[SkaerE]

checker wooden pistol grips?

are most of them CNC machined?

i read in brownells that some manufacturer advertises all of his grips as "hand checkered". whats the most efficient way of doing this?

i was just wondering, im always interested in how people do different things...

thanks

[Jim K]

I think CNC is used mostly on metal. Most grips are "hand checkered" in the sense that a human being guides the checkering machine, but some factories are pretty automated. S&W uses an automatic machine, which is the reason for the deep "trough" around the checkering. Other than a custom shop, I doubt that any factory uses actual "hand checkering" (with a hand held and guided tool) today. It just takes too long.

Don't confuse machine checkering, which is real checkering with cuts in the wood and raised diamonds, and impressed checkering, which is the reverse and is pressed into the stock under high pressure. It is difficult if not impossible to tell good machine checkering from hand checkering; in fact, the usual way to tell is that the hand checkering is a lot more likely to have flaws.

Jim

[SkaerE]

thanks Jim,

Most grips are "hand checkered" in the sense that a human being guides the checkering machine

what kind of machine? anyone have a link to a picture of one?

thanks again

[Standing Wolf]

The good folks at http://herrettstocks.com still checker stocks by hand.

[Traveler]

There are some companies that do make their grips using NC machines. Other companies use a person trained to operate a hand held cutter like a Dremel but made for checkering. Purists use non-power cutters with various tips to make the cuts.

The hand held cutters are basically carving the wood. It looks like scraping, and does not remove a lot of material at a pass. The powered heads take a bigger cut, and with an expert are much faster; in the hands of a novice they wrech wood faster. NC Machining centers can do extremely nice work if set up correctly. The advantage is in the repeatablity.

It is very easy to tell the difference between various ways of checkering once you know what to look at. The slower cuts, with sharp tools are the smoothest in the cut, but the least repeatable. Machine tools leave telltale marks that are unique.

There are several good books out on checkering. They are old, but the art has not changed. The ability to lay out the pattern is still of primary importance.

For a good view of what is available in cutting tools, including the powered heads, look through Brownell's.

[shortshot]

A close look at Winchester checkering in the last 10 years looks like they use mechanical means to do their checkering. A chain saw!

[Mike Irwin]

Some companies also use checkering which is essentially stamped into the grips with a very large press.

[mete]

Remember that the proper way to hold a hand gun is front to back not side to side. Therefore the proper place for checkering is on the front and back strap as all my autos are . Checkering the grips as far as I'm concerned is just a way to mess up a nice piece of wood.