Training implements, especially cabers

[MacHenderson]

I've been casually playing the heavy athletics for a couple of years now, and I've developed quite an interest in it. I even joined the throwing team at my college's track & field team.
Anyways, I decided to build some training implements, to familiarize myself with the different throwing events. I've built a distance weight, a hammer and a caber.

This was pretty quick and easy. I took a 1 inch diameter bar and cut about a 1 1/2 foot section. I welded a bolt at the top end to keep the weights from sliding off. On the bolt, I welded the chain and the d-ring handle, which I also made myself. I threaded the bottom end of the bar, so I could slide the barbell plates on and off, thus allowing me to variate the weight of the implement.


This was a pretty interesting project. I don't have access to a smelter that gets hot enough to melt steel. (I know iron or lead are the preferred metals for hammer heads, but I didn't have access to those either.) So here's what I did instead. I took...14 plates I think, of 12 guage mild steel, cut into about 5 inch squares. Then I drilled four holes into each plate, alternating the holes so they didn't line up.
I'd stack one plate on top of the other, and weld them together through the holes I drilled. I kept stacking and welding until I had it all as a solid mass. Next I took a plasma torch and cut the giant steel cube into a roughly spherical shape. Then I welded all of the outside edges together, building the bead in a way that gave it more of a spherical shape.
The last part of this project is where I settled for "Good Enough." I started to grind the giant asteroid-shaped hunk of metal into an even better sphere. After a while, I'd had enough, so I welded a 3/4 inch diameter piece of roundstock on the top of the weight, for something to mount the handle to.
The handle, interestingly enough is grey PVC pipe. I learned that this specific type of PVC pipe is very flexible and holds up almost as well as rattan handles, plus its cheaper to replace. I slid it over the hammer mount and secured it with two cross bolts.
I got a lot of weird looks for making it, and it certainly isn't pretty. But it works like a charm. The only problem is that it weighs about thirty pounds, and I threw my arms out the first time I threw it. So this fall, its back to the shop to shave down to a healthy 20 pounds or so.

But anyways, I got so off track explaining those to you all, I forgot the main reason I was posting. I mentioned above that I had also made a caber. It's a pretty pathetic caber though. I cut down a pecan tree that had a mostly straight trunk all the way up. It was about 18 feet tall, though I could only use about 13 feet of it. While the wood was still wet, it weighed about 70 lbs, but now that its dry, it only weighs about 30. I can pick it and toss it with one hand. Even so, because it was the first (and only!) caber I've ever made, I kept it and affectionately named it "Tyke *****."
So, my question is, does anyone know of a caber maker anywhere in California, or the surrounding states? Or does anyone know where I can look for suitable caber material? Ive heard cypress makes the best caber, and I've also heard of people using telephone poles, which sounds a little...weird.

[Alan H]

Tim C and I have made stuff from instructions on His brother, Bill's web site.

Basically, we've gone to Orchard Supply hardware and bought a 5 or 6 inch piece of threaded steel plumbing pipe. You know th stuff, it's got a tapered thread on each end.

OK, you thread on a floor flange as hard as you can at one end. Now you drop the required number of plates over the pipe.

You get a threaded glavanized end cap for the other end. Drill that out right in the middle with a 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch hole. Stuff a cheap eye bolt in there, and back the nut down on it, on the inside.

for a handle, tim has an actual handle from Mjolnir Hammers. I have a 6-inch welded ring from Orchard supply. A couple of quick-links join the handle to the eye bolt and you're throwing.

For the hammer we just get a 4-foot piece of threaded, Gray 1-inch ABS pipe. Thread/cement a PVC end cap on there. Now drop 3 or 4, five pound weights on there and duct tape the dickens out of it....works great.

Our workout caber is a pressure-treated 6x6 that weighs about 75 pounds. I rounded off the ends a bit. However, now that I"ve handled the real thing, I know that the ends are too big....time for a power planer to shrink one end a lot and get it down to the right dimension.

[MacHenderson]

Is that THIS site Alan? If not, I'd like to check out the other one.

[TimC]

My brother's site is; http://saacc.tripod.com/

He has a how to section on making stuff but you seem to have that covered. The video section shows some of the different styles people use for throwing. Hope it helps.

Where in Ca. are you located? AlanH and I try to hook up and throw from time to time... you're more tham welcome to come along.

-Tim