Who's made grips?

by Slow Hand , Indiana, Wednesday, January 11, 2012, 16:03 (4648 days ago)

Thinking I'd like to try and make a set of grips. The new Flat Top seems like a good first one to start on. We just happen to have an exotic wood shop here in Indy, so I stopped by tonight. Talk about smelling nice! Felt like I walked into a humidor! Anyways, I bought a chunk of bocote and a chunk of curly maple. They are flat boards, just thicker than I'll need for making the slabs out of. My plan is to trace around the factory grips and cut them out oversized, then shape to fit. I know once I actually fit them to the frame, I'll need to put a couple of layers of tape on the frame to protect the metal.

Any good tips from those who've been there before? I've got a whopping $12 in both pieces of wood, so if I totally screw them up, I"m not out much! I don't have many tools, other than a wood rasp, a couple of chisels and lots of sandpaper! No powered sanders or band saws...

thanks,
Doug K