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nstructions on how to make a shield for SCA combatGraphic (Download the GIF version or the Freehand version)
1. Shields shall be constructed of materials equivalent or superior to 12.5 mm plywood in terms of strength and must not give any unfair advantages to their user ( chrome polished shields ).
2. Shields shall be edged with leather, rubber hose, or other padding in such a way as to minimize the damage to rattan.
3. No shield may ever be used as a weapon.
Shield material, as listed above. My recommendation is to use 1/2 inch plywood, constructed of two pieces of 1/4 inch plywood.
For shield edging I like to use a sturdy, natural fiber rope of 7/8" diameter in combination with pneumatic (high pressure) tubing. The tubing is generally soft and has fibers woven into it which you see when you cut the tubing.
For strapping I use a wide, buckled strap for my left forearm and either a shield basket or a homemade, comfortable handle with heavy leather covering.
Dimensions
This is very much dependent on your body size, but a good general measure is to measure from the top of your shoulder, just below your crotch.
The width should be roughly from shoulder to shoulder, perhaps a bit less.
A large shield will feel safe and some people have put it to good use, but in general it leads to a very stationary fighting style. I would not recommend a large shield.
Building the shield
Cut the overall shield out as a rectangle. Do not cut out the shield shape at this point or your curvature will be uneven. Leave about 1 inch extra space on all sides.
Use regular woodglue and glue the pieces together immediately, while the glue is still fresh. Use wood screws to screw the to pieces together at one long edge.
Now use either a shieldpress (a type of mould you build with a positive and a negative part to strap or screw together) or use a tree and some ratchet straps or similar method to make the two pieces of plywood curve. Once you have achieved your desired depth of curve, use more wood screws and join the other three sides together. It doesn't hurt to put a few screws down the long axis to help the wood glue together in the middle of the shield. Let it dry for a couple of days.
Reinforce the upper edge and the straight parts of the side edges (see below) with metal strips (no more than 1/8 inch in thickness, but perhaps 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide) Use nuts and bolts to secure this, place the nuts on the inside of the shield.
Take you tubing, slice it long ways and lay it around your shield, overlapping the joint by about 3 inches. Using the upper right hand corner for this joint is a good idea because this is the most stressed part of the shield and this way you're placing double the tubing there.
Take your rope, cut it to length and shove it up into the tubing to fill the hollow and make the rope ride on the shield edge.
Use either leather straps and bolts or lace the tubing to the shield. For lacing you will have to drill small holes just inside the tubing.
Grab your shield by the upper right hand corner, let it dangle and draw a vertical line from the corner through the middle of the shield. This is the line on which you will place your arm and straps. It may not be the right angle for you, but it's a good general purpose start.
Attache the wide, buckled strap (I use a piece about 4 inches wide to wrap my forearm and have a beltsized strap with buckle attached to that) such that your arms fits comfortably and, when strapped will more or less hold the shield by itself.
Attach the handle in such a fashion that you can get a gloved hand with a demi-gauntlet underneath the strap. Cover the whole hand with a heavy leather construction to prevent hits directly on your fingers or hand.
Re-hanging your shield
As I mentioned earlier the 45 degree line on your shield is a good start, but may not work for your in the end. Ask a friend to help you adjust your shield. For this purpose, get into your guard position.
Hold the shield roughly in a 30 degree angle to your body.
The right corner of your shield should be just to the right of your nose, such that you look across the 1/3 mark of the width of your shield....roughly.
The bottom tip will be just above your knee.
In this postion, your friend should have great diffculty to get you, with your moving your shield only slightly. Have him examine his angles of attack and adjust your position such that you can cover best. Then have your friend draw the outline of your arm on the shield.
If it differs from where you were, reattach the strap for your forearm accordingly. You may also have to reattach your handle.
Basically choose your width, divide it into thirds, drop down 1/3 on each side as vertical edge, then use the full width as radius and draw a circle segment until you cross the center line. Do this from each side and you have yourself a fairly decent shield.
