flatting horn scales

[oldarmy]

Have a couple of sets of moose horn scales.
They were cut out of the flats on a horn.They need to be square- for lack of a better term- before I can attach them to the knife tang.
I don't have a wide enough sanding belt.
Any suggestions about how to square them on the cheap :hmm:
If anyone has a wide enough belt sander, I am sure we could work out a deal. I have a number of horn pieces left.
I would like to put them on a set of Green river knifes.
A gift for an old Vermonter on his 80th birthday.

 

[rabjr]

Actually, as theres a big difference, moose have antlers not horns. Can you post a picture of what your working with?

 

[Trkdriver99]

OldArmy,
I am sure you could find someone around to square them for you. Look for a wood or cabinet shop. Might cost a dollar or two but would be easier than sending them off. If you were close I would do it for you or let you use my belt sander. You could use a sanding block with 40 or 60 grit paper.
Ronnie

 

[omarick1948]

oldarmy,..I'm a little confused and think Swamp Rat might be too! Can't you just cut the knife slabs oversize on a band saw and then resaw (slit) that piece? You could then just file or sand antler to tang area flat. Yes, picture would help!

Rick

 

[oldarmy]

They are "antlers" not "horns" :redface:
The pieces were cut in half, but not square..
One side is "natural" the other side is the "core"
Using a planer is a great idea.
Thanks

 

[pichou]

If you use power tools, wear a dust mask. :v

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

You might want to tape down a sheet or two of sand paper on a flat surface. Then just sand down the uneven core side of the antler.
If you made some sort of attachment to hold the pieces down out of a piece of wood, it would be more comfortable to handle.
I would think two or three times before using a planer to shave the antler down unless you had something to hold the piece. One slip of your hand can send the antler flying across the shop, or you could take the tip or palm off your hand on the planer blades. :hmm:

 

[ameling]

Several possible options:

Do you have or have access to a hand-held belt sander? A lot of people never think about them for projects like this. You can tie/clamp the hand-held belt sander to something to hold it steady, turn it on, and then "press" the antler against it. Or figure out a way to "clamp" your antler slab to a table/board, and then hold the hand-held belt sander down against it. For sanding/smoothing some metal parts, I nailed a couple thin iron bars to a scrap 2x4 - angled a little towards each other. I then "wedge" the iron piece I want to sand between those two bars, and use the hand-held belt sander or the angle grinder with sanding wheel. The angle grinder is quicker, but harder to get smooth and "true". You too easily end up with little ... waves ... in your piece.

A lot of wood workers (and iron workers and knife makers) made their own Disk Sander out of a round piece of thick quality plywood. They either attach an arbor on the back, or bore a hole through the center. And then slip it onto the end of a low rpm electric motor and bolt it tight. Then take a round sheet of sandpaper with glue on the back, and stick it onto that disc. Almost instant disc sander. At Jay's blacksmith shop, we used a metal disk made for that purpose, and built up a wood frame in front of it to rest the piece we want to sand on. Cautionary note once again ---- LOW RPM motor! And watch the surface on any wood disk you might use. They can dent/gouge in use, and then give you uneven sanding - especially if you do some more heavy "grinding" on it.

The other option is to use rasps and files to smooth/level/true it up by hand.

And the ultimate CHEAP option: go outside, find a level section of sidewalk with a somewhat "coarse" surface, and start ... hand sanding it on that cement. Um ... do sweep or wash off the "dust" before "higher authorities" see it!

And always be careful of the "dust" as mentioned above! It is organic matter, and can give you a bad sinus infection if you breath in too much of it and don't get it cleaned back out! Far worse than breathing in wood dust!

Just a few humble thoughts to share. Take them as such.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[streetsniper]

You may want to take a smooth plane and clamp it upside down in a vice. Be very careful or better yet use some sort of push stick. Plane irons can take off skin too. Billy