Building Woodern Dummy

[birney29]

Hi,

has anyone here built there own dummy? im gonna build one myself (with the help of my dad!) and was curious to find out how others got on. I cant afford to buy one. Do you keep your dummy outside or indoors? Is it EXACTLY as the plans show? i shouldnt think it would matter much if it was slightly off from the plans because after all, its a simulation of a persons and not everyone has the same build, length of arms ect ect. any advice would be good.

Thanks

Kenny

ps - probably a stupid question but, forgive me. Since the dummy is wooden, i would imagine it wouldnt move very much. So how do i practise my paks or laps on it?

 

[fist of fury]

This guy has built his own and sells the plans for it.

http://www.dreamwater.org/biz/woodendummy/

 

[birney29]

quick update, my friend and i have, ahem, "borrowed" a telegraph pole from the local council to use as part of the dummy. im sure the council wont mind. after all, my taxes paid for it.

im not that bothered about it being an amazing dummy. just something with a few bits of wood sticking out of it that i can practise on. might be a bit rough, but itll do.

 

[arnisador]

See also this thread (near the end of the first page).

 

[jongman]

The dimensions and structure of the wooden dummy are quite important to correct technique. I have built at least twenty for classmates and personally base most of my training on the wooden dummy.
Once you get the dimensions marked correctly they are not too hard to get right as far as drilling and chiselling the holes goes. The arm holes should be square if you can do it as round arm-inserts, (the part that goes through the log), will break quite easily. Get some plans and visit a wood-turner to get them done properly, it's worth it. A tree branch is good for a leg but a screw-on steel pipe one will do as well - just depends on the 'look' you prefer.
I will be running a tutorial on my site, http://redjunk.net in the near-future about building your own dummy and some of the options you will have.

 

[jongman]

Sorry for the advertising, but for whomever is looking I have started a tutorial on my site on constructing your own wooden dummy with a set of plans available as well. Go to http://redjunk.net and follow the links to sign up, (no catches here guys), and find the info in the member's area.
It will be an ongoing tutorial as I will build a complete dummy that will be up for sale at the end on e-bay or something like that.

Again, I apologise for the advertising but it is a free site and this is information that people are asking for so............

 

[Mormegil]

Built my own too. Here's my advice:

Buy the arms.

Unless you're good witha lathe (and happen to have one), the arms will be a major challenge. Plus, you have to make sure they are really smooth, or else you might end up with spliters.

I bought my arms at I&I Sports, for $125 for the set of 3 (about 5 years ago). The set included the 2 upper arms, with an offset peg, so they overlap at the base, and a centered peg for the lower arm. They have a web site, I think (I lived about 2 miles away from one).

I didn't have the patients for carving out Teak, or the space for a wall mount, so I got an 8 or 9 inch thick piece of PVC piping (I had to pretend I was a contracter, as they didn't sell this stuff at Home Depot, but at a plumbing supply place). And it only came in 20 foot lengths (or so), so I had to cut it down with a hack saw in the parking lot to fit in my car. I had to use my high school trigonometry and geometry to figure out where to cut the holes to get the angles correct (I guess that stuff came in usefull after school after all!).

 

[Mormegil]

Forgot to mention one nice thing about the PVC.

Since it's hollow, I was able to place the support INSIDE the dummy. Basically, I have 2 parallel 2x4, with large two sets matching large holes in each. The 2x4s are embedded in a concrete base, and rattan sticks go through the dummy "trunk" and into the 2x4s.

Here's a pic:

 

[dogma173]

Building a wooden dummy will not be easy. Not only do you have to worry about proper structure but also the type of wood you use. Most wooden dummies use a special spring wood from Thailand or China. But you might try using cherry. It will take a little getting use to, though. Oak will be to hard. A wooden dummy is not supposed to move when you hit it. Practice your paks on it as if it was a persons arm. You can also practice diffrent entry techniques on it. Good luck.

P.S. I am not a white belt. I have studyed for 6 years. I'm trying to get that fixed.

 

[Mormegil]

Originally posted by dogma173
Building a wooden dummy will not be easy. Not only do you have to worry about proper structure but also the type of wood you use. Most wooden dummies use a special spring wood from Thailand or China. But you might try using cherry. It will take a little getting use to, though. Oak will be to hard. A wooden dummy is not supposed to move when you hit it. Practice your paks on it as if it was a persons arm. You can also practice diffrent entry techniques on it. Good luck.

P.S. I am not a white belt. I have studyed for 6 years. I'm trying to get that fixed.

The white belt is for number of posts, not rank.

I thought some lineages practice with a "live" dummy. The type with the wooden slat mounting, instead of the traditional giant stake in the ground. The slats allow a bit of a spring when pushed.

 

[Mormegil]

Check out this site with plans:

http://www.wingchun.org/text/misc/pics.html

Look under "things"

According to my high school geometry, that is an angle of 31.83 degrees between the arms.

If anyone wants to check this, that's an arm length of 15.5 (to the center, counting the body), and a space between the arms at the end of 8.5. That describes symetrical right triangles with a hypoteneuse of 15.5 and a 4.25 leg.