Make handgun grips/knife handles out of pallets? - Page 2

Clark · December 21, 2014, 02:06 AM

I have saw dust all over me right now.
You just have to get in there and get started.

603Country · December 21, 2014, 04:21 PM

Like Clark, I have sawdust on me too. Been making some wooden spatulas for Christmas. Mostly using Cherry, but some Walnut.

As for pistol grips, the first ones I made (back at the dawn of time) were from Pine. They actually came out pretty good. These days I usually have a good supply of Cherry, Walnut, Red and White Oak, Persimmon, Pecan, Mesquite, Rosewood, and this and that. And I have a pile of scraps in Bloodwood, Redheart, Bubinga, Ebony, Bois D'Arc, and others. I don't make many pistol grips, unless someone asks (and leaves the pistol with me), so most of my made stuff is boxes, bowls, beds, rolling pins, and whatever sounds like fun. Prettiest wood I've used lately was Redheart (rolling pin, French style), with Bubinga (salt keeper) close behind. All of these woods can be bought at a Woodcraft store in any major city. You can shop among the woods till you find what you want in the size you want. For small pieces, like for pistol grips, the price won't be bad (10 or 12 bucks). Or you can shop online.

Whatever you use, I'd suggest something with tight grain. Cherry, for instance, has tight grain. Those types will hold a polish better than the wood with open grains (red oak, for instance). Walnut burl is tight grained, but general Walnut often has open grain. Bubinga and Zebrawood would look good on a pistol grip. Rosewood will too. And if you can find a chunk of Australian Blackwood (shiny black, with ivory threads), try that. Hard to find big pieces of that, but small pieces are usually available at Woodcraft.

Well...back to my spatulas.

Barnacle Brad · December 21, 2014, 11:50 PM

Quote:

How can I identify oak vs. pine?

Hardwood is dense, therefore heavy. Opposite with softwood.

I saved some dunnage from a project this summer that is some nice 8/qtr oak. Looks like quarter sawn to my untrained eye...

Pallet material may or may not be native to an area, depends on where the truck it came off of was from!

Clark · December 22, 2014, 03:00 PM

I keep buying copies of this book and giving it to guys who are woodworking.
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-.../dp/1561583588

It doesn't to do any good. They don't read or don't understand. It may be that I understand things through numbers and they understand through aesthetics.

603Country · December 22, 2014, 06:29 PM

Woodworkers care about wood and the rest of the world doesn't. The general public just likes this or that because it's pretty. The OP, if he's clueless about softwood and hardwood and the differences, probably isn't ready to do any serious woodworking. Still, I'm sure he could make some pistol grips. It isn't that tough to do, though it is tough to do it really well.

It gives me pleasure to make something pretty and/or useful, and I'm sure the OP will feel just as good about it.

To the OP. Make the first set of grips from soft white pine. When you have that knowledge behind you, then move to the wood you want.

Gunplummer · December 25, 2014, 01:16 AM

Clark, I used to make my own bows years back. I have had dealings with carpenters over the years and most just know enough to pound a nail through wood. It probably takes a machinist or maybe a cabinet maker to understand the mechanical properties of wood. I noticed "Quarter sawn" mentioned on this thread. I never met a carpenter under 55 that understood what this is, and very few I could explain it to. Wood working is like the sink or swim lesson. Either you pick it up or not. Stop wasting your money on the books.

Snyper · December 31, 2014, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Quote:
How can I identify oak vs. pine?

Cut a piece, and smell the sawdust

Pine will smell like, well, Pine

Oak will smell like dirty socks (Tannic Acid)

If it's dry, hardwoods produced a finer, more powdery dust

Look around in the woods where you live and you may be able to find some wild Cherry that would be gorgeous, but you'd need to wait for it to dry.

Small "waste" pieces of Cherry add a unique sweet flavor to smoked foods too

dakota.potts · January 2, 2015, 07:28 PM

I had forgotten all about this thread.

I made my dad a pocket knife with kingwood handles. Kingwood was probably not a good first choice and took a lot of patience but they came out OK. Also did a knife with leopardwood handles that came about better, learned a little bit about burn and tooling marks on that one.

A friend of mine cut down a blackjack oak tree in his yard. He doesn't need any of it and has it laying around for firewood or future use and I'm welcome to as much as I can carry. So I have enough for scales for weeks. Also planning on making an already circular log into some coasters for what should be an easy project.

The other day I bought some big disks of live oak cut from a small trunk for $4 a piece. The top side is already waxed and sealed. They were used for a wedding in some way. The plan with those is to finish the other side and stick some legs on them for some side tables. If it doesn't work well, I'm out $20 for the stack and I'll have probably 60 lbs. of material to re use.

Finally, I'm working on a pair of grips for my CZ 75 from some desert ironwood. The hard woods are just really pretty to me

Difficult to work with, but not impossible - not that I can be a judge for that kind of thing right now, but I'm satisfied so far.

I didn't have a new year's resolution, but I am going to school this year for gunsmithing, so I figured I'd start into some woodworking projects and maybe learns ome things before I get up there. Or at least enjoy what I'm making now.

johnwilliamson062 · January 3, 2015, 03:07 AM

I thought all pallets were pine until I worked in a warehouse that shipped heavy machinery one Summer. All kinds of stuff and some of it had decent figure.

Geezerbiker · January 3, 2015, 01:29 PM

Back in the dark ages I would uncrate new Japanese motorcycles and set them up for the showroom. One of the guys that worked at a neighboring business would come by and collet much of the left over wood. He claimed that it was made from some variety of teak. So if there's a bike shop in your area that sets up it's own bikes. That may be a source of free and exotic wood...

Tony

Bigdog57 · January 5, 2015, 10:38 AM

A friend at work used pallet wood of various types to carve fancy custom spoons and salad forks. Very nice work. I bought a set of three in different fancy woods for my Mom as a gift one year.
He says he finds a lot of nice wood types in pallets.

bandur60 · January 5, 2015, 03:10 PM

Not pallet material, but some might find it humorous ....

A friend gave me a nice chunk of ironwood, I split it with a hacksaw and went to work on a set of pistol grips. Progression went: 80-100 grit sandpaper, chain saw file, wood rasp, hoof rasp, wood chisel (mistake), hatchet,hoof rasp, wood rasp .... poot, gave 'em away to someone who wanted to make smaller stuff. I did get so far as to rough in a palm shelf and thumb rest, and I mean rough in! They were recognizable, but that's about all....

dakota.potts · January 5, 2015, 10:06 PM

Can you expand a little? I'm working with iron wood now. Incredibly dense stuff. It's slow working, but beautiful

December 21, 2014, 02:06 AM	#26
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	I have saw dust all over me right now. You just have to get in there and get started. __________________ The word 'forum" does not mean "not criticizing books." "Ad hominem fallacy" is not the same as point by point criticism of books. If you bought the book, and believe it all, it may FEEL like an ad hominem attack, but you might strive to accept other points of view may exist. Are we a nation of competing ideas, or a nation of forced conformity of thought?

December 22, 2014, 03:00 PM	#29
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	I keep buying copies of this book and giving it to guys who are woodworking. http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-.../dp/1561583588 It doesn't to do any good. They don't read or don't understand. It may be that I understand things through numbers and they understand through aesthetics. __________________ The word 'forum" does not mean "not criticizing books." "Ad hominem fallacy" is not the same as point by point criticism of books. If you bought the book, and believe it all, it may FEEL like an ad hominem attack, but you might strive to accept other points of view may exist. Are we a nation of competing ideas, or a nation of forced conformity of thought?

January 2, 2015, 07:28 PM	#33
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	I had forgotten all about this thread. I made my dad a pocket knife with kingwood handles. Kingwood was probably not a good first choice and took a lot of patience but they came out OK. Also did a knife with leopardwood handles that came about better, learned a little bit about burn and tooling marks on that one. A friend of mine cut down a blackjack oak tree in his yard. He doesn't need any of it and has it laying around for firewood or future use and I'm welcome to as much as I can carry. So I have enough for scales for weeks. Also planning on making an already circular log into some coasters for what should be an easy project. The other day I bought some big disks of live oak cut from a small trunk for $4 a piece. The top side is already waxed and sealed. They were used for a wedding in some way. The plan with those is to finish the other side and stick some legs on them for some side tables. If it doesn't work well, I'm out $20 for the stack and I'll have probably 60 lbs. of material to re use. Finally, I'm working on a pair of grips for my CZ 75 from some desert ironwood. The hard woods are just really pretty to me Difficult to work with, but not impossible - not that I can be a judge for that kind of thing right now, but I'm satisfied so far. I didn't have a new year's resolution, but I am going to school this year for gunsmithing, so I figured I'd start into some woodworking projects and maybe learns ome things before I get up there. Or at least enjoy what I'm making now. __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.

January 5, 2015, 10:06 PM	#38
dakota.potts Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Location: Keystone Heights, Florida Posts: 3,084	Can you expand a little? I'm working with iron wood now. Incredibly dense stuff. It's slow working, but beautiful __________________ Certified Gunsmith (On Hiatus) Certified Armorer - H&K and Glock Among Others You can find my writings at my website, pottsprecision.com.

December 21, 2014, 04:21 PM	#27
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,998	Like Clark, I have sawdust on me too. Been making some wooden spatulas for Christmas. Mostly using Cherry, but some Walnut. As for pistol grips, the first ones I made (back at the dawn of time) were from Pine. They actually came out pretty good. These days I usually have a good supply of Cherry, Walnut, Red and White Oak, Persimmon, Pecan, Mesquite, Rosewood, and this and that. And I have a pile of scraps in Bloodwood, Redheart, Bubinga, Ebony, Bois D'Arc, and others. I don't make many pistol grips, unless someone asks (and leaves the pistol with me), so most of my made stuff is boxes, bowls, beds, rolling pins, and whatever sounds like fun. Prettiest wood I've used lately was Redheart (rolling pin, French style), with Bubinga (salt keeper) close behind. All of these woods can be bought at a Woodcraft store in any major city. You can shop among the woods till you find what you want in the size you want. For small pieces, like for pistol grips, the price won't be bad (10 or 12 bucks). Or you can shop online. Whatever you use, I'd suggest something with tight grain. Cherry, for instance, has tight grain. Those types will hold a polish better than the wood with open grains (red oak, for instance). Walnut burl is tight grained, but general Walnut often has open grain. Bubinga and Zebrawood would look good on a pistol grip. Rosewood will too. And if you can find a chunk of Australian Blackwood (shiny black, with ivory threads), try that. Hard to find big pieces of that, but small pieces are usually available at Woodcraft. Well...back to my spatulas.

December 22, 2014, 06:29 PM	#30
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,998	Woodworkers care about wood and the rest of the world doesn't. The general public just likes this or that because it's pretty. The OP, if he's clueless about softwood and hardwood and the differences, probably isn't ready to do any serious woodworking. Still, I'm sure he could make some pistol grips. It isn't that tough to do, though it is tough to do it really well. It gives me pleasure to make something pretty and/or useful, and I'm sure the OP will feel just as good about it. To the OP. Make the first set of grips from soft white pine. When you have that knowledge behind you, then move to the wood you want.

December 25, 2014, 01:16 AM	#31
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	Clark, I used to make my own bows years back. I have had dealings with carpenters over the years and most just know enough to pound a nail through wood. It probably takes a machinist or maybe a cabinet maker to understand the mechanical properties of wood. I noticed "Quarter sawn" mentioned on this thread. I never met a carpenter under 55 that understood what this is, and very few I could explain it to. Wood working is like the sink or swim lesson. Either you pick it up or not. Stop wasting your money on the books.

January 3, 2015, 03:07 AM	#34
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	I thought all pallets were pine until I worked in a warehouse that shipped heavy machinery one Summer. All kinds of stuff and some of it had decent figure.

January 3, 2015, 01:29 PM	#35
Geezerbiker Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2011 Location: Willamina, OR Posts: 1,908	Back in the dark ages I would uncrate new Japanese motorcycles and set them up for the showroom. One of the guys that worked at a neighboring business would come by and collet much of the left over wood. He claimed that it was made from some variety of teak. So if there's a bike shop in your area that sets up it's own bikes. That may be a source of free and exotic wood... Tony

January 5, 2015, 10:38 AM	#36
Bigdog57 Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2006 Posts: 122	A friend at work used pallet wood of various types to carve fancy custom spoons and salad forks. Very nice work. I bought a set of three in different fancy woods for my Mom as a gift one year. He says he finds a lot of nice wood types in pallets.

January 5, 2015, 03:10 PM	#37
bandur60 Junior Member Join Date: April 8, 2010 Posts: 9	Not pallet material, but some might find it humorous .... A friend gave me a nice chunk of ironwood, I split it with a hacksaw and went to work on a set of pistol grips. Progression went: 80-100 grit sandpaper, chain saw file, wood rasp, hoof rasp, wood chisel (mistake), hatchet,hoof rasp, wood rasp .... poot, gave 'em away to someone who wanted to make smaller stuff. I did get so far as to rough in a palm shelf and thumb rest, and I mean rough in! They were recognizable, but that's about all....