Deer antler

I just tried to turn some last night for a pen for my brother in law. He sent me a full set of antlers that weren't very white and they had a lot of small growths on them. I'm not an expert by any means on antlers, but I do know that the ones I have let off a highly putrid smell. After trying to cut off two pieces at the bandsaw, I felt like I would vomit, so I called it a night.

I'm going to throw away the antlers I have. I've seen Dave Hout turn an antler keychain on his woodturning show, and he didn't mention a foul odor from the antler. Maybe it was just the set I have, but I won't be looking to turn deer antler anytime soon.

I guess this post isn't much help to you, but it is something to think about. I need to scrub the inside of my bandsaw now.

There's nothing wrong with the antler you have. It really smells when it is worked.

Folks, antler is Organic. Organic stuff is going to smell when it gets cut at high speed.

Alysonsdad I hope you have good ventilation. Everything we turn has a smell and antler is worse than most. Actually it is the worst of anything I have turned but I am willing to be educated if not looking forward to it. You know that smell when the dentist is drillieng a tooth. Think times 10 with burning added. Other than that, turn with the lathe fast, use sharp tools and take your time. If the antler seems soft in places, and it well may, a bit of CA soaked in works wonders. There will be a lot of color variation and very little of it is actually white. Hope it helps.

Darrell, you are one savvy cuss....Really like your website and willingness to share what you have learned with everyone else. I've taken a few of your hints and saved myself a boat load of time. sooooo, maybe you know someothing about the lamination process. You know the multi colored pepper mills ??? how do I go about doing that? is it just a process of ripping enough colored woods and then stacking them against each other and then leaning them in one direction when they are gilued ..or what???

Eric

Though I've never turned antler, I've turned bone (presumably beef) and fossilized walrus tusk. The smells are the same - dentist drilling on your own tooth. I don't notice it much when turning - only when bandsawing - my wife commented the other day, though, when she came down to the turnery. Maybe the ol'Cocobolo dust has killed my smell sensitivity...

Eric The angled lamination is not my thing these days but I have done it for a cutting board or two. For an example, consider two types of wood, say maple and walnut. Assume you want a 3" square blank and your wood is 1/2" thick. Cut strips the thickness of the desired blanks, 3", and glue them up in alternating bands, m-w-m-w-m-w. 6 strips at 1/2" give a 3" square. Cut a diagonal from the upper right corner of strip #3 to the bottom right corner of strip 1. Take this triangle and glue it without rotation to the right of the original glue-up. Square up top and bottom and you have a diagonal lined square. I hope this is not too confusing. If you draw it out it helps. You get some neat patterns by using more kinds of woods and arbitrarily deciding on the top and bottom points of the diagonal cut.

Deer antler is indeed smelly, but if you have dust colection it will pick up most of it. Anyway, I've used antler for pens & also for the points & nut on a mandolin. Since it's an organic material it won't be as white as plastic (even elephant tusk isn't quite white-- guess that's why they call it ivory) -- I suppose you could try some bleach-- I like the natural look, so never have. Might work to some extent though. Be sure to nuteralize the bleach after. HTHs Phil

I guess I might try to turn these after all if the smell isn't as bad when turning as it is when sawing at high speed.

Try using older antler. I have been turning some from some shed antlers that are about 4 yrs old and I had no odor problem at all. If they are off the deer, elk, etc for less than 60 days they are considered green and have quite a bit of moisture content, even though they seem dry. Experiment. Let them set for a few weeks, months, whatever. HTH. Nic

I agree with Nic. If you must turn antler, let them set for 52 years and

7 months buried in the back yard before turning. Interesting however, that neiher the buck nor the bull moose wanted to keep them.

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

Bone.

An intelligent design conceals its secrets from the unthinking.

Not to presume to speak for the Almighty, but having perhaps a smattering of (increasingly UN-)common sense which He, in His benevolence, blessed me with, let me see if I can help you over the bumpy spots:

So we know when there's a problem and don't just keep chomping away, letting infection spreading through our body, killing us.

Whose lifetime are you talking about? I know 90-year-olds with their natural teeth. IT'S CALLED A TOOTH BRUSH.

Apparently some of us have a little difficulty getting it fired up before we hit the "Enter" key. (See c1 and c2, below...)

Yeah, it's called "genetics." Maybe you've heard of it? Once again, that rare gift called "common sense" kicks in...or doesn't, and we reap the benefits or suffer with the consequences.

And those would be called "Parents." I'm sure you remember them. They're the ones who _should_ have taught you what to do, who and when to do it with. They might even have had some things to say about at least the rudiments of respect for other people's beliefs, too, but maybe you weren't listening.

Hey, but who know's maybe I'm wrong, and we're just a big, cosmic accident. Well, you anyhow.

But then again....maybe I'm not. See, the funny thing about that is, _you_ are the only one who will have to suffer the consequences if you make the wrong choice.

BTW, there's this verse some of us are familiar with. Maybe it will help you some time: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked..."

Well Charlie, for your sake, I hope you don't choose wrong and go off on the ultimate tangent.

Chuck - Who seldom rises to the bait of trolls, but some things just gotta be done

And reveals itself to the "religous" / "faithful" - "thinkers"? There's an oxymron in there somewhere.

charlie b

Antler is really easy to turn. I always stabilize it with thin CA glue before turning. It will soak down into the weak and unstable parts of the antler. It does indeed smell bad when turning. Off-white can be rather pretty if it is accented. Antler is coarse and is often pitted. I have a couple of old stainless steel bushings. I put those on the mandrel and using a fine sandpaper (240 or higher), I sand lightly (very little sanding is needed) and with the dust on the sandpaper, touch up the antlers. It fills in the small pits with silver. The effect is nice and everyone that sees it have said that they love the accent. I then finish as normal. Use this if you would like and ignore it if you wish.

MHR

I'm not, but this looks like fun:

SO you know when you've bitten off more than you can chew?

They did once.. we're just living longer.... and don't have room for "wisdom teeth" any more... My personal theory, and just a WAG, is that they were designed as "replacement molars" for the time in life that your OEM equipment had word down due to the amount of sand and grit on your food..

It's my personal observation, after almost 60 years of study, that most of us are WAY short of the 50% mark there...

Intelligent Designer

Anticipated life span again... I'd think that most animals, our job is to reproduce and then get out of the way of the next generation... but we're living past that now..

understanding of cause

Again, I'd guess we're designed to go about 30 years at best, if we avoid dino feet, etc... cats and dogs can ( and will, if not spayed) breed when they're very young... to keep the species going.. Again, just a guess, but if you're designed to go 30 years before you're out of warranty, why bother being sexy and wanting to mate after your projected check out time...

Want proof that mother nature has a sense of humor?? Why else would a man reach his sexual peak at 18 and a woman at 32??? lol

mac

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