Antler help

[walnutjerry]

I thought there may be someone on this site who has had some experience with deer antler. My grandson is trying to make a knife handle for an old butcher knife. He is wanting to cut a kerf wide enough for the blade stock to slide into. The kerf will stop a little short of full length of the piece of antler so if you look at the butt end of the handle you see no kerf.

I see the bandsaw as the best solution but I have not tried cutting antler with a wood cutting bandsaw blade. So, who has the answer? Will it work on a bandsaw? What kind of blade would be best to use?

Thanks in advance, Jerry

 

[sawduster]

I trim and cut pen blanks on my bandsaw all the time ....even on my scroll saw , but be ready
........that stuff stanks !! :tongue2: I mean it can be wicked smelly :wconfused:

 

[Mike Davis]

Hi Jerry,

Yes, the bandsaw will work just fine. Which bandsaw blade to use kinda depends on the thickness of the knife blade. I would choose a blade that makes a kerf close to the thickness of a thin knife blade. If the knife blade is thick then go with as fine a blade as you have or can get and make two passes. Tape the antler with masking tape to help reduce chipping and sand down to the edge of the blade with a belt sander using 220 grit or finer to finish. I use 400 grit wet&dry by hand to smooth the antler then buff it out with white polishing compound.

 

[Mark Gottesman]

I have also put a couple or three coarse hacksaw blades on a frame to get a wider kerf. Works well if nothing else is available.

 

[walnutjerry]

Thanks for the replies folks. My grandson had been using a hacksaw but was not making much progress. Then he mentioned the blade was pretty dull------LOL. So I went to the shop and found a couple unused blades I gave him. He left smiling---------that may solve the dilema for him. If it did not I am sure I will hear from him again.

Jerry