TargetTalk

Trying to make a set of Izh 46 LH grips since I don't have the funds to purchase. I was able to get some maple and ash but don't know which one would be better to use....

Also, which way should the grain align? I can see the original grips seem to have a north to south orientation but I worry about the piece that sticks back over the wrist as being very fragile. Any tips/tricks to help a novice out?

I will primarily use a dremel for in-letting and rough sanding and then files/rasps for the more detailed areas.

Thank you for the help

Grain should be North south, as normal.

If you're concerned about the tang you can add an extra piece glued in with the grain at 90 degrees to the rest of the wood, although this can cause a little warpage.

Otherwise add a piece of tufnol or similar.

Walnut is generally preferred for grips, maple may be OK, not sure about ash.
Some woods can cause skin irritation.

Factory grips for the Unique DES69 and the TOZ35 have the grain running fore-and-aft. I suppose, therefore, you can choose the grain direction to suit aesthetic preferences and/or good woodworking preferences.

All sorts of timbers have been used. A dense timber with a fine grain is required for easy carving and for being able to hold detail like chequering. However, if the material is to be machined, rather than being carved with edged tools, you can use a wider varity of materials - be inventive!

If you want to save money and make your job easier, you could do a lot worse than laminate your own grips. It should be possible to find 1mm or 2mm thick veneer in a range of timbers, or choose whatever thickness best suits the job. Then you can easily cut the profiles, including the inletting, and lay up a stack, 'bread and butter' fashion. This technique was very popular for making model boat hulls. It allows complex shapes to be produced with less need for removal of huge amounts of stock and greatly facilitates the inletting. Also, you produce a more stable structure by setting the grain direction of adjacent layers at right-angles. Home-made plywood!

Dremel 'Structured Tooth Tungsten Carbide Cutters' are astonishingly good for carving grips, a revelation, in fact, although expensive (here in New Zealand). Numbers 9935 and 9936 are particularly useful.

Hi Hojo, I think you've been given excellent advice concerning wood grain
direction. I would like to add that Ash is a good choice for match grips.
Denis Marschal shows his match grips are made in Walnut or Ash. Speaking
of irritation from wood, my son recently had an allergy/sensitivity test that
showed he was allergic to Walnut, but not Ash! Also, Denis Marschal makes
a grip to your specs for the IZH-46, for a very inexpensive price. I got a
Match grip from him, for my FEG GPM-1 in my size and correct rotation
for my Cross-Dominance(left eye - right hand). Whatever your choice, I
wish you the best of luck.

Tony G

Guys, thank you so much for the help. As a novice, it is nice to be able to come to a site and get some truly helpful information.

I hadn't even thought of the laminating process and that does sound like it would make the in-letting process much easier if it is cut to fit already.

Tony, any contact (website/email) for Denis? I will do a quick search of the forum and on google, but in case that doesn't turn up what I need. - FOUND IT! Thanks.

If anyone has anything else, I would love to hear about it. Thank you all.

John

Have you considered plywood (saves lamination labour).
Beech is strong, and commonly used for air rifle stocks and cheap furniture.