FAQ's -General Info/Product Care-C. Alden - Cutaway Products:
Please note that my answers are my opinions or based on my experience. There are others who always have their opinions that differ from yours. As in all things in life - it is up to you to draw your own conclusions based on logic and fact.
Question: I have noticed on many other dummies some very costly have different size holes - some even different sizes holes on the same dummy. Why the inconsistencies?
Answer: I have see and noticed as well. Some dummy producers use different plans. Most arm holes range from about 1.5" to 2". With that said, I have seen a great many dummies produced at different time periods and vendors. I believe hole sizes less than 1.75" to be to small. A 1.5 inch hole means you have a dummy tang (square end of the arm) less to the size of 1.375 inch or less. The smaller the hole, the more prone the dummy arm is to break. Most of my custom orders for arms is because of this.
Question: What is the proper height for a dummy to be mounted?
Answer: This answer can be many different things depending on who you talk to. I can't give you an exact height like from the floor to a reference point on the dummy that is universal for all. A wooden man should be mounted to the correct height of the practitioner. That is why many stands are adjustable to accommodate the height of a that person and the way I install them or recommend they be install. If many different people use the dummy then it is best if able to adjust the height for the user.
Question: What is the correct diameter of a wooden man?
Answer: There seems to be many different diameters of wooden men sold. The average or what I consider the best is from 8.5 to 9 inches which is make. Sizes of solid cores can be determined in some cases by the size of the original tree. Please keep in mind all the parameters from a persons size to if the dummy slides and or how it is mounted and many other attributes to come into play for this question. I have seen dummies from 7.5 inches to over 9 inches.
Question: My dummy has some marks from kicking etc. What can I do?
Answer: Woodmen will exhibit marks after training on them. My personal dummy has many marks from lots of training and especially from kicking with different types of shoes. This is expected. The absence of wear means the absence of training. This is why I recommend reapplying Tung Oil on Wooden Men with oil finish. Wipe off shoe marks as best as possible with damp soap and water and after it dry's reapply a new coat of Tung Oil. Tung Oil will continue to further penetrate into the wood. This is a good thing.
For wooden men with stain and polyurethane finished all you can do is clean the best your can with out refinishing (re-sanding, etc. ).
Question: Can I mount my wooden man in a garage or on a porch?
Answer: As with any fine wood furniture a controlled environment is the best. You have made an investment on great piece of training equipment which will proper care will last many generations so take good care of it.
Garages are subjected to extreme temperature changes. In summer they are very hot and parked cars from driving make them even hotter as well with extreme cold in winter. There are also great influxes of humidity which can cause changes in any wood such as cracking, spiting from the wood from expanding and contracting with environmental changes. I have seen many wooden men in garages but I highly do not recommend it. Open air areas such as cover porches etc... are even worse. Porches are really subject to humidity changes as well as direct sun light depending on time of day and not to mention bird mess insects like mud wasp which build just about everywhere.
Question: Do you need reapply a finish on cutting boards and or chopping blocks and how do you clean wood cutting boards?
Answer: I recommend applying Howard's butcher block conditioner to all cutting/chopping boards periodically depending on how frequent you use them. See below on page. Cutting/Chopping boards are laminated hardwoods glued together with water proof/resistant glue so hand wash with soap and water only and hand dry afterward with a towel. Do not put in a dishwasher or submerged in water.
These are some of finishing products I used on products.
Tung Oil
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Tung Oil
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Howard's Butch Block Conditioner used on all cutting/chopping boards.
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Minwax- Red Oak Stain
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Minwax Polyurethane - used after wood stains. I do not use for my products finished with Tung oil.
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