tutorial of curved shield

Arne Koets · Post by **Arne Koets** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:23 pm

i was worried you would say that! carving basically.

what about steaming?

how long does it keep it's shape?

Russ Mitchell · Post by **Russ Mitchell** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:47 pm

Intensely interested in as much feedback as you can give him... b/c of what I do, I've never needed to make up shields that weren't rawhide, and am just oh-so-darned curious, myself.

Rasper77 · Post by **Rasper77** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:26 pm

Arne Koets wrote:i was worried you would say that! carving basically.

what about steaming?

how long does it keep it's shape?

Steaming would work really well if using a good wood for it.
If you have the stuff to steam bend wood then lamenate it with 2 layers, it would be very strong.
ive been toying with the idea myself but its not the fastest way.

Arne Koets · Post by **Arne Koets** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 7:32 pm

my boss has used a simple steam chamber from wood to do the laminate thing, but it is the laminate that I'm trying to avoid! There is very little eidence for laminate medieval shields (if at all) and there are several non layered ones...

All the kilns and jigs you'd need to build probably make it just as expensive as carving anyway.

I don't have an adze, how do i cut a shield from a trunk effectively?
I might want to cut a smaller shield concentrically inside the main one as well, is that possible?

lorenzo2 · Post by **lorenzo2** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:34 pm

There are a number of small round laminated italian shields described in detail in Studies in European Arms and Armour, a book about the Philadelphia Museum of Art collection. Unfortunately both the shields and artwork showing soldiers carrying such shields are early 16th century so probably too late for your needs.

Tom B. · Post by **Tom B.** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 1:58 pm

Arne Koets wrote: what about steaming?

I don't think that steaming would work on a 25-30 mm thick board.

Tom

Arne Koets · Post by **Arne Koets** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:55 pm

one can bend beams for shipping of at least 30 cm thick

Mac · Post by **Mac** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:14 pm

Enrico di Venezia wrote:
Arne Koets wrote: what about steaming?
I don't think that steaming would work on a 25-30 mm thick board.

Tom

Enrico,

It can certainly be done. The trick is to use a sort of fixture which does not allow the convex side to "see" tension. The "Fine Woodworking" booklet on bending wood will show you the basics.

It would be hard to justify making the fixtures and so forth to just make one shield. By the time you set up everything you needed to it, you might as well make a dozen.

Mac