The Armour Archive

Greetings. I was wondering if anyone had knowledge of how I might create a curved shield. I remember seeing something online about it somewhere, but I can't find it now for the life of me.

build a shield press

let me see if I can get this right ignore the ........
the [=] are 2X4s
the --- is the flat of ply wood cut to that shape, a portion of a circle
the * are big wing nuts
the ///// are threaded bar stock

......../.............................../
......../.............................../
......../.............................../
......../.............................../
........*.............................*
.......[=]...........................[=]
......../.............................../
......../.............................../
......../.......-----------........./
......../....---------------...../
......../..-----------------..../
.......[=]-------------------[=]



[This message has been edited by Vladimir (edited 09-29-2000).]

Or you can just buy one with a curve in it that will never break and never need replacing.
www.tournamentarmories.bizland.com

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I hope that you will...
Farewell

Anradan

I know your gonna think im crazy but, I make curved heaters by taking a full 4' x 8' 1/4 ply and futting it into 2' x 4' sections then take 2 of these glue librally w all weather wood glue and a brush making a nice thick coat in between yer shield sandwich then mark 12" on center and 3/4 off both sides drawing 2 paralell lines. stick that 2" by 8" by 4 ft long pine board in between those two lines and grab a bunch of cord preferably parachut cord. and some solid sticks of wood with 2 holes drilled in them. ( 4 -6 twist clamps work well) tie one end of the cord through one hole the other just poke it into it ans twist it tight around the sandwich and 2 by 8 to get a curve started. make sure to pull the slack through the one hole on yer "clamp" and use the slack to tie the wood bar to the taut string. do this all the way down. make sure u got some wood screws or clamps handy to close up the edges in between the "rope Clamps" and leave it alone for a few days. after its dried pull your screws/clamps off and now u have a center line on the inside to cut it to shape and keep it symetrical.


Ive been making wooden shields like this for 10 years, never a problem with anyone...of course being a carpenter helps...

BTW you cant get around 6" of bend in this way, dont go any further than 3/12 pitch (AKA 6" deep on 2 ft) or u will crack it.


Ive got a guy coming over this weekend for a heater like this, i'll try and remember to take pictures and post them.



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Lord Samuel De Grac'e
Baronial Guard of Dragonsspine in the Kingdom of the OUTLANDS!!!

This was one of my first "medieval" projects that I did. I took two pieces of 3/8" plywood 24" X 30" I made jig/tool/whatever by nailing two 2"x4"s standing up on their edges 21" apart with scrap 2"x material on the bottom, essentially making a channel. Then I glued my pieces, lay centered on my jig/tool/whatever and took a big heavy piece of tree trunk and lay it length ways on the shield forcing it to curve. I used screws to suck the edges together where needed. Let sit for a couple days. You could make the curve shallower or deeper by changing the height of your 2"x4"s to 2"x2"s or 2"x6"s or anything in between, and changing the distance between your two uprights accordingly.

I bend them just by using ratchet straps, no jig or press or sticks are needed.

Let it dry overnight, and they stay bent.
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<B>Gundobad, Wise Ogre Armory
Wise Ogre Pic of the Day</B>

It is not because things are difficult, that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare, that they are difficult. --Seneca

A position worth taking, is worth defending.

[This message has been edited by Gundo (edited 09-29-2000).]

you could try going to http://members.xoom/colluphid/
there is a pattern for a curved wood shield in the pattern library. Although it seems you might have enough info already.

I use ratchet straps to bend the blank over an old 55 gallon drum. There are a few people kicking around here with my shields (Robert! Vitus!) you might ask them about how they turn out when made that way. Where ya at anyhow?

Thanks to everybody who responded. I think that, thanks to the multitude of suggestions, I've got a plan that may be easier, using a bit of everybody's ideas.

I plan to (naturally) glue the boards together as normal (mine will also be a heater, or some other such design). But, I instead of a press (which I'm still clueless on building; I'm not very mechanically inclined at all) or using ratchet straps (which I don't have available right at the moment), I have another idea.

Taking the plywood "sandwich", I'll put either end of it up on two sawhorses (or other supports), and lay a length of metal pipe in the middle. Then, using some cord/rope, I'll tie two bricks on the ends of the pipe, adding bricks as needed for more weight as the "sandwich" bends inward.

Hopefully, that should give the pressure needed to curve the "sandwich", without much trouble. I still may try it the other ways listed, though, just to see which is better, easier, etc.

</b>Anradan:</b> I like the shields, but my LARP rewards authenticity (with extra Armor Points), and I'm a cheap bastich, so I'll just crank out a shield with what's lying around our shed. However, I am not actually against plastic, and will certainly let others know of your website. Personally, if I was in the SCA, I'd get at least one, just for fighter practice, and another as an emergency backup in case one made of metal or wood was somehow rendered unusable (broken rivets, splintering, etc.).

accdntprone: I live down here in good ol' Mississippi, in a town called Bolton, about 20 minutes from Jackson.

I have pdf plans for a shield press. Really easy, and the shields are easy to make. Simply take doorskin, coat liberally with wood glue, add another skin, and then a third. Then place it in the press, close it like a car hood, and lock it down. Wait overnight and voila.

Contact me if you need/want it.

Voe. Sir Rurik Levushka Ulyanov
(in case I don't exist again...)
voevod@earthlink.net

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I made my curved heater with Master Geoffrey the saem way that Gundo does ... Just soak the wood in water, bend to the desired curvature using the rachet straps, and let dry. That was almost 4 years ago and it is still curved just like it was the day it was made

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by accdntprone:
I use ratchet straps to bend the blank over an old 55 gallon drum. There are a few people kicking around here with my shields (Robert! Vitus!) you might ask them about how they turn out when made that way. Where ya at anyhow? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've got some drums and 4 motorcycle tie-down straps. Is this what you mean by ratchet-straps? Is 4 enough?

Thanks, Lu-shan

Im not sure if a motorcycle tiedown is the same thing cause I dont know what a motorcycle tiedown is, but 4 is enoughassumingits the right thing.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by accdntprone:
Im not sure if a motorcycle tiedown is the same thing cause I dont know what a motorcycle tiedown is, but 4 is enoughassumingits the right thing.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the info. A motorcycle tie-down has a hook on each side of a nylon strap. you hook up the strap the obvious way, then pull a loop that comes out of the "buckle" this cinches the strap down and hols it until you press the button in the "buckle" to release it. They are ubiquitous on motocross bike trailers.

I think of a come-along when I hear "ratchet-strap" but maybe these will work well enough...

Cheers, Lu-shan

Accdntprone: The 45 gallon drum idea is brilliant. I was just gonna put the plywood over a sawhorse with some ropes going over and concrete blocks tied to the ends of the ropes.

This'll work a lot better. Yoink.

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The budding mid 14th century German Transitional guy.
Mad Matt's Armory

The bike tie-down don't have a ratchet, you just pull on them...if you're strong enough, they'll work. The ones I use are the same width as the tie-downs, but they ratchet, so you get to use leverage. I bought a 4-pack at walmart for $14.

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<B>Gundobad, Wise Ogre Armory
Wise Ogre Pic of the Day</B>

It is not because things are difficult, that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare, that they are difficult. --Seneca

A position worth taking, is worth defending.

I have a motorcycle and the tie-downs do have the ratchets on them. And yes, they are just like a come-along. I know the romans used a variation of this wet-bending technique and that it produces really good, consistent results. Problem is, the wood has to stay wet for a length of time - which is nearly impossible in the desert. I know alot of the glue-curved shields straighten out after some time, but that all has to do with proper tension and gluing technique, as well as sealing the wood when finished. I fear that the wet-wood technique would weaken most plywood and make it far too brittle - especially with all the extra crap we have in our water.

Anyway, I sent Gundo my pdf for the wood press, and we should expect soon (maybe? Gundo?)



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Voevod Sir Rurik Levushka Ulyanov

Hey, Rurik, where's them there PDF files for that press? If you can't get them on the archive, just email me with them attached.

Also, a question: what sort of water do you soak the wood in before trying to bend it? Hot, cold, etc.? Brittleness won't matter much, because it'll be for a LARP anyway, and it getting a heavy leather covering (9-10 oz. cowhide).

Ok I have to ask.

Why in the world would you glue plywood(thickness X) to plywood(thickness Y)? All you get is plywood (thickness X+Y).
Why not just start with the thickness you wanted in the first place?

[sebastian looks around confused]

I have a curved shield that was made using two layers of 1/4" plywood, glued in a jig. It is over 12 years old, and still going strong. I have never seen a glued-curve shield "unbend", and think a single layer one, made by soaking and curving, is more likely to do so.

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Owen
"Death is but a doorway-
Here, let me hold that for you"

Sebastian,

The reason is that you want a 1/2" curved shield so you take two thicknesses of 1/4". The way the glued shields work that when you rope/ratchet/whatever the two layers will describe the same radius. If the tension were alowed to slack (without glue) the two surfaces touching each other would slide or slip. If the same surfaces are glued and let to set they cant break the near 8 sq feet of glued surface area bond. They stay bent, forever.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rurik:
<B>...Anyway, I sent Gundo my pdf for the wood press, and we should expect soon (maybe? Gundo?)

</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I didn't get any pdf files...and I have no idea how to post a pdf file, anyway...

And my motorcycle tie-downs have no ratchets...you just pull them tight, and push a lever to release. Ah, technology.


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<B>Gundobad, Wise Ogre Armory
Wise Ogre Pic of the Day</B>

Nothing needs reforming so much as the habits of others - Mark Twain

A position worth taking, is worth defending.

Rurik, if you'll send it as an email attachment and send to icelander@bigfoot.com I'll put it up. I'd like to look at it, too.

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Deus Suos Cognoscet
Company of Saint Olaf

I like Gundo's original idea...easy...cheap...good quality end product...yep...its a lazy life for me...

heh heh..

Calenvirt

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Ní neart go cur le chéile.
"There is no strength without unity."

I just sent the file to Thorgrim, and hopefully he can get it up so Gundo can post it. I originally sent it to Galon, not Gundo. I guess I should learn to read - sorry about that Gundo.

Anyway, a pdf is an Adobe Acrobat file, and I have found it to be a better way of posting large files because it compresses pretty well, and doesn't allow for resizing. I hope it shows up soon...



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Voevod Sir Rurik Levushka Ulyanov

i go to a furniture manufacturer or a place that concrete forms, buy a tube and cut it into the shield shapes i need, with the furniture places, you can specify the curve, width of the black etc, and theyre very cheap, i get them for about aus$12 a shield blank.
seyas


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Glenn Stokes
Hot Black creations
hotblack71@hotmail.com