turning antler

Kip Christensen's antler pieces are shown in several books. Also see:

Here in So Ala, all we have is white tail and the antlers are used to turn pens. I have some antler, but have not turned it yet. However, from what I have heard, it rather stinks when you turn it.

good to hear it is turnable

well the antler is the same thing as hair iirc and we know burning hair is not well liked by many

It turns like soft olive wood , almost like butter.. its basically a version of ivory , same stuff that your finger and toe nails are made from but in a harder form . use a very low speed to start .

It turns just fine. However you choose to turn acrylics will work on antler. I use a 7mm pen kit and pair the antler with a .308 or a .3006 cartridge. I use a respirator when turning or sanding antler - I don't like the smell.

Dave