Custom Dummy

[Transk53]

Has anybody around here made your own dummy. If so, how did you style it. Pretty, or ugly as sin but functional. What sort of wood did you use?

 

[Kwan Sau]

Recent post about your question over on reddit.

It s ugly but it s mine Just finished building my Mook Yan Jong WingChun

 

[Transk53]

Recent post about your question over on reddit.

It s ugly but it s mine Just finished building my Mook Yan Jong WingChun

But what wood I wonder.

 

[tshadowchaser]

had some one make me one once. He made it out of steel because he worked with the product all the time.
Trouble was the arms on it where way to small in diameter and round. Darn near broke my arm a few times hitting it to hard.
He added a slight twist as he made the pole able to turn on the base if it had enough force on the arms.

 

[Transk53]

had some one make me one once. He made it out of steel because he worked with the product all the time.
Trouble was the arms on it where way to small in diameter and round. Darn near broke my arm a few times hitting it to hard.
He added a slight twist as he made the pole able to turn on the base if it had enough force on the arms.

Made out of steel? You Sir are crazy You did at least cushion the arms no?

 

[tshadowchaser]

no I was younger and much stupider. Back then it was a Brave it out and deal with it attitude.

If he had made the same one out of wood (oak, hickory, etc.) I would have put myself through much less pain.
It finally became a coat rack for my office and another student made one out of Maple wood for me.

 

[Transk53]

no I was younger and much stupider. Back then it was a Brave it out and deal with it attitude.

If he had made the same one out of wood (oak, hickory, etc.) I would have put myself through much less pain.
It finally became a coat rack for my office and another student made one out of Maple wood for me.

Well then I would give you +10 No doubt the social climate coupled with peer pressure, not too hard to comprehend. Still though, I can imagine you had a twinkle in the eye when posting. I harbour the impression that you liked it despite everything.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

One of my teachers had a great old wooden dummy that he built himself out of some pretty old, used wood. Totally functional and effective. Myself I just did not have the time to make my own so I bought one from here: Home Absolutely love mine and make sure I use it at least every other day with IRT specific training methods.

Here is a picture:

 

[Danny T]

Have 4 in my school all from Great Lion. Several of my students have purchased from Great Lion also. All excellent dummies.
One is over 20 years old, one about 15, and the others are 8. They are used almost everyday by several practitioners and are still in excellent shape. Clark Thornton makes an excellent dummy.

 

[geezer]

Actually a steel-body dummy could be a very practical way to go. I made one back in the mid 80s when I had access to welding and metal working tools. The body was a length of steel tubing about 9 or 10 inches in diameter and about 1/8 or 3/16 inch thick. I cut slightly oversize square holes for the arms and lined them with square steel tubing cut flush and welded. Same for the leg.

Not having access to a lathe, and this being long before you could order such things on the internet, I made my own arms out of wooden baseball bats picked up for a few bucks at a thrift store. If you cut off the skinny part of the handle, the center portion is about the right size. Just cut the fat end down to about a 2X2 square and you have a decent "tenon" or peg. If its short, you can cut off on an angle and spice it onto an extension made of good hardwood. Finally, if you want more mass you can just drop a couple of sandbags inside.

I no longer have access to tools like that, and time always seems short. So I'm looking around to buy a second dummy for my class. My own, an old Koo Sang job made of teak is at my house and right now it's buried under a ton of stuff we had to move from another house. What a pain. Anyway, I've actually been looking at some of the PVC ones online. I've seen one or two that look quite serviceable.

 

[Danny T]

The primary purpose of a dummy is to re-enforce the proper movement and "perfect" position relative to an opponent. The function is to allow this to happen by the arms, leg(s), and body acting as stops to prevent you from over-stepping or over-shifting your body and/or arms when you practice techniques and form on the dummy. This comes from the main guiding principle in Wing Chun this being "economy of motion"; doing the most in the shortest time with the least amount of energy. What the dummy is made of is relevant only to what we regard as tradition as.

Also I feel the dummy should not be enshrined, worshipped, or restricted in use. I believe it was specifically designed for students to "play" with. There is nothing sacred or magical about a dummy. It is an excellent learning tool created to help in passing on knowledge from instructor to student.

Keep in mind that the main reason for using a dummy is to help perfect your movement into the limps and positioning. It isn’t about striking the arms hard but properly.

 

[yak sao]

Also I feel the dummy should not be enshrined, worshipped, or restricted in use. I believe it was specifically designed for students to "play" with. There is nothing sacred or magical about a dummy. It is an excellent learning tool created to help in passing on knowledge from instructor to student.

I had some goober come to my class several years ago. He had trained in some other kung fu style.
He was offended when I referred to the mook jong as the dummy. He said he thought it was disrespectful. That" the dummy was an honorable thing and should be respected."
I responded that the term dummy means something that is made to resemble a man. It's not being disrespectful calling it what it is. The insult would be if I called you a dummy...meaning that you had about as much sense as an inanimate object....besides, it's a hunk of wood, it doesn't care what I call it.

....He never came back

 

[Danny T]

I had some goober come to my class several years ago. He had trained in some other kung fu style.
He was offended when I referred to the mook jong as the dummy. He said he thought it was disrespectful. That" the dummy was an honorable thing and should be respected."
I responded that the term dummy means something that is made to resemble a man. It's not being disrespectful calling it what it is. The insult would be if I called you a dummy...meaning that you had about as much sense as an inanimate object....besides, it's a hunk of wood, it doesn't care what I call it.

....He never came back

Have had similar.
I take care of the dummies because they are excellent equipment (and expensive) but they are but a tool. Use the tool!!

 

[Danny T]

Wonder how many muay thai schools keep their students from using the heavy bag until they have 'earned the privilege' to use it.

 

[KPM]

Has anybody around here made your own dummy. If so, how did you style it. Pretty, or ugly as sin but functional. What sort of wood did you use?

I built my own dummy almost 30 years ago. I had friend at the time who had his own woodshop in his backyard that helped me. I was a poor college student and couldn't afford to buy one from someone else, and couldn't afford expensive hardwood. So I made it out of pine that I could buy at the local Home Depot. I used 2 x 6 boards that we cut at an angle lengthwise on the table saw. Then we glued them together so that trunk was shaped as an octagon. Then I took a draw knife and a power sander and rounded the whole trunk off by hand. We cut out octagonal shaped "plugs" for both ends of the trunk to seal it against moisture and provide structural support. I made the arms and leg by hand from pine 4 x 4's. That way they are "one piece" (except the leg). I shaped them entirely with a small hand saw, a wood rasp, and sandpaper. Making the trunk out of pine was no problem and saved a lot of money versus using a hardwood. The trunk is plenty sturdy and heavy. I was worried about the arms and really expected I would break one over time. I planned to just buy a set of arms from someone else when that happened. But it never happened. I used that dummy for close to 20 years before I "retired" it and bought one of the "Warrior" free-standing dummies. Now it sits in a place of respect in my basement as a family heirloom.

 

[PiedmontChun]

I built one using 2x10 framing lumber from Home Depot for the body and leg, so the real species is unknown, but its denser than the pale whitewood you see in really cheap 2x4s. The body is 6 seperate layers of wood laminated together with titebod glue. The outer layers I ripped down more narrow on a table saw so there was less material (still a LOT) to remove when I took a Harbor Freight electric planer to it. Its not perfectly round, but it is more rounded than octagonal, if that makes sense.
The arms were made from seperate 1x4 red oak pieces (also from Home Depot) laminated together, then shaped with planer, surform, then electric sander.
This base allows it to be in my mudroom without being attached to the wall. It is hollow and filled with 100 lbs of cement, and the internal post that extends up into the dummy allows the body to move, not like a wall mounted dummy, but just enough that its not like practicing on tree that is 100% rigid.

 

[Kwan Sau]

...all from Great Lion

I had one of these years ago. Well made, quality jong. Tolerances in the arms were a little too strict for my taste but overall a fine piece of craftsmanship

 

[Kwan Sau]

I built one

Awesome job piedmont. Impressive!

 

[Transk53]

I built my own dummy almost 30 years ago. I had friend at the time who had his own woodshop in his backyard that helped me. I was a poor college student and couldn't afford to buy one from someone else, and couldn't afford expensive hardwood. So I made it out of pine that I could buy at the local Home Depot. I used 2 x 6 boards that we cut at an angle lengthwise on the table saw. Then we glued them together so that trunk was shaped as an octagon. Then I took a draw knife and a power sander and rounded the whole trunk off by hand. We cut out octagonal shaped "plugs" for both ends of the trunk to seal it against moisture and provide structural support. I made the arms and leg by hand from pine 4 x 4's. That way they are "one piece" (except the leg). I shaped them entirely with a small hand saw, a wood rasp, and sandpaper. Making the trunk out of pine was no problem and saved a lot of money versus using a hardwood. The trunk is plenty sturdy and heavy. I was worried about the arms and really expected I would break one over time. I planned to just buy a set of arms from someone else when that happened. But it never happened. I used that dummy for close to 20 years before I "retired" it and bought one of the "Warrior" free-standing dummies. Now it sits in a place of respect in my basement as a family heirloom.

Thanks Keith. I have been thinking about pine myself. The one thing I am wondering is if I would necessarily need the leg. Well, at least this current juncture.

 

[Transk53]

I built one using 2x10 framing lumber from Home Depot for the body and leg, so the real species is unknown, but its denser than the pale whitewood you see in really cheap 2x4s. The body is 6 seperate layers of wood laminated together with titebod glue. The outer layers I ripped down more narrow on a table saw so there was less material (still a LOT) to remove when I took a Harbor Freight electric planer to it. Its not perfectly round, but it is more rounded than octagonal, if that makes sense.
The arms were made from seperate 1x4 red oak pieces (also from Home Depot) laminated together, then shaped with planer, surform, then electric sander.
This base allows it to be in my mudroom without being attached to the wall. It is hollow and filled with 100 lbs of cement, and the internal post that extends up into the dummy allows the body to move, not like a wall mounted dummy, but just enough that its not like practicing on tree that is 100% rigid.
View attachment 19164

Very very nice fella Looks very pretty and well made. Testament to you're skills which must wood working there? What process of lamination did you use. Glue some material on top? Heavy varnish?