Baking or boiling bone makes it likely to shatter into splinters - hence the warnings not to give dogs cooked bone, but that would seem to indicate that uncooked bone has a different - less brittle nature?

It also implies that using machinery on bone would not be a good idea, as sterilisation with heat would make it brittle, but tiny particles of non sterile bone would not be something I would like to breathe in.

I knew someone who leached the Calciom Phosphate out of a long bone from a cow and tied it in a half hitch when it got soft enough.

I do have to cut down the holly tree growing by the kitchen window - it is far too close to the house, so if you want some of the wood, I could post it though I live in England I wouldn't think that sending enough for a violin peg would be all that expensive, even Air Mail

Anne