Replies

1. 
   Treetalk | Oct 12, 2008 03:22pm | #1

   U want to make a huge 10" dowel out of a 14" log? Seems like ud have to make a huge makeshift lathe with 2 big centers and track a router over it repeatedly forever.

2. 
   mike4244 | Oct 12, 2008 07:38pm | #2

   Draw centerlines on each end of log.Bore a pilot hole for 3/8x3" lag screw.Lag screw into L shaped end pieces that hold the log slightly off the saw table.

   Log should turn easily on the lag screw axis. Raise saw blade enough to take a small cut. Turn the log,move laterally and turn the log again. Dado blades will make it go faster, do not use them until you are sure your set up correctly.

   I saw this done once, my neighbor has a lathe but it is light duty.He wanted to round the log as much as possible before mounting on the lathe.

   You can get reasonably close with hand tools alone. Broad hatchet ,drawknife and planes will do,

   mike

3. 
   JeffHeath | Oct 12, 2008 07:43pm | #3

   I've done this.  Make a jig to hold the log, like a lathe, with a center at each end, so it will spin.  With a router, mounted in another jig,  go back and forth a bundle of times, and after each pass, turn the log in the jig a wee bit, until you have the desired size.  It takes a while, but for one log, or column, it's a helluva lot less expensive then finding someone with a large lathe.

   Jeff

4. 
   IdahoDon | Oct 13, 2008 01:31am | #4

   Personally, I'd find the center of each end, draw an 11" circle on both ends and begin removing anything outside that mark with a chainsaw and/or drawknife/electric hand plane.  A tight string will easily show how you're doing.  Once it's down to roughly 11" then I'd mount a router on a few rails that run the length of the log and screw some lags in the ends to act as centers, and proceed to take it down to the 10".

   The trick to doing a lot of hand work on logs is to make a few log bucks that hold it off the ground at a comfortable height.  it doesn't take much of a notch in the log buck to keep a log in place.

   After all the hours involved in doing this, it might be cheaper to take the log to a mill that turns full size logs, depending on what your time is worth.

   If your time isn't worth much and routers don't turn your crank, rounding the entire thing with a drawknife isn't really all that hard, just teadious.  The key is a good circle on the ends and carefully working with the string to whittle it down.

    

   Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

5. 
   woodhacker | Oct 13, 2008 07:04pm | #5

   What is the intended use of the piece once it's been made uniformly round? The problem that I see is that as it ages it's going to crack and it's not going to stay round.

1. 
   habilis | Oct 13, 2008 08:22pm | #6

   A mook jhong for White Crane kung fu.It's a wooden punching dummy. Similar ones are seen for wing chun; this is a unique style.Log has been aging for a number of years now.http://www.mykaratestore.com/wing-chun-wooden-dummy.html?gclid=CMap47LbpJYCFQ60HgodMSLx5w

1. 
   Eef | Oct 13, 2008 11:28pm | #7

   hey habilis,

   why not make the thing out of ordinary 8/4 lumber.  cut six pieces to the desired length, saw or route a thirty degree miter on each edge and glue and clamp by tying strong string around the whole afair, tighten the string as if it were a turniquit (sp?). by this method you're making a wooden, six-sided tube. the 8/4 lumber should make it heavy enough, im guessing.

   who knows, maybe you could find some "north african spotted hardwood" for the job.

   good luck, hope this helps.

   eef

1. 
   habilis | Oct 14, 2008 02:47am | #10

   Probably what I'd do if it was for me. My instructor got this log and wants a traditional hardwood mook.

1. 
   RalphBarker | Oct 15, 2008 02:02am | #11

   For the intended purpose, I don't see the need to reduce the 14" log to 10", other than rough rounding, which could be done more traditionally with hand tools. But, I might be missing something.

2. 
   habilis | Oct 15, 2008 03:49am | #12

   Don't know. That's what the man wants.

3. 
   Curtis | Oct 15, 2008 04:00am | #13

   Hello

   I've been making Mook Jongs for 25 years now.

   If you want to make it all by hand. the draw knife and spokeshaven are the best way to get the body round and smi-smooth.

   cutting the mortises are far harder to cut than just truing up the wood.(but that is a hole different topic.) ;-)

   to keep the log from cracking it all depends on the wood its self, and how dry the wood is.What I suggest to you is to oil the living day lights out of the wood. (I like tung oil,but other oils like walnut also work well.) two or three coats of oil every day for a week, once the wood is well oiled. I seal the body and end grain with a shellac or wax finish. (poly. will also work for a sealer, but I recommend oiling the wood at least once a year, so using wood floor wax is the easiest finish to re-new.) If the wood dose crack then I suggest to clean out the crack by either cutting a grove and filling in the grove with another piece of wood. Or making a dove tail spine and high lighting the imperfection.(just sand off the sharp edges and keep everything looking natural.)(so to speak) ;-)

   Good luck on making your mook jong. there are a lot of web sites out there to get any info you may need. Just take your time. You should have no problems.

   Again I wish you the best of luck. and happy training. ;-)

   C.A.G.

   P.S. if you like you can e-mail me if you run into any problems. [email protected] C.A.G.

2. 
   IdahoDon | Oct 14, 2008 02:19am | #9

   Now I'm positive it should be worked by hand since only a short section needs to be rounded.

   Besides, it's a wax-on, wax-off type of thing that should be a requirement of any martial arts paraphanalia.  :-) 

   Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

6. 
   Eef | Oct 14, 2008 12:50am | #8

   habilis,

   i forgot to mention that one can also make this an eight-sided tube.  in which case the angle would be 22 1/2 degrees. this would put you closer to round.  the whole thing can also be mounted on a lathe and turned round. the ends would have to be capped if you did this.

   eef