Making Grips - Which Saw?

[doctorj77]

Not sure which forum this belongs in, so Admins please move if placed incorrecty



This winter I'm looking at making my own grip panels for a couple revolvers. Gonna try wood and stag, but curious to anyone who's done this, which saw (band/scroll) do you prefer for the task? Is one better suited over the other?

[wolfy]

I've done some wood grips for C&B revolvers.
I don't/wouldn't worry about what saw to use at all.
My method is to create a rough oversized grip then shape and fit with a sander.

[Ol` Joe]

My father made a couple sets of walnut grips years ago out of cabinet grade 1x6 with a small Dremal “drill press”.
Ive his old M17 with a set of cabinet grade walnut and a Dremal “drill press”. He inletted them a hair shallow and had to shim them to hide the gap. As I recall he shimmed them with a piece he cut from the bottom of a plastic bleach bottle. Turned out to be attractive IMO.

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[doctorj77]

Thx for the input everyone

I currently don't own any of these tools yet, but looking at picking up a used one. Just wasn't sure if one was better suited for straight cuts vs curves or else

[doctorj77]

My father made a couple sets of walnut grips years ago out of cabinet grade 1x6 with a small Dremal “drill press”.
Ive his old M17 with a set of cabinet grade walnut and a Dremal “drill press”. He inletted them a hair shallow and had to shim them to hide the gap. As I recall he shimmed them with a piece he cut from the bottom of a plastic bleach bottle. Turned out to be attractive IMO.

I'd say he did well, those look great

[1baddude]

I have made a few. A good stationary belt sander and cut them oversized rough to fit. Then sand away. Don't overdo where it meets the frame and shape to fit your hand. Use a nice hardwood and pick a spot with a swirl grain.

[Appowner]

Thx for the input everyone

I currently don't own any of these tools yet, but looking at picking up a used one. Just wasn't sure if one was better suited for straight cuts vs curves or else

My personal preference would probably be a band saw though I don't currently own one. But I have done some mighty straight cuts with other types. It's all in the blade and your own patience. But the right blade is all important.

My current go to bench saw is the Rockwell BladeRunner X2 Multi-Purpose Saw. It comes with a fence and will do good straight cuts for shorter pieces like grips. $135 on Amazon. I use it to cut firewalls and formers for large RC Airplanes from aircraft grade plywood as much as 1/2 inch thick. My other hobby is radio control airplanes. My largest is some 32 pounds and a 9 foot wing. I've beaten the dickens out of this saw and have no complaints. Except when I need to change a blade I keep forgetting how to do it.

Not enough posts yet to add a link or pic.

[guylaizure]

Scrollsaw is great for cutting thin details

[JohnJak]

A good set of chisels will work.

[oldmann1967]

A bandsaw will serve you well. Look for a vintage used one. A scroll saw is not much help for wood with much thickness and it is hard to get a vertical cut. You can use the bandsaw for all sorts of other operations too.