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Main => The Courtyard => Topic started by: Sir James A on 2011-11-18, 00:11:34
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I have a few new projects to share. With the help of a few friends (Sir Cuts-a-lot, Sir Level-lot, and Sir Big-Hammer) I got my "leaning tower of pell" straightened and ready for some padding/wrapping:
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t8/jba3/medieval/cutting%20stand%20pell%20and%20bottle%20quintain/pell2.jpg)
I also set two new post bases - one for a cutting stand, and one for my "quintain" variant. Here's the two post bases and the cut 4x4s painted and ready to put in:
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t8/jba3/medieval/cutting%20stand%20pell%20and%20bottle%20quintain/paintedandanchorsset.jpg)
The cutting stand is 3 feet high. I am going to fabricate two optional "pieces" to it - one a basic "platform table" roughly 1' x 1' for larger objects like kitty litter containers, another a basic removable wooden stake for placing tatami and/or pool noodles on. Or, the stand can be used "bare", and things just placed on top of the post. As a bonus, if the coming zombie apocalypse turns out to be a vampire apocalypse instead, I've already got the sharpened wooden stake! ;)
The quintain assembly is very basic. It's a 4x4 post, with 4x4 top, and an eye hook on the end. Through the eye hook, I put an adjustable stretch-lock rope, It's a bungee-cord style rope, so it will hang a bit lower than it looks - should be roughly chest height. It should, hopefully, be able to hold a small water bottle as well as the large 2 liter bottles too, though I have not tested it yet. Part number, in case anyone wants one:
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t8/jba3/medieval/cutting%20stand%20pell%20and%20bottle%20quintain/lock.jpg)
The top is attached by a single rebar stake (the ones used in concrete) and I simply drilled a recess in the main post, hammered in the rebar, and drilled a hole through the top bar. Looking back, there's 2 things I didn't do that should be done:
1) Get a couple washers to put between the bar and post - I didn't get a perfect angle with the drill, so it rubs the post as it turns,
2) Make the hole on the top bar slighly larger than the rebar; I used 1/2" rebar with 1/2" pilot holes, and it took many a whack with Sir Big-Hammer to get the bar down onto the post; doubly fun, as I had a small stepladder and trying to hammer something 9 feet in the air when you're 6 feet with a 2 1/2 foot ladder is "interesting". I think the slightly larger hole will make the bar spin more freely, and I left the rebar high enough that it sticks about a half foot up through the top bar, so the bit of slack that may cause won't be enough to worry that the top bar may somehow come off (unless it breaks).
Something I plan to do to expand the quintain's usefulness is take the rope back off the eye hook, and get a couple carabiners so I can have "swap" pieces - the bottle-hanging rope, some heavy-duty shipyard rope (saw it as someone's pell), and if it'll support the weight, a punching bag. I may have to go to a "fixed" frame without the turnable top post and put a 45* brace to do a heavier punching bag - still not sure yet. I like the quintain style with "floating" top bar because since it breaks down into 2 pieces, it's easy to store for winter and it's easy to get up and/or down by myself.
Finally, the (nearly) finished projects:
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t8/jba3/medieval/cutting%20stand%20pell%20and%20bottle%20quintain/cuttingstandandquintain.jpg)
(new cutting post on left, quintain on right, and "old choppy", the original cutting stand I made from scrap 2x4s, in the center)
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Nice!
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Very cool! I can't wait to see it on Saturday! :)
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Same here!
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Awesome! I'll also bring my cutting stand. It's made just for foam and tatami. It'll at least work with the pool noodles.
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Nice Job! :)
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Fantastic James,
I wish I had the space out back to do something similar.
I hope you allenjoy it this weekend. ;)
G.
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It was a blast!!! Plenty of room in that backyard there, Sir James...we had it all, mock bouts, different cutting media, an excellent array of swords and all of the sunlight and fresh air one could stand. What's funny, in retrospect, is that we spent an entire day at it but it felt like at most a couple of hours. My wife asked me how my 'playdate' went lol. Time flies when you're having fun!
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'playdate'
lol I loved that! :)
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'playdate'
lol I loved that! :)
Indeed, me too! :)
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That's my Babe! She thought it was cool that we could all get together and have our kind of fun; especially since I've not had a real outlet for that sort of thing, having been on a solo run for the most part so, thanks to all for making it a reality- I look forward to future get-togethers, gents.
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By accident I had come across a cartoon series: Jane and the dragon" and am interested in the object she uses for training with her sword. So it's not really a quintain, does anyone know if that type of thing existed, if so, what is it called and where can I find a diagram for making one.
Sir John
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I haven't seen the cartoon, but it sounds like you're describing a pell. A pell can be constructed in many different ways, with perhaps the simplest being a wooden post stuck in the ground. Ideally they should have some "bounce" to them, to keep from overly shocking the blade, and thus your wrist. So people sometimes make them out of car tires, or wrap carpeting around a post.
Sometimes they can be more elaborate, with some armor or clothing, spring-loaded arms that move when struck, etc. But it's pretty much all the same idea.
If it has a rotating cross-bar at the top, with a shield on one side, and a hanging weight on the other, then it's a quintain.
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Next time, we need to take some pictures- as Wolf says, pics or it didn't happen! lol
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By accident I had come across a cartoon series: Jane and the dragon" and am interested in the object she uses for training with her sword. So it's not really a quintain, does anyone know if that type of thing existed, if so, what is it called and where can I find a diagram for making one.
Sir John
I found the cartoon series, but didn't see any pictures of her training. Do you have a picture or description of what it looked like? Sir Edward is probably right with pell; the most common training tools seem to be the pell and the quintain, for weapons on foot and weapons on horseback, respectively.
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Sirs Edward and James,
Yes, it is like a wood post pell, except it has a head with helmet and two arms that hang loose, one with a sword and one with a ball and chain. At its base, is a rounded object so that when the "pell" is strick, the "pell" turns around, and the knight must avoid or parry the ball and chain and sword. I nwould love to make one. If you go online and google "Jane and the Dragon" I think you'll find it there.
Sir John
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OK, I understand. I'd still call it a "pell", just a more elaborate one that incorporates the idea of the rotating quintain.
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I finally found that sword training "pell" from Jane and the Dragon series. Unfortunately it is only 3 KB size, I couldn't find a latger one. But maybe it gives you an idea.
Sir John
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Interesting, Sir John. I've never seen anything like that in regards to historical training, though my access to materials on that subject is a bit limited too. I'd personally call it a quintain, since it rotates and attempts to "counter strike", and I think of a pell as a generally stationary object which does not "fight back" in any way. It also kind of reminds me of those clowns with the round base that you punch and they fall down and come back up towards you:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9AXBTUzvpsk/ThS_7x9vkmI/AAAAAAAAAtk/DN90m1tA4B0/s1600/punchintheclown.jpg (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9AXBTUzvpsk/ThS_7x9vkmI/AAAAAAAAAtk/DN90m1tA4B0/s1600/punchintheclown.jpg)
It's a neat training idea. I have no idea how to go about making one, since the large rounded base would probably be tough to find / make.
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I wish I ncould find out more on how to make one of these "pell/quintain" - it would be a nice way to practice with the sword.
Sir John
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You could work with a large diameter wood post for starters, if you were so inclined, Sir John. It helps if you get the body 'used to' repeated movements and impacts...then you can start practicing more complex techniques, in which case you might want to build a more involved pell. There's a guy by the name of Bill Tsafa who makes his pells out of tires for the most part. See it here: http://mysite.verizon.net/tsafa1/swordreview.htm (http://mysite.verizon.net/tsafa1/swordreview.htm)
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My problem is more the curved bottom...it has to be heavy enough to keep the "dummy" upright, but easy to turn. Not sure how to tackle that one. But hanks for the advice.
Sir John
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You could build a base for it; make it so that it could rotate on the base (which should probably be filled with sand for stability). Did you really want it to move like a weeble-wobble?
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Yes I did, I think it makes for a more realistic opponent since it tries to strike you back.
Sir John