIR) Post #At5gd8fnugQL27oPNg by rootsandcalluses@mastodon.social
2025-04-14T18:59:30Z
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@ricci I thnk these would be a lot easier to use for my hands. My joints are unstable and someone recommended those. But, as I am located in Germany, sourcing them here is too expensive to see if it really helps.