I also make the "insert" to fit into the frame when I make RAMI and Yugo M-57 grips.
Helps prevent stress in the wood around the screw area.
It stands to reason that the extra thickness helps to prevent cracking.
That looks good. How close to exact can you route the part that goes into the frame? (I refer to that as the "insert").
I am assuming you are using only a router on individual pieces of wood.
In stead of doing them one by one I usually lay out a bunch of patterns on both sides of a board in order to get the grain pattern to mirror .
After the "insert" is routed out with a small hand held router each block/set is cut apart on a band saw.
One thing I want to try is putting a slot at the screw hole that will help prevent the screw/escushion from turning when the screws are tightened in the grips. That will have to involve proper depth of the hole for the escushion on the inside of the grip, proper depth of the screw hole to allow the screw to tighten on wood without bottoming out on the escushion, and the slot.
It's gonna be fun trying to get the process as simple and effective as I can without needing a sedative
Mine are done mostly by hand with only a hand router, band saw, and dremel as power tools. The hand fitting and finishing takes some patience and time. But it is entertaining and keeps me off the street.
One thing I have learned is to NOT do this sort of thing as a custom venture where you take orders and then make the product.
People do not understand what is involved with this kind of work and become impatient because they think it should be in their mail box at a certain time. Not realizing the there are other orders being made along with theirs.
It is better to ask what people might like, that make some samples and see who will buy what.
You don't want to turn a labor of love into a pain in the...
I'd be interested is knowing how you finish the wood grips you do.
