Which wood to make my own grips?

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Pond James Pond

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I don't want exotic woods. I don't really want anything that's come from some plundered rainforest somewhere.

However, looking at the types of wood available from a typical deciduous, temperate forest, which woods could I consider if I had the time and inclination to whittle myself some nice ergo grips for my new MkIII?
 
I'm doing some now for Blackhawks out of White Ash...

Then I am thinking of some Spalted Maple, Elm, and some Buckthorn I have...
 
Many of the fruitwoods make very nice grips. I've seen some gorgeous cherry grips.

Walnut, of course, is a standard.

Birdseye maple or birdseye cypress (EXPENSIVE!) also make very nice grips.
 
I've been thinking of taking on a similar project - thought I'd make a set of grips.

I have some interesting trees on my land. A variety of maples, oaks, hickory, hemlock, some magnolia and others that I haven't yet identified. I'm always finding fresh fallen or broken limbs, and some fallen trees if I decide to hike back into the woods. I think I'm going to try to harvest some interesting wood, put it on a rack in a cellar to dry and then see what I can do with it. I'd love to have a set of grips made for some of my guns out of wood harvested from my own land.

I made a set of grips for something when i was about 19 - using just a rotary tool to shape them and then hand sanding them. I used Walnut blanks that I purchased and they came out pretty nice. It's been years, but I'd like to try it again.
 
You said "your own". That means do way pleases you. Desert ironwood, Osage Orange, persimmons, many-many others.
As for the "plundering" of South American woods, that notion is mostly myth. I have an American friend in Peru who is an expert on the subject who had told me the truth. Problem is folks would rather believe the worst than the truth. So, instead, you plan to "plunder" American woods. Interesting.
 
Consider any wood that you want. I'd recommend staying away from softwoods though. Find a piece that has grain figure that turns your head and start to work.
 
Just about any hardwood should work alright. Just depends on what you want in the final result. Light colored, or dark? Lots of curves in the grain, or straight?

These grips came from an old stump in my stash of mesquite I keep for BBQ purposes. I cleaned up a 4 acre lot full of old stumps and such, and took a bunch home for the stash.

Daryl

WorkhorsePP.jpg
 
the two true classics are cocobolo and any of the walnut species. You can find woodturning blanks or just slabs of figured black walnut on ebay. There were hundreds of feet of absolutely epic walnut blown down and destroyed in the tornado here, talk about a waste.

If all else fails, I can try to get hold of a piece or two for you that could make good grips. I have a piece of black walnut fiddleback that is probably too thin, but very fine. I have others that I won't part with, unfortunately...
 
Depends on whether you want a "light" or "dark" look ....but on the light side I'd go with Bird's Eye Maple ....in between I'd go for a natural Cherry look...and on the dark side, I like Black Walnut. I like the "natural look" of all 3 woods..and personally I'd use a clear lacquer finish on them ...like Deft.

I saw one of the notes above mentioned spalted wood...but spalting is the first stage prior to rot ...and it gives you some amazing colors from the staining.../ but a lot of spalted wood tends to be "punky" and very difficult to stabilize....not impossible / but tricky. If I had some "spalted maple or cherry" I'd try it ....but personally spalted woods tend to work better for ornamental pieces .... vases, boxes, etc...vs something like a handgun stock.

Air Drying your own wood blanks can be done...but its best done in some kind of a kiln.../ and air drying can take a long time ...and the guys that do a lot of it ...will tell you a board one inch thick will take at least a year. If you really want to salvage wood ...cut it into some rough blanks...2 or 3 times the size you think you'll need for the finished product....coat the end grain to help prevent cracking and hope for the best ( and expect to lose 30% - 50% of your blanks to cracking ). The more "burl" ...or the more crazy grain look they have ...the more difficult they are to dry without cracking...but the more outrageous they turn out too ...

You could use thin pieces of wood ...that you might cut on a bandsaw ...and then laminate them together to form a blank. When you cut thin pieces ...it tends to relieve some of the stress in the wood...that will cause cracking ..so its a way to defeat the cracking issues. You could also use 4 or 5 different species ....like maple and black walnut ...and laminate them together for an intersting look. It would be unique.../ a lot of guys will do it on things like fancy boxes or for items like peppermills...

I'd suggest you experiment ...first with some commercial woods ...buy some blanks of maple or cherry ...and see how it goes / shaping, sanding, etc....and consider how you want to checker them ..or not .. / checkering is the most difficult step...deep enough to give it character..but not deep enough so they crack...and it can be done using a router, handsaw, bandsaw, etc....depends on your skill - and what you feel like trying.

Kind of like the first 10 peppermills I turned...it took a while to get my techniques down...and my designs fine tuned. Its not that they were bad ...but there is a learning curve on all of this stuff ....but that's why its fun too. Hope you give it a try...
 
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So, instead, you plan to "plunder" American woods. Interesting.
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I don't plan to plunder anywhere, and am a staunch supporter of sustainable forestry.

Google Earth alone proves that not to be the case in large portions S.A.
Nor am I interested in stripping down American forests: I hope they remain as intact as possible.

However, I do plan to contact a reputable wood supplier here in Estonia....



I see a few have mentioned walnut. Very beautiful wood. I should be able to find some off-cuts from somewhere.
Juniper is another, but hard to come by: it is protected and only licenced forest wardens can collect any. Small off cuts should be possible from workshops.

Whichever it is, it should complement the blued finish of the MkIII.
 
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My opinion is that lighter woods usually look the best on a blued gun. Here are some photos to give you an idea of some options:

Birdseye Maple
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Spalted Maple
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Now that is some of the best examples I've seen of Bird's Eye and Spalted Maple ...on some nice guns....

Well done Olympus...
 
anything that's come from some plundered rainforest somewhere.
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Oh, why not? Those are the prettiest, and the Lacy Act is not being enforced these days. Just ask Gibson Guitars. [/snark]

Actually, pear is pretty, although very white. It takes a stain well. Bodock is a wonderful wood if you can find it. Ash is nice, as is walnut.

My son's been playing with scales for the 1911 and has come up with some bone. I think they look nice.

grips%2B06.jpg


There's nothing like making your own grips.
 
IME (Hardwood Flooring contractor)

Just about any hardwood should work alright
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Um ...... some, like true hickory (as opposed to pecan) are liable to split easily when subjected to shocks, especially when the peices are thin ..... as someone noted above, those prone to splitting can be laminated to make them sturdier.....

Also, some woods are not very stable - they shrink/swell a lot with changes in humidity ..... in applications where wood to metal fit is important (such as SAA grips, I would think) I would avoid these.
 
I don't want exotic woods. I don't really want anything that's come from some plundered rainforest somewhere.
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Plenty of exotics woods are farmed, and still more aren't from tropical forests.

I'd have had better success if I'd started with soft white pine to practice on. People who are handier than I've ended up being may not need to do that.
 
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