Shields for SCA Combat

As a newer fighter within the SCA, I'm sure that all of us at times wondered just why we had that ten pounds of wood and metal attached to our arms. Especially those of us that have less bulk than most. Well, I'm not going to try to answer that here, but what follows, is the experience of twenty plus years of fighting in the SCA in regards of how to make that wood seem a lot less of a hindrance, and more of a help.

How to make a list-legal shield out of quarter-in ch plywood.

Making a light, durable, and flat shield for SCA combat.

A press for making curved plywood shields.

Instructio ns for making a round shield.

An Armour Archive tutorial by Sir Vitus von Atzinger

Traditional Mongolian shields, and how to make a shield for SCA combat.

An "SCA legal" version of a Medieval shield, and a reasonably close approximation of what they might have used in tourneys.

(Also at www.medievalwood.org/charles/shield_article.html )

My goal was to make a press that made very even bends, did not impart waviness to the edges, and produced a truly circular curve to the shield. It is simple to use and produces consistent shield blanks.

Making and using a shield press; quick and durable shield edging; putting shields together; some defense for oblong Viking shields; shield colors; an adjustable elliptical shield pattern; and simplified physics of spin for a center-gri p shield.

An opinionated dissertation on the types, pros and cons of SCA combat shields; and instructions for the creation of a practical, balanced shield for SCA war and tournament combat.