So many possibilities of things to make from antler.
But a few cautions, also. Yeah, be careful about breathing the dust from sanding/grinding. It is organic matter. If you get a bunch of that dust into your nasal passages or lungs, it can lead to rot/decay and infections. Can be some nasty stuff. So use a lot of ventilation, or a dust mask. (Ditto the same for working bone.)
Small antler tips make great little handles for tools like awls, punches, engraving tools, and ... yes ... even fire steels (ferro-cerrium rods). They also make great toggle type buttons. And, with the addition of a steel or copper/brass hook, they make a great reproduction Indian fishing lure.
You can always slice sections to use as buttons. But you can also saw them lengthwise to make slabs/scales for knives.
Large enough sections/tips make great knife handles. And you sometimes get the right shape in an antler to make a great crook-knife handle.
A short section with a small tine sticking off of it will make a wonderful pot-hook by just tying on a length of cord/leather to the end (or through a drilled hole). You hook the bale of your pot over the tine sticking out to the side - just like you would with a short stick.
If you have a thick enough tine, drill out a section, whittle a plug for that hole, and then use it as a needle case. Or fill it with your salt/spices. If you can drill a large enough hole stick a few fish hooks and fishline in it and plug the end.
A number of knife makers take button type disks cut from antlers, stack them up with glue, drill a hole through the center, and use that as a knife handle. It is a way to use shorter sections to make a full-sized antler handle. And the slight variations in the antler color (after you smooth/blend them all together) gives it an interesting look. Slipping a circle of brass or iron between some of the layers also sets them off visually.
So there are lots of little projects that you can do with some small antlers. Just ... ponder it at bit.
I work antler with most any wood-working tools. You can carve with a knife, or use any file/rasp to work them. A regular saw works, but a metal cutting hacksaw allows you a little more ... control. And sandpaper does wonders for the final finishing.
I hope this helps.
Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hitnerlands
p.s. One extra note. With small sections of antler, don't be afraid to "glue" different pieces together to make long or larger pieces - or even other shapes. Use a good glue (like one of the two-part epoxies), carefully cut/sand the two ends to a tight fit, and glue away. Once the glue has set, you now have a bigger chunk of antler to work with. Just carve/file/grind/sand to shape.
