wingchun100
Senior Master
I originally started putting my wooden dummy together in the summer of 2014. That SOB still isn't done!
I wanted a dummy that stood on a single, square base because I did not have the space to put it on the traditional gigantic frame. So what I did was secured the body to the base using L-brackets and bolts. Big mistake! It didn't take long before the energy of my strikes started ripping the bolts up out of the wood.
After doing some research online, I finally see how these free-standing dummies are put together. The steps might sound complicated when reading, but if you could see what I mean, then you would realize it's pretty simple actually. NOTE: Before I begin, I will mention that the body of my "wooden" dummy is actually PVC. Having said that, here we go.
1) You need a post that can go up inside the body of the dummy. Then you will use heavy-duty bolts/screws to go through the body and secure it to the post.
2) The post needs to be attached to a metal plate. Why? I am getting to that in the next point.
3) This is the one that might be hardest to visualize. First, you need to get the post attached to the plate. Then you take a piece of plywood, cut a hole in it, and stick the post up through it. THEN you secure the plate to the plywood.
4) Now you complete the rest of the base, get some stuff to weight the dummy down so it doesn't go flying when you hit it, and BOOM! The dummy is finished!
Right now, the hard part for me is finding the right kind of post and plate for steps 1, 2, and 3. Once I get the material, I will be all set!
One last thing: when I say "finish the base," I should explain quickly how I built mine. I took two pieces of plywood. Then I cut a 4 x 4 into three pieces that ran the width of the plywood. Finally, I screwed the plywood and pieces of 4 x 4 together. When I get what I need, I will have to pry the base apart so I can cut the hole, stick the post through it, and attach the plate to the top half of the base.
I am not mechanically inclined. I have probably made this project more work than it needed to be, but you know what? I am almost there, so I'm seeing it through!
I wanted a dummy that stood on a single, square base because I did not have the space to put it on the traditional gigantic frame. So what I did was secured the body to the base using L-brackets and bolts. Big mistake! It didn't take long before the energy of my strikes started ripping the bolts up out of the wood.
After doing some research online, I finally see how these free-standing dummies are put together. The steps might sound complicated when reading, but if you could see what I mean, then you would realize it's pretty simple actually. NOTE: Before I begin, I will mention that the body of my "wooden" dummy is actually PVC. Having said that, here we go.
1) You need a post that can go up inside the body of the dummy. Then you will use heavy-duty bolts/screws to go through the body and secure it to the post.
2) The post needs to be attached to a metal plate. Why? I am getting to that in the next point.
3) This is the one that might be hardest to visualize. First, you need to get the post attached to the plate. Then you take a piece of plywood, cut a hole in it, and stick the post up through it. THEN you secure the plate to the plywood.
4) Now you complete the rest of the base, get some stuff to weight the dummy down so it doesn't go flying when you hit it, and BOOM! The dummy is finished!
Right now, the hard part for me is finding the right kind of post and plate for steps 1, 2, and 3. Once I get the material, I will be all set!
One last thing: when I say "finish the base," I should explain quickly how I built mine. I took two pieces of plywood. Then I cut a 4 x 4 into three pieces that ran the width of the plywood. Finally, I screwed the plywood and pieces of 4 x 4 together. When I get what I need, I will have to pry the base apart so I can cut the hole, stick the post through it, and attach the plate to the top half of the base.
I am not mechanically inclined. I have probably made this project more work than it needed to be, but you know what? I am almost there, so I'm seeing it through!
