Mammoth tooth

[caskwith]

I have been given a piece of mammoth tooth that i would like to use as a stem ring. Any advice on how i should go about drilling and shaping it? It seems awfully hard and a saw didnt have much effect on it, i really dont want to ruin it.

[LexKY_Pipe]

You might want to try a diamond tip blade on your band saw. How the heck would you drill it though?

[Nick]

Very slowly, I imagine

[Uncle Arthur]

It needs to be handled like stone. It is also quite prone to fractures.

[ckr]

I use diamond core drills, diamond saws and diamond sanding disks for Mammoth TUSK, I would guess it is the same as tooth.

http://www.lopacki.com/

[geigerpipes]

I would think it would cut on a normal bandsaw just like the tusk..just dont expect your blade to be super sharp after your done and a good tip is glue it onto a peice of flat wood when bandsawing it is to provide a flat surface..I have worked a lot with whale tooth and would think its about the same hardness.. what you want to avoid is causing too much heat wich will generate cracks.. so work slow and lubricate with something like parafin oil or wd40 when cutting or drilling it.
when you turn it make sure to use freshly sharpened cutters

[Uncle Arthur]

Mammoth tooth is at least partially fossilized as they have been extinct for thousands of years. Far harder than a regular tooth from a now living animal.

[geigerpipes]

I stand corrected the tooth is harder than the tusk witch can be worked with normal woodworking tools..heres a good link for you:

http://markknappcustomknives.com/wersindwir.php

[Philthy]

+1 on Uncle Arthurs comment. It should be hadnled like stone and is usually already fractured/cracked as well as prone to additional cracking. The fact that it should be faced/glued on at least one side with a more stable material should help.