Bags and other questions

[MaDbOy]

Recently i thought it would be a good idea to take up some boxing at home-nothing too serious, just for fun and to keep in shape.
Me being me{quick to act, slow to think}, i decided to have a bag made first. I had a PVC bag measuring about 120 cms in height and about 120-130cms in diameter made up, with four 20 by 10cm strips of sewn canvas to support it, held on by car-seatbelt type material and four D-shaped rings. I then had my first problem-what was i to fill it with? This question lead me to the sawmill nearby where i filled it 3/4 with relatively fine sawdust. I took it home and my brother and myself struggeled to get it hooked up onto a steel bar outside my bedroom. From there i bought some Leather Don Oliver boxing mitts, and learnt everything i could from Videos and on the net.
The only problem I have found with the bag is that it is insufficiently filled up, therefore after a ten minute beating it will be contorted on one side because the sawdust has been pushed up into the 1/4 unfilled area.
I'm afraid of filling the whole thing up because then the supports would have extra stress, and could break.
What would you reccommend me to fill it with? Also, what sort of weight is expected for an average bag?
Just a couple of other questions i need some advice on: After a while of normal training{with mitts on} is it bad if your knuckles and wrists are hurting? Is it really necessary to wear bandages under the mitts?
Any advice regarding these questions or other tips when you are just starting out would be appreciated
Cheers!

[MaDbOy]

If i had one reply per view on this post i'd be set.....

I had more sawdust put in my bag, now its heavy and full

[mushinmaster]

Cloths.

I've never had any problems with a bag. It gets packed in, throw a couple of blankets in there. I've played with about 7 or 8 bags filled with cloths including my own 6 ft bag.

I go bare knuckle. I'm a little gung-ho, but the pain in the knuckles and wrists go away after a while.

It's the feet and shins that kill

I kick too, so + or - 200 lbs isn't out of the question.

[mushinmaster]

Try the BJJ/MMA forum

This one gets no attention.

[PentjackSilat]

Fill it with old rags or old t-shirts...basically cloth. Mushinmaster was right on that. If you have one of the normal 3 or 4 foot bags, 60 to 100 pounds is fine. A 6 foot bag can be anywhere from 120 to 200+. If you want to do pure boxing, then wrapping your hands is very important. You will be able to hit harder because your wrist will be supported and able to handle more of a load. It is fine for your wrists and knuckles to hurt in the beginning. They will become conditioned over time. Get a video on proper hand wrapping, or ask a trainer to show you how. Just anything won't do.
Have fun and train hard.

[MaDbOy]

Thanks for that ppl, i'll try it when i run out of sawdust.

Peace!