hi my friend - ABOUT WO. DO.
my friend : dnt give your money for wo. du. just make one , have some point in that work, have little spirit in that work , HAVE SOME PARTH OF YOU AND YOUR WING CHUN IN THAT ,HAVE SOME SENSE - tiger_1 - whan you are finich with wo. do , you can make SOME BOIMO TROUG. SOME HARD WORK , SOME BLUE S PARTH OF HANDS !!!
I’m sorry… say that again please? 
:eek:
Anyway, I’m delaying my purchase one week… so everyone still has a chance to give me some input 
I’m going to be listing several websites and I want whoever is knowledgeable to give me their dis/approval.
I’d especially like IronFists’ opinion since he appears to knows what he’s talking about. I really want as many opinions as possible though, since I really can’t risk getting a poorly made unusable dummy.
First one: http://www.woodendummy.net/wc_css.php Seems like pehaps the best choice… atleast I doubt I can go wrong with them, but the price is still kind of high.
Second one: http://www.wckfc.com/supplies/supplies.htm Pretty cheap, especially if I decide to make my own stand… but is the quality there?
Third one: http://www.bafa.biz/wooden/ There are 2 good dummies here, which (if any) looks good? I like their prices though ;). I like teak… so that’s a plus as long as it is well made.
Fourth one: http://www.superiormartialarts.com/catalog/uniform/wingchun.html I’m mainly interested in the Golden Iron Teak Wooden dummy w/frame, but if anyone sees another dummy there that looks decent please say something.
And lastly: http://store.yahoo.com/tigerstrike-martial-arts/wooddumwstan.html The price is nice… But I have some doubts about the quality.
Thanks a lot! I’d really appreciate comments or personal experiance about any of these dummies!
Originally posted by Brithlor
First one: http://www.woodendummy.net/wc_css.php Seems like pehaps the best choice… atleast I doubt I can go wrong with them, but the price is still kind of high.
Good, but rediculously expensive.
Second one: http://www.wckfc.com/supplies/supplies.htm Pretty cheap, especially if I decide to make my own stand… but is the quality there?
Look sturdy, but I would be hesitant to make such a large purchase from a company that only shows one blurry photo of their product. I can’t really tell anything about the dummy cuz they used one crappy quality photograph. Also, the link you gave for that one isn’t the dummy page, you still have to click on “traditional.”
Third one: http://www.bafa.biz/wooden/ There are 2 good dummies here, which (if any) looks good? I like their prices though ;). I like teak… so that’s a plus as long as it is well made.
I’m not sure, but the one on the left looks like one of those crappy ones with the square-ish arms. It would hurt like hell if you tan sao’ed a square arm. And the one on the right has the upper arms at vastly different heights. Booooooo.
Fourth one: http://www.superiormartialarts.com/catalog/uniform/wingchun.html I’m mainly interested in the Golden Iron Teak Wooden dummy w/frame, but if anyone sees another dummy there that looks decent please say something.
The Golden Iron Teak Wooden one looks awesome. But again, I’d be weary of buying a dummy for which they only show you one photo. The actual product could vary greatly from the picture.
And lastly: http://store.yahoo.com/tigerstrike-martial-arts/wooddumwstan.html The price is nice… But I have some doubts about the quality.
That stand looks weak. You could probably knock it over without much effort. And the top arms are at such different heights it’s painful to look at.
Well, those are my opinions. I’m gonna bump my “How to tell if a wooden dummy is crap” thread for you if I can still find it. It was made when we could show pictures in the threads so there were examples you could see.
Here you go. This pretty much lays out the criteria for determining if a dummy has the proper dimensions or not. Unforunately, I wrote it over a year ago and none of the pics are visible. And in addition to that, the addresses aren’t even valid anymore. But still read the thread. I think I described everything well enough that you don’t need pictures.
Oh yeah, one final bit of advice.
Some people are like “yeah you need to get a dummy made out of XXX type of wood because that’s what Yip Man used.” Some people also pay extra money to have a dummy imported from China cuz it’s made with some special Chinese wood or something.
That’s dumb. Know why?
Because China has a different climate that the US. So a wood that is good over there may not be the best over here. Unless you like your dummy to crack because of differences in humidity and temperature.
http://www.azwing.com/main.html
Above is Dave Lidell webpage-you can click on dummies. I have mentioned this before on the forum. Dave is very thorough in wood selection, construction, measurements and finish. He knows his woods, equipment and craftmanship.
Some of the so called “teak” dummies- you have to be careful about. The teaks are no longer real old line teak— the specific gravities and drying characteristics can be problematic.
Also for some other dummies- made with logs— evn with kiln drying
they may not all have dried prperly and some can crack.
Like many things construction tech has improved since Koo Sang’s days. A well made dummy should last as long as you do wing chun and can be good in appearance as well.
joy chaudhuri
Because China has a different climate that the US. So a wood that is good over there may not be the best over here. Unless you like your dummy to crack because of differences in humidity and temperature.
If the wood is not naturally prone to that to begin with it shouldn’t. Plus we have 21st century technology that combats that and should work even outdoors let alone indoors. Protective coats and treatments. If cracked, filler then varnish again.
Which woods are you referring to specifically anyways so people can watch out…which ones grow there which do not grow here that crack?
Originally posted by yuanfen
[B]http://www.azwing.com/main.html
Above is Dave Lidell webpage-you can click on dummies. [/B]
^ Hooray!!! The three dummies I see in the opening screen have the upper arms at the same height!!! Finally, a decent looking dummy! 
(and pretty groovy music, too)
Um the one on the left looks like there’s not very much distance between the upper arms and the lower ones. Maybe it was made for a shorter person or something.
Anyway those dummies look pretty good. Back when I was making my dummy I remember seeing their (old version) website and thinking it was awesome.
Still pretty expensive, tho. I don’t care how good it is. $1,199.00 is a LOT of money to pay for a dummy.
Originally posted by EmptyCup
Which woods are you referring to specifically anyways so people can watch out…which ones grow there which do not grow here that crack?
Honestly, I don’t remember. I read that over 2 years ago when I was working on my dummy. I remember something about teak from China being prone to cracking here, or something about Chinese woods in general not holding up well in American climates or something like that.
Asheville Woodcrafters (when they were still around) had a wood comparison chart on the website that gave different characterists of wood. That’s why I chose to have my dummy arms made out of Persimmon. It was one of the strongest, and had the strongest “shock value” (I can’t remember the term… it meant like resistance to sudden force).
Ironfist-yes Dave’s dummy holes are very well crafted to make sure that the arms are level. Yes - he can do so called standard spacing (Koo Sang etc) between top and middle arms . Yes one dummy was made for a shorter person than the other.
The considerable skilled labor and the first class properly dried woods makes for the expense. The markup is not much.
Beware of the word “teak”-where is it from…whats the density…what is the prep./drying process? If you get first class teak-if you are lucky- the log itself will be several times more expensive than the advertised prices.
His dummies do not develop any cracks with normal wear and tear.
Of course one can go for a cheaper dummy made differently.
Several years ago- Inosanto’s academy in Calif. and Degerbert’s in Chicago-both of which I visited had dummies that had cracks in them.
A student of mine bought a dummy from a place that is often mentioned- within a year he had a significant crack in it.
It is all upto the individual. There are ranges of choices nowadays.
One can make one themselves- it can also be good if one is agood crafstman, has the tools, knows what they are doing and knows the woods.
Re using a log rather than competent laminating. It takes overa year sometimes several years for a good hardwood log to be properly dried to the core. Kiln drying speeds up the process- but it still takes time to do it right. Cost cutting at the kiln can still
leave an unevenly dried log- which will begin cracking- sometimes from the inside outward.
When you have with good workmanship- an individually laminated
dummy body properly fitted and pressed together- the dummy has a structural integrity of it’s own. Will outlast logs- look nicer and last longer. Evenly dried and assembled laminates adjust to environmental changes and moving to different places better than logs or badly assembled laminates.
I have 3 dummies… a pine log, a koo sang Hong Kong dummy and one custom made by Dave. Dave’s one )well laminated oak) is in better shape and looks nicer than the other two. Purple heart, jatoba etc is more expensive than oak generally.
Plastic, filled pvcs will “Work” too. They dont have the same feel.
I have tried them.
It depends on individual wants and needs and the principle of caveat emptor.
BTW- I dont have any partnership in making or selling dummies.
I neither make them or sell them.
Brithlor-
Good luck in your decision making.
Sorry no proofreading- not kiln dried.
Some craftsmen selling dummies on caliber of Dave’s are pricing them at $2500 and more. A friend of mine purchased a Lidell dummy tailored to customs specs. He is very happy with it, and I’ve not yet heard any reports or complaints otherwise. While not on the low end, they are a very good value, and not at all out of line considering the quality craftsmanship and dimensional precision he puts into them, IMHO. One of Dave’s dummies remains on my own wish list, when I eventually manage to replace the inferior one I have now.
Regards,
$2,500 dummies
.
what do you guys think of this?
http://wcats.com/WcatsDummy.php
$900 US comes with one 9"x54" torso, three 11" arms, one leg, two 1"x2"x60" horizontal mounting bars, and two 2"x4"x84" vertical supporting bars.
made of asian red ebony (Erythopheleum Chlorostachys), called Heixin Mulian, in Chinese.
10% discount for orders between 2 to 3.
15% discount for orders between 4 to 6.
20% discount for orders between 7 to 10
Thanks for the replies everyone, and please give more :).
I had forgotten about that wcats page… glad you brought that back up.
Which dummy would be better, a dummy from the AZ website or one from www.woodendummy.net?
Also, does anyone have complaints about that golden iron dummy? It looks nice and has a nice price… but it could be poor quality.
Originally posted by EmptyCup
[B]what do you guys think of this?
http://wcats.com/WcatsDummy.php
[/B]
Upper arms are different heights.
It could just be that he put the wrong arms in the holes, but you would think someone who makes dummies would not overlook that fact when giving sample pictures of them.
level arms is better but in terms of overall difference it is minimal. More important is quality of wood, dimensions, the stand/mount, and PRICE 
^ Yes, but if the upper arms are at vastly different heights, like the bottom of one is the same level as the top of the other one, then I would say it’s as important as those things you mentioned.
But nothing’s worse than those ones with square arms.
I don’t rem but it seems some dummies have the left arm higher then others have the right arm higher. Inconsistent.
Or my eyes are playing tricks on me.
Level arms
http://www.wingchunkwoon.com/woodchi.asp#
The arms on the Wooden Dummy should be level to each other to keep techniques done on both sides equal. For instance, the Bong Sao with the left arm should be the same as the right Bong Sao. Just like when you do the forms. All the position are done in the same point in space on both sides. I have learned this in TWC and in other lineages as well. The tangs on the upper dummy arms are off center so it depends how you put the tang into the body that will determine if the arms are level or not. The pictures belwo are the very same dummy but with the arm tangs inserted in differently. The correct arm position for TWC and “some” others should be like the photo below.
un even arms
Some WC schools insert the tangs in so that the arms are not level like the photo below. This was disscussed before and some sent a photo of the dummy Yip Man used used in Fatshan. The arms were level.