Types of Wood

We realize that a wooden dummy can be a substantial part of your training budget which is why we only use the best materials available. A wooden dummy by it’s very nature is designed to take a lot of abuse and punishing blows over the course of its life. This is why we are very particular about the types of hardwood that we use when it comes to making your dummy.

We have chosen to build all of our full sized dummies out of “Furniture Grade” Red Oak and/or Ash Hardwood. These types of wood were selected for several reasons. The first is that they are incredibly hard. There is a scaling system called the Janka Scale that is used to measure a woods density and strength. Basically here’s how it works. The higher the number, the stronger the wood.

White Ash (which is the wood we use on most of our dummies) has a rating of 1320 on this scale and Red Oak ranks at 1290. Compare these to common variety Teak which only ranks at 1000 and it’s easy to see that Ash and Red Oak are very hard and dense woods.

  • Processed Ash

    This is about 3,000 pounds of Ash that has been cut down into the necessary sizes needed for dummy legs and body construction.

  • Frame Pieces

    This stack of Ash is cut into the sizes that are needed for our Wall Mounted Frames and Slats.

  • The Grain

    Here you can see what the grain pattern looks like before the Ash is sanded down and stained.

  • More Hardwood

    More wood! This pile of Ash is waiting to be sorted and processed.

  • Three Inches Thick

    These boards are HUGE! This is what we use to build our frames out of. These boards are often 12 to 24 inches wide and are a little over three inches thick before we cut them down into the appropriate sizes.

Another reason we use these woods are because of their “shock resistant properties”. These woods hold up very well to repeated stress caused by shock and vibration. And it’s the perfect wood to use on dummy frames. Think about the amount of shock and stress that the frame has to take. This is why Ash is also the number one choice for manufacturing Baseball bats and Axe handles out of. If you have a wooden baseball bat lying around chances are that it’s made out of Ash or Oak.

And even though Ash has a marginally higher rating on the scale, Red Oak tends to weigh a little more which makes it great for dummy building.

Finally, Ash and Oak sands and stains very well. This is why a lot of furniture manufacturers choose to build out of these types of wood.

We also offer additional upgraded hardwoods as well. We make dummies out of Black Walnut (Janka 1010), Cherry (Janka 995), Sapele (Janka 1510) and Hard Maple (Janka 1450). Remember that all types of wood are unique and have different characteristics. Black Walnut may not be as hard as Ash or Oak, however it’s visually stunning to look at due to it’s sweeping grain patterns and multiple color variations. Cherry is an American classic that has been used in the construction of fine furniture throughout history and naturally darkens over time. African Sapele (Mahogany) has a natural “Ribboning effect with a deep lusture. Sapele wood is often used unstained due to the woods natural color and beauty. So hardness isn’t the only thing to consider when it comes to selecting a wood. Sometimes you just want to have the very best or need something that’s visually stunning. In these situations you may want to consider the various different types of wood to satisfy your needs.