Awhile back I rough shaped several needles for nålbinding from deer antler I purchased from a neighbor. I need a smaller diameter nål for a new project, so did the final shaping and polishing with progressive grits of sandpaper on one.

To make the nål I used a bandsaw to split the antler into narrow sections, then used a band sander to shape. The holes were drilled with a drill press. To get the elongated oval hole, I drilled two circular holes next to each other and then used the drill bit to mostly remove the remaining points. To finish, I shaped it using 120 grit sandpaper, then refined with 320 and finished with 400 grit sandpaper. I tested the smoothness of the holes and sides by running it through a wad of unspun wool.