Has anyone made Griptilian scales with basic tools?

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knifecollector73

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Hello, i was wondering if anyone has made Griptilian scales with basic tools. I would like to attempt to make my own, and have some nice pieces of wood, but don't even know where to start. Can this even be done? Any advice is welcome!
Thanks, Tucker
 
I am contemplating that myself for quite a while. My thoughts: will have to make a jig for a router and try it with some" sacrificial" wood to make sure it works - something like plywood or alike.
 
A table sander, drill press, band saw & dremel.
That's all I use.



What kind of wood is it?
Is it stabilized?
Is this for a Mini-grip or a full size?
 
Nice handle Keyman! I have a full size grip i'd like to make them for. I have tiger stripe maple, Brazilian rosewood (which may be too hard) and some very old walnut. Will a belt sander work in place of the table sander? And unfortunately, i have no drill press. What do you use the band saw for, the basic cutting out of the material for scale shape? Do you use the dremel as a router? Sorry i have so many questions.
 
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Full size will turn out better with wood.
I would use the hardest wood you have.
The problem with wood is when it is brought down to very thin or narrow pieces; it can crack or splinter just that much easier.
I prefer Ironwood because of its density.
The belt sander will work for some of it, but the tighter curves will need something else.
I use drum sanders on the drill press for these tighter curved areas.
You could probably wrap some sand paper around a small soup can and get near the same effect, it will be a little slower going, but it'll probably work just fine.
The most important job of the drill press is accuracy of all the through holes; pivot hole, axis slot holes and screw holes.
The band saw is used for the basic shape cutting.
The dremel is my mill; I use this for connecting the two holes made to form the axis slot and for hollowing out the axis spring cavities.
 
Step 1 - use a respirator and eye protection. Once you jack up your lungs from breathing dust from sanding, there is no return.
 
knifecollector73 said:
How do you hollow out the section for the liners, with the dremel? and if so what kind of bits do you use?
Click to expand...

I use a Dremel in a device that holds it like a mill. I use a structured tooth tungsten carbide cylinder bit to hollow out the area for the omega springs. It works very well every time and holds up awesome to G-10. You can get away with using the Dremel rotary work station if you are good. It's not the best, but it will get the job done for around $40 dollars. Or you can find much better ones online.
 
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Vader1 said:
I use a Dremel in a device that holds it like a mill. I use a structured tooth tungsten carbide cylinder bit to hollow out the area for the omega springs. It works very well every time and holds up awesome to G-10. You can get away with using the Dremel rotary work station if you are good. It's not the best, but it will get the job done for around $40 dollars. Or you can find much better ones online.
Click to expand...

I have made a few scales using the dremel rotary work station, Its not the best tool for the job, mainly because the adjustment knobs are not very sturdy and will cause the dremel to skew slightly to one side or the other. You can start drilling a hole dead center and next thing you know its off by a fraction (or more) of a millimeter. although not a big deal with larger holes, Small holes that need to be precisely aligned can be quite a challenge. and then if you are going to try to countersink screws you cant count on the whole unit not shifting.

The size of the bits that you can use is also limited to the maximum size dremel tools accept, they sell a separate chuck, but it only opens up a little more. This can be a problem when drilling larger holes like the ones for the pivot.

I ruined a few pairs on account of inexperience and a flimsy press. Despite that I managed to turn out exactly 2 pairs of scales that fit perfectly without any sloppy fixes.

My advice, get a real vertical drill press if you are thinking about turning out a few decent scales, or if you don't want to screw up a few projects on account of sketchy tools.
 
What was every step that required a drill press. I may have a friend who can help, but would it be possible to save all those steps for one day?
 
double7 said:
I have made a few scales using the dremel rotary work station, Its not the best tool for the job, mainly because the adjustment knobs are not very sturdy and will cause the dremel to skew slightly to one side or the other. You can start drilling a hole dead center and next thing you know its off by a fraction (or more) of a millimeter. although not a big deal with larger holes, Small holes that need to be precisely aligned can be quite a challenge. and then if you are going to try to countersink screws you cant count on the whole unit not shifting.

The size of the bits that you can use is also limited to the maximum size dremel tools accept, they sell a separate chuck, but it only opens up a little more. This can be a problem when drilling larger holes like the ones for the pivot.

I ruined a few pairs on account of inexperience and a flimsy press. Despite that I managed to turn out exactly 2 pairs of scales that fit perfectly without any sloppy fixes.

My advice, get a real vertical drill press if you are thinking about turning out a few decent scales, or if you don't want to screw up a few projects on account of sketchy tools.
Click to expand...

I have only used the dremel rotary tool to mill out the back of scales for the omega springs otherwise it is too flimsy for accurate drilling . I use a drill press to drill the counter bores, a band saw to trim the g-10 close, and a sanding drum table to shape the scales to their exact outline. The patterns are done with files or a dremel. A few samples.......





 
RevDevil said:
Step 1 - use a respirator and eye protection. Once you jack up your lungs from breathing dust from sanding, there is no return.
Click to expand...


I hate to admit it, but I have to agree with you on this one. :thumbup: Good , sound advice.
 
Was just thinking that same question. I have a dremel basic rotary tool, a regular drill, files, and... SAKs. :D

The hardest will be finding nice wood...
 
I've used a inverted belt sander for years to make knife handles (profiling) and perform stock removal on mild steel for blades, along with a Foredom rotary tool with foot speed control all things are possible. As mentioned a good respirator is paramount.
 

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