Antler Overlays

[Wooden Spring]

You know when you're in the dentist's chair and the dentist starts to drill out one of your molars and you swear you can smell your teeth burning? That's what your shop's going to smell like when you sand those antlers down! From experience, DO NOT let the wife in your shop for days, or she won't let you use antler again!

Yeah, the belt sander is the best bet... Antler is also VERY porous, so I would recommend one of those epoxy squirt tubes that you can get at Lowe's to glue the thing up. I think Loctite makes a good one for around 6 bucks. Just rough up the wood a bit and lightly clamp - no heat, no mess, no fuss.

[stuckinthemud]

Any hand saw works a treat on antler, the real trick is holding it in a vice to cut it. I usually use a Coping Saw for work like this as the not-too-aggressive teeth don't grab or skip when you start the cut. If you have a Shinto rasp then that is the best tool I have come across to smooth it over, and if you haven't got one then get one, they are AMAZING. 

[bubby]

I just cut it on my bandsaw and then hot glue a stick to it so its easy to hold beltsanding it

[k-hat]

I just use my fingers and file my nails and fingerprints off at the same time