Working with bone?

[mamell]

Just wondering if anyone cuts bone to create things.. I save small bits of bone, usually cows shank pieces and have been cutting them thin with a regular cross cut hand saw, but so far I haven't been able to come up with much other than just thin slices about 2 inches across, Still it interests me.  I tried to cut it with the scroll saw, but so far the only thickness I've been able to make any head way on are the thin pieces to small to do much with.
Someday I'll get a band saw and we have a friend who is a butcher at the local Kroger so he can probably get me some larger pieces of bone to work with.
Does it need to be cooked if for no other reason than to keep down the bacteria? 
It's probably just a passing fancy, but it sounds like a good idea..

[Judy Hunter]

We used to butcher our own beef and used the large shank bone to do little things.  We cut the bone length wise to get the largest pieces.  We cut with a band saw. We did boil the bone and then let it dry for a few days just to make sure it didn't have any meat left on it.  I did scrimshaw with it. Got pieces about 2 inches by 1-1/2.  It depends on the size of the critter.  Just remember when cutting bone it really smells bad.  Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[Hawkdave]

I was a scout leader for 30 years and, one of the items the scouts used, to make their own woggles was, short lengths of bone. Some would paint a design on it and others who had access to tools, carved their designs.

Dave.

[Claymore]

My wife asked me where they get bones for Intarsia and my reply was Ed Gein 9-)   I know but couldn't resist lol
Brian