Some links
Hi Philbert,
While there is nothing like a finely crafted wooden dummy the price can sometimes be a bit out of reach. I am including a few links for you to check out.
One place which offers both traditional and pvc dummies is The Great Lion Company located in Georgia, Atlanta(?) Anyhow here is a link to the PVC model which runs around $400.00
http://www.woodendummy.net/pvc.html
Here is a link which lists two dummies one priced around $600
http://www.karatedepot.com/store/catalog/search.html?AID=805727&PID=948424&mv_doit=search&mv_matchlimit=15&mv_search_field=name%2Cdescription%2Cnote%2Ccategory%2Csubcategory%2Csku%2Cmanufacturer&mv_searchspec=wooden%20dummy
Here is a list of some resources which may help:
http://martialarts.about.com/cs/dummies/
Ashville Woodcrafters have a fairly good rep. Dummies seem to start at around $650.00
http://www.angelfire.com/biz2/woodendummy/awcindex.html
Here is a free standing PVC model:
http://www.thewarrior.com/warriors/paddedvs.htm
There are plenty more you can search for inclugin cougar mountain which I had a student purchase from. He was happy with the purchase. The site appears to be down at the moment but you may want to try again later to see if they get it back up. I know they ahve both wood and pvc dummies.
http://wingchun.freeyellow.com/Cougarmountain.html
Now that I have given you even more to wade through in making your decision, nice guy huh, :rolleyes: here is my take on the area for the dummy;
First of all an ideal dummy would, IMHO, be a wooden one. However, if price is a consideration then you could do okay with a quality PVC one. Just make sure you use wooden arms as the PVC round arms don’t provide the same feedback. My first wooden dummy dummy was a series of 2x4’s nailed together and with round holes drilled in it. I then moved up to a PVC model which I kept in my wall-locker in the army. Finally, I got a real wooden dummy and it has lasted for over ten years now. The point is that you can make some progress with a PVC dummy if that is what you can afford.
The height of the dummy should not be anywhere near 8 feet, unless you are training to fight pro basketball players
. Closer to 5 feet is more realistic. As to the width this will depend on the stand or support. I have found that around 4 1/2 to 5 feet works for me. Any more will put more strain on the support slats and since the horizontal cross peices don’t allow you to move beyond a certain point wider does not, IMHO, serve any real purpose. So, if you have a ceiling height of 6 feet and a wdith of 4-5 feet you have the space to play the dummy. Of course, you need about 3 feet in front of the dummy to play with too. 
Anyhow I hope this is a litle bit of help. Good luck. If you can save the money and purchase a traditional wooden dummy I can assure you the investment will be worth it. Properly cared for the dummy will last a lifetime. Not so sure about the PVC ones(??). There are also a few on this board who have made dummies and perhaps they may be able to help you. I think Majic Sam is one of them.
Peace,
Dave