I've done several grips for single action revolvers and there not that hard at all. I have grown to love a bench mounted belt sander however, a 4" will work very nicely for this task and they are not all that expensive anymore. You can also do the same job with a cabinet rasp and files, I have done it both ways. I like to start with the wood blank oversize, use the originals for a guide and just start with oversize retangular blocks for now. Bandsaw them down the center line and than flip the two halves over. The inside faces will be the outside so you will have matching grain for both grips. I like to knock the positioning pin out of the frame (at least to the other side for now) when I'm inletting each grip to the frame. Use a transfer dye to find the high spots and a sharp chisel to cut and scrape away. You might have to relieve a bit at the top, just follow the original grips for a guide on what needs to be removed. When you get that done put a dab of dye on the positioning pin and replace your grip, hold it tightly and rap he pin from the other side with a rawhide mallet or chunk of wood to mark the position. Drill exactly that size, or a wee bit smaller and you shouldn't have any problems. If you have to drill oversize and bed with epoxy, wax the pin, and allow to set overnight. Don't like to do that much but it does work if you do a bobble. Do the other side exactly the same. You should not cut your grips down to size until they are both fitted by the way. Than when they are both fitted decide where the grip screw will go and using a new set of bushings along with a special bit to countersink them exactly (I make mine in the lathe) drill both sides undersize to provide a hole for the countersink to guide by. Both grips should be installed on the gun and clamped in place (double stick tape works well) for this operation. When finished, remove the grip halves and drill and use the countersink tool to finish the holes, pay attention to how deep you go as this is critical, if you want to copy exactly just follow the original grips for a guide. Now you can press your bushings in and screw the grips down tight to the frame. Now take a very sharp pencil and trace around the grip straps for each grip. Do the same thing for the frame. Basically everywhere the pistol touches the frame or grip strap mark a line. When you remove the grips you can than use this line to remove excessive material from the profile. Don't touch the width now, the grips should still be flat blocks at this stage. For the bottom of the grip decide how much flair you want and use whatever radius gage is handy to mark a line on both halves (I often use a coffee cup). Following this you should have markings that give you boundries to stay within. I like to do the sculpting on the belt sander, stopping often to inspect the work and hold up to a light source to check the profile. It doesn't take me long to do this, a half hour tops for both halves. just stay within the lines and leave a bit of extra material for the final step. To get the beautiful compound curves sandpaper shoe shine style works very well. If I am refinishing a pistol anyway's I often do this on the gun, if not I cut out a chunk of wood exactly the size of the frame and screw the grip to that to mount in my vise. Just be damn careful around the edges, you can easily take too much off and ruin the whole job. It sounds like a lot of work, but it's not that bad. I figure I've probably made a couple dozen grips this way for myself and friends, pretty simple really. Hope this helps.
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