Best method for cutting antler?

[picksnbits]

I've got a bit of deer antler I can experiment with and can probably get access to more.

Anybody got tips for how to go about cutting it into pieces suitable for nut and saddle making?

Looks like the inner part is more porous, do you mainly use the outer part?

Does antler size have any impact as to suitable-ness?

How 'bout if the antler has weathered a bit outdoors?

[grant_eversoll]

Not really an answer, just a heads up...Wear a mask. I built a dulcimer for a guy and he supplied me with antler for the nut, he had even cut it down almost to the size I needed so all I had to do was sand a bit to get the fit...STINK!!! man what a stink...wear a mask

[Desert Rose]

This is true of all bone and antler and tusk

The outer wall is whats used the inner porous material is discarded.

Yes the size controls the use a lot once you realize this

Best wishes

Scott

[Bandersnatch Reverb]

It would seem to me that only certain tips of the antler would be suitable for a nut or saddle. The tips can have no "marrow" (if you will) and be totally solid.

[ShaneJ]

You can cut it with a bandsaw if you are VERY careful. A mandolin nut doesn't leave much room for fingers to hold it and stay out of the saw. The bandsaw is probably the easiest thing to cut it with though. A scroll saw would work too, or a hacksaw. I made a nut out of antler, and I still have it on my mando right now. I doubt it sounds any better than a piece of precut bone I could have bought, but it is WAY cooler! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

I cut the rough shape on the bandsaw. Then I used the bench grinder and disk sander to shape it a little. I angled the top and also ground it to a radius to match the fretboard. Cleaned it up with a file, and then buffed it with a little compound on a cloth disk in the dremel. And, yes, it stinks when you get it within 3 feet of a power tool. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Stephen Perry]

I generally use a bandsaw with a fine blade for all that type of stuff. Rough work only. Belt and drum sander are fast. A sharp scraper for near-final flat surfaces. Curved surfaces worked with file then wet & dry paper. Final polish via high-speed wheel & compound.

[HoGo]

I have used antler almost exclusively for some years for replacements and on my instruments and found out the best pieces are antlers that didn't grow to their full size. I once found a skull of a deer killed by wolves that had only small (10") antlers and they were almost completely solid without the porous core. Large antlers usually have really big core which makes much of them useless.
I also tend to cook the pieces of antlers and dip them into 10% hydrogen peroxide cause there is always some dried blood in them.

[joshro78]

just a quick tip for antler and bone- you can glue the piece of bone or antler to a small stick of wood when cutting on a bandsaw. This will help keep your fingers away from the blade and will help you cut straight on rounded pieces like antler.