Dished Plywood Round shield (x-post, sort of)
Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2001 4:03 pm
I originally put this post on the Auctions page, but thought it might be interesting to some people here.
Hello everybody!
In the past I have successfully made several dished round plywood shields. What I did was take two round pieces (about 24" dia) of 1/4" plywood, drill a hole in the center of each, soak them in water for several hours, and then clamp them down with wood glue between them in my cobbled-together shield press.
The press consisted of an old, extra-heavy-duty metal garbage can, reinforced with a 2x4 across the bottom. A 5/8" threaded rod ran thru the 2x4 (with nuts and washers securing it. The plywood pieces were placed over the rod over the top of the can. I then placed an old 6" diameter circular saw blade over that (to act as a washer to distribute the load). Then I took a heavy-duty nut, a big box-end wrench, and a 3 foot cheater pipe and started cranking down on the sucker. I was able to get about a 3 inch dish into the plywood. Leave it for a couple of days and, presto: one dished plywood shield. I put some rubber hose edging around the rim of the garbage can so it wouldn't bite into the softened plywood. You need to arrange the two pieces of plywood so the face grains cross each other. It cuts down on edge wrinkling.
The can rusted away and I don't have a replacement, but I know you could build one like it. Make sure your cylinder of metal is VERY sturdy, because you will be exerting a LOT of force. The results are worth it.
Kevin the Hound
Hello everybody!
In the past I have successfully made several dished round plywood shields. What I did was take two round pieces (about 24" dia) of 1/4" plywood, drill a hole in the center of each, soak them in water for several hours, and then clamp them down with wood glue between them in my cobbled-together shield press.
The press consisted of an old, extra-heavy-duty metal garbage can, reinforced with a 2x4 across the bottom. A 5/8" threaded rod ran thru the 2x4 (with nuts and washers securing it. The plywood pieces were placed over the rod over the top of the can. I then placed an old 6" diameter circular saw blade over that (to act as a washer to distribute the load). Then I took a heavy-duty nut, a big box-end wrench, and a 3 foot cheater pipe and started cranking down on the sucker. I was able to get about a 3 inch dish into the plywood. Leave it for a couple of days and, presto: one dished plywood shield. I put some rubber hose edging around the rim of the garbage can so it wouldn't bite into the softened plywood. You need to arrange the two pieces of plywood so the face grains cross each other. It cuts down on edge wrinkling.
The can rusted away and I don't have a replacement, but I know you could build one like it. Make sure your cylinder of metal is VERY sturdy, because you will be exerting a LOT of force. The results are worth it.
Kevin the Hound
