Shieldsmithing (It's a real word now.)

Well, here it is: make your own shield in five easy steps.*

*Disclaimer: This is not actual a how-to guide, merely an overview of the steps used in the system I was taught. If there's interest, I'll make an instructional video and walk through the steps while making a demo shield.

Tools: While this could conceivably be done with hand tools, it would be very labor and time intensive. We took advantage of several tools to help with the process: drill press, band saw, chop saw, belt sander, orbital sander.

1. Lay out the design for the overall shape on a sheet of plywood 3/16" thick. Thickness can vary depending on your own desires. Once you've traced the design of the shield onto the wood sheet, proceed to the next step.
2. Cutting. Lots of cutting. Forever. This will be done in two parts; you have the "blank" for your shield's form and then you'll need the strips for the laminate. The strips need to be at least as long as the widest part of the shield (you can trim later) and as wide as you're comfortable cutting them. The one shown in the photo was made using 3" strips.
3. Generously coat the blank with wood glue, and lay the strips down over the top of it. You'll want them to be tightly bundled together to give an even appearance. Once the strips are laid out you'll want to clamp or weigh down the shield to keep the strips and blank in contact; leaving it overnight so the shield can dry and cure.
4. This step is the hottest and most labor intensive part of the whole project. For this style of shield building you'll need to forge out 3 components. These are the exterior banding, handle, and cap.  1) The banding is fastened to the shield and provides additional strength and reinforcement to the frame. These were made by rounding strips of steel over the anvil horn and matching to the exterior shape of the frame. 2) The handle, fairly plainly, is so that you can hold onto the shield and carry it around. It's made from a single strip of steel, with the center rolled over to give you a comfortable grip. 3) The cap covers the hole made in the center for the handle and your hand to have clearance. It protects your delicate fingers from being maimed. This was made by doming out the center of a circle of sheet steel to the desired size.
5. The final step is assembly! I've cheated and actually bundled a lot of different steps under the assembly stage. A hole is cut out of the center of the shield, around which the cap will be screwed and the handle will rest. With the hole cut, you can lay out the steel pieces and drill the holes through into the wood and mount them (we used wood screws and a little glue.)

There are other things you can do based on your preference like staining, burning, scarring, painting, etc. I left that out because it's window dressing to the fabrication.

Originally posted: Monday, February 10, 2014.
Edited for repost: Sunday, September 18, 2016.