I ordered a Sch I Dumbell from Ed and I'm sure he his down in his basement turning one on his lathe right now <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I was wondering if anybody has the demensions for the dumbells. I'm sure I can make few practice ones in the garage and save the new one for trials. A drawing would be outstanding. thanks

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....I was wondering if anybody has the demensions for the dumbells. I'm sure I can make few practice ones

Well, two sites show good clear pictures of official and practice dumbells. One set looks really simple to make. How about if I PM you, since both are sites selling them, and you're just wanting to look at the dimensions, OK? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The club has to provide the dumbbells for the trial, i.e. all dogs will use the same dumbbell. So, there is not much point in 'saving' your dumbbell.

I looked at making my own set. Unfortunately, purchasing the rock maple for the dumbbell raised the price of roll-my-own to not a whole bunch less than the purchase price. Since the only part that really gets any wear is the bite bar, I'm thinking of chopping that out (eventually) and making it replaceable.

If you plan to use wood that's just lying around the shop, select it carefully. Some woods like walnut or poplar can trigger allergic reactions. Other, like oak, tend to splinter excessively.

There is really no standard dimensional size. The critical parameter is weight. The Sch I is 650 grams (~23 oz), the II is 1 kg (~35 oz), and the III is 2 kg (~70 oz). The bite bar on mine is 1 5/8" in diameter and about 4" long. Figure out the weight for that and size the blocks to make up the balance of the weight. Some folks will put extra weight in one side to help improve the dog's grip on the dumbbell.

I turned my own from dimensions taken from club members. They varied somewaht from one to another.
Total length - 10 1/2 inches
Each bell is 3 1/8x 3 1/8x 3 1/8
The bar is aprox 4 inches x 1 1/2 inch diameter
many of the better ones are made from hard rock maple. This will give close to the correct weight.
Instead of one solid piece, I laminated some scraps of 1 1/16 thick pieces with a good outdoor glue (Titebond II )
The I kerfed out the bar to a rough size with the table saw in order to cut down on lathe time.
Again, I measured a number of them and they were all slightly different. I'm assuming that's from different makers, but the sizes were all close.

Thanks Bob. I can get started at work tommarow <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />