DIY furniture panels. Mini workshop for the production of furniture panels as a business

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And this article will describe in detail how to make a knight's shield. You can make yourself a shield in almost any shape you want (historical or not), and for the most part the construction methods will be the same. And to the question of historicity: in the Middle Ages, the bases for shields were made from boards, but modern plywood shields are faster and easier to manufacture and are not inferior in strength to planks. And the “non-historicity” of a plywood board is easily hidden under canvas or leather painted with authentic paints.

I hope my drawings and examples give you enough information to try making your own shield.

Photo close-up my shield. I painted this shield to match my surcoat. Since this shield is mainly for gaming, I used bolts - since they are much lighter than rivets.

This is a pretty standard almond shaped shield. I painted it like a Templar shield. I tried to make this one a little more historical and the straps are attached using rivets. Also, I didn't use any buckles to adjust the straps. I will show this in detail later.

These photos just show some close-ups.

A few more shots from different sides of the shield. Here, buckles were used to adjust the straps. This shield has just been primed and is ready to be painted. I always paint first before attaching the armrest pad and straps. This is much easier than trying to paint around them.

Plywood board base

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The first thing you want to do to make a shield is determine its dimensions. They may vary slightly, but let's assume that we are going to make our heraldic shield 53.3 cm (21 inches) wide at the top. This triangular shape is much easier to draw the shield shape before bending it in the press.

I prefer my shields to be curved, but this is generally not necessary. I use 2 pieces of 0.63 cm (1/4") plywood, and when they are glued together in a press, the board is 1.25-1.3 cm (1/2") thick. If you just want to do flat shield then you can simply use a piece of 1.3 cm (1/2") plywood.

The standard backboard is designed using the 3 to 1 method. Notice in the photo above that the backboard is 3 points wide, the straight section on each side is 1 point and the curve is created using 3 points. So if the shield is 53.3 cm (21") wide, then you divide these measurements by 3 and you get 17.8 cm (7"), that is one point.

The picture above shows the old trick of marking a large curved line. I use a piece of 0.63 cm (1/4") thick plywood with a 3.8 cm (1 1/2") wide board, but almost any board you have on hand will work. I make a slot at one end of the board (where the nail will go), and I drill at some predetermined distance at the opposite end a hole large enough for a pencil, which I will use to mark the edges of the future board.

The distance between the marking start point and the pencil hole is 3 points, in in this case 53.3 cm (21 inches).

You will drive the nail at the end of the left side of the straight line (which, in our example, will be 17.8 cm (7") away). Don't drive the nail too deep, just enough to hold just a little. Then you place a pencil at the end of the line on right side and draw a curve. Repeat for the other side and your shield is ready to be glued, pressed and cut.

After the shield blank has dried in the press (several days), you can take it out and cut it out using a jigsaw or band saw.

Once you have cut out the future shield, you sand the edges with sandpaper to make them smooth and correct any splinters or imperfections. You can also sand the front and inside of the shield a little if you like, just to smooth it out a bit. I also round the edges with a rasp, a little, so that the edges are not sharp.

Covering the edges and front panel of the shield

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I like when the outside of the shields are covered with some kind of material, as it gives them a more historical look, adds strength and makes them easier to paint. I prefer to use canvas (burlap tarpaulin) as it is inexpensive, easy to work with and you can get it at any fabric store. You can also use linen fabric, but it is not as durable, harder to find, and more expensive than canvas. You can also use leather, and it is best to use it on the shield where you are going to cover the edges with rawhide strips. The following instructions assume that we are using a canvas.

I start cutting a piece of canvas with the expectation that it will be 5 cm larger than the size of the blank for the shield. Then I use wood glue to glue it to the front panel. I take a cheap brush and shorten the bristles until there are 1.6cm (1/2") long or so left. This makes a good brush for applying wood glue. Next, apply glue to the front panel of the shield, covering about half of the panel for now. You won't you need a lot of glue, a good even layer holds up very well. Once you have applied the glue to half of the shield and put the canvas down, you need to smooth it down so that it comes into contact with the glue. If you have glue come out of the material. and got your hands dirty, you've probably applied too much glue, but it really won't hurt. Repeat these steps for the rest of the shield until the entire front panel is covered. Don't worry about covering the edges of the shield yet, wait until you're done. the glue will harden.

After the glue has dried on the front panel (about 1 hour), you are ready to wrap the shield blank around the edges. If you are using rawhide upholstery around the edges, you don't need to wrap canvas around the edges.

The first thing you need to do is mark the fabric where and how it will need to be cut. Let's say you want the canvas to extend 2.54 cm (1") onto the back of the shield (see right picture above). To make it even and maintain the shape, you can use a compass (picture above left) to mark everything around the canvas, along the edge shield. Since the shield is 1.27 cm (1/2") thick, you want all this material to be about 3.8 cm (1 1/2") wide.

If our shields were square, then upholstering the edges would be easy, you only need to wrap the canvas once and glue it to the edges and back, but since our shields have curved sides, we need to overlap the material from time to time and keep it that way position

When you glue the canvas, make sure you apply glue to the edge and of course to the back. If the glue runs out from under the canvas, don't worry. The paint will cover it as you paint the back of the shield. Smooth out the canvas with your fingers (this job can get a little tricky :>). Wood glue is a little slippery and will pull the canvas down even when wet, but as the glue dries you can go back and work on areas that may not have been glued.

When you cut the canvas for the overlap - do not cut all the paths to the back panel of the board, only those that bend to the rear edge, the marking of the area is shown by the line in the pictures above.

The host will form tufts in the corners and curves of the shield. I don't have any magic, but only once was I able to cut the canvas to fit as well as possible. Use enough glue here to stick the canvas. Then smooth the canvas and wipe away any excess glue. I then use clamps on each of the corners to hold the canvas while the glue dries. I then check the canvas that I glued to the back one more time, smoothing out any tufts that might have been marred a little. You can also add a little more glue and use it to smooth the tufts down a bit.

Now you can put the shield aside and let it dry.

Using leather to cover the shield.

If you will be covering the front of the shield with leather, you simply cut the leather to fit the front of the shield and glue it in place using wood glue. Remember that you will need to use rawhide to wrap the edges. More on this below.

If you feel strong, you can try to bend the skin around the shield, just like it would be a canvas. It's not easy, but it can be done. You would have to have the leather soaked in water, this will make it easier to form the covering of the shield.

Adding straps, piping and armrest

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The picture above shows some of the ways you can attach the trim, straps, and padded armrest.

Painting the shield, installing belts

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Paint, I only use standard latex paint for walls. I put 2 layers on the front and back of the shield. I took a small painting set and it’s enough for me to paint the shield. You may want to paint the front and back panels of the shield before installing the straps and padded armrest. The color is your choice! Again, I just used standard latex wall paint. I used something called egg tempera for a shiny finish, but again, it's up to you. Historically the paint job was probably flat. Egg tempera will be a little tougher. I use this on the front and back of the shield. If you will be covering the front panel of the shield with leather, you will need to use a paint that is compatible with leather, acrylic paints are most suitable.

If you are adding the Umbo to your shield, you will need to do it now before adding the armrest and straps. You can draw a place for the umbon on the front panel of the shield, depending on the design. Again, it’s easier to draw when the Umbon is there but not yet installed, then you can drill the holes and install it for now only for testing.

Soft armrest

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When installing an armrest, you are limited only by the size of the space for the platform and belts, the size of the back panel of the shield, your own dimensions, and simply personal preferences. To give you instructions, I've drawn a drawing above that shows the measurements I used on my personal shields. The angle of the armrest is about 30 degrees, but you can have someone hold the shield while you move your arm around to get the angle that suits you best. Please note that all dimensions are approximate and may be subject to change at your discretion.

Next we want to make our armrest. I use chamois for the top cover as it is durable but flexible. You can use other materials, just make sure they are strong enough. You could use canvas, just make sure you fold the edge down slightly a few times to keep it from unraveling. I use a 1.9 cm (3/4") thick piece of padding, from a fabric store. Just make sure you get padding, not polystyrene foam. Your hand will thank you later.

I use small nails to attach the chamois to the back of the shield. Before attaching, you need to try and figure out where your hand will be on the backboard. You can use my photos as examples. Once I figured out where I want it, I nail the suede from top to bottom, and to the sides. I use 1 cm (3/8") studs. You don't want the studs sticking out of the front panel - so they are shorter than the thickness of the shield. After I attach the suede to the top and sides, I put the filler under the suede. The filler is cut like this so that it is slightly smaller than a piece of suede. And then we nail the remaining sides of the suede.

Belts

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The picture above shows several different examples of belts that can be used. The first standard belt that uses a buckle for adjustment. The second belt consists of two crossed belts. Crossed straps work best for the strap you hold in your hand. If you notice, my red and black shield (at the top of this page) are made using this method. Works very well.

The final strap, the lace strap, uses a series of holes for leather laces to allow for modifications. It's used on my Templar teardrop shield (also at the top of the page). It's not as easy to adjust as, say, a belt with a buckle, but the method is historical.

For reference, the straps on the heraldic shield are 1.9 cm (3/4") wide; on the Templar shield they are 2.54 cm (1") wide.

For belts, you need to use a thick grade of leather, and you can simply buy ready-made leather belts that come in different widths. You can also use an old belt. Just make sure it's actually leather, and try to avoid a leather belt that has two pieces sewn together.

Now that we have the straps we need a way to attach them to the shield. You can use bolts or rivets. Bolts are the simplest method and make it easy to install the straps on another shield in the future (when this shield is broken). Rivets are more historical, but require more skill in their fastening. I use 0.63 (1/4") bolts or rivets.

In the picture above I showed how bolts/rivets work. I use bolts and rivets that can be purchased at any hardware store. Depending on the thickness of your leather and padding, 2-2.5 cm - 0.63 rivets and bolts should work fine. You should always use washers with the leather to prevent it from popping out. Some bolts will have some kind of writing on the head that doesn't look very good on the outside of our shield, so make sure it's not there when purchasing.

I wanted to give my Templar shield a more authentic look and took the bolts and hammered their heads on my anvil to get rid of the inscription, and gave them the appearance of being made by a village blacksmith. I then cut them to length and then hammered them in the same way as the rivets. The work is great. I even hammered the puck so that it looked like it came from a village blacksmith. (See picture on the right).

I also made my own rivets for the Umbo on the Templar shield. I used standard generic nails. I tapped the caps to make them more rounded and not very wide. I then also shortened them and used them as regular rivets.

Painting on the shield

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(See information on which paint to use).

Here you can make your paint job as simple or complex as you wish. If you get confused, you can simply paint over the shield and start over. If you want the shield to match the surcoat or other equipment, it may be worth taking the shield with you to the paint store for assistance in matching colors. If you're really brave - you might actually skip this question and move on. The best way- ask knowledgeable people...

I paint the front panel and edges of my shields in my base color. As an example, I painted my Templar shield first with a white base color. I then used a pencil and ruler and lightly traced a cross onto the shield. Next, I used several different brush sizes to draw the cross. I highly recommend that you do all this manually. Painted shield hand painted has a medieval appearance. If you're a terrible artist, then maybe you could find someone to help you with this.

If you bet, then you can continue, if not, then you are done! Good job! There is something magical when good shield in one hand and a sword in the other... it's hard to explain.

Remember that you can produce a shield that is as simple or as complex as you want. Just make one. If you want you can cut a piece of plywood to the shape of the shield without covering it with fabric or leather, with some straps, it still looks pretty good.

Edging the edges of the shield

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If you are adding edging, now is the time to do it. Using rawhide or thick leather means the same steps. Cut strips 5cm (2") wide. It's more likely that you won't have one piece large enough to go around the entire shield (a cowhide is probably that big), so you'll need to have several pieces to go around around the edge of the shield. You will need to make some extra pieces of rawhide to cover these seams. See picture below.

A strip thickness of 5cm (2") should work fine, but you can adjust it as needed. If you like, you can soak the leather in water while it softens. Then work the strips as you bend the edge over the shield and rub down. Continue until all the edges are covered. Now add more pieces to cover the seams, secure it all in place with clamps. Let dry, nail in place and you're done.

Almond Shield Drawings

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Below are some dimensions for a standard Kite Shield, also known as the almond and Norman shield, described in more detail here - Knight's shields of the 11th to mid-12th centuries. Sizes suggested are suggestions only, feel free to customize them to suit your needs.

Organization of a mini-workshop.

Choice - Room.
Equipment for the production of furniture panels.
Staff.
Investments in mini business.
Financial plan.
Payback periods.
Marketing.
Advertising.
Sales of products.

Almost every person would prefer to have their own business than to work as an employee. There are several reasons for this. First of all, business owners have the opportunity to do what they love and have a higher income. Owning even a small business is prestigious. Independence from external conditions and the whims of the employer are also an important plus.

In this review we want to talk about the woodworking shop and the production of furniture panels. While engaged in the production of furniture panels, the workshop can also produce designer furniture, while there will be two independent sources of income and two portfolios of clients. So, where to start organizing a business and a woodworking workshop and the production of furniture panels?

Organization of a mini-workshop.
For small-scale wholesale production of furniture panels, it will be necessary to open a small woodworking enterprise, on the basis of which it will be produced furniture board. Of course, it is possible to focus production on the production of furniture, but it is not a fact that it will be in demand. The production of furniture panels allows us to form a portfolio of regular small-scale wholesale customers, and, accordingly, ensure a constant income for the woodworking shop.

It may be advisable to open a mini-workshop in areas where logging is carried out and lumber is produced, but even if wood is purchased and delivered to the region, the business will be quite profitable. Let's look at it in detail.

Furniture panels are usually purchased furniture production. Manufacturing features, accordingly, suggest different textures and patterns of wood, which can distinguish designer furniture of mass and individual production. Despite the fairly wide offer, new wood panel products with good quality execution.

The main advantages of furniture construction material include:
- the use of new gluing technologies makes it possible to preserve and advantageously emphasize the natural texture of wood;
- glued structures, unlike solid wood, retain their dimensions without changes and practically does not shrink;
- glued furniture panels are an environmentally friendly product used for the production of furniture and interior decoration;
- furniture panels of any size can be made for production, which, accordingly, reduces costs for ineffective use.
Production of furniture panels is good basis for any woodworking business, since there is a steady demand. Hard-leaved and conifers wood, pine is considered the most cost-effective material.
The production process of laminated furniture board consists of the following stages, which means:
- drying lumber preferably in your own drying chambers, this will ensure high quality products;
- calibration and processing of lumber defects;
- dissolving wood into lamellas and removing defects;
- trimming to the required size and removing defective areas;
- splicing of workpieces (along the length), jagged tenons are cut out at the ends of the workpieces and glue is applied, trimming is carried out to size;
- calibration of lamellas in order to remove the adhesive layer and obtain geometrically accurate blanks;
- gluing lamellas and gluing into a shield;
- cutting out defective seams.
- board formatting with cutting to width and format trimming;
- clean calibration and final grinding.

Each process involves performing work on a special machine; some of the production processes can be carried out on semi-industrial woodworking machines, but it will still be necessary to mechanize and automate production as much as possible in order to obtain the product High Quality. The size and characteristics of the workshop premises will depend on the number of machines purchased.

Choice - Room.
The premises for a mini workshop for the production of furniture panels are usually selected in an industrial area. To do this, you will need to rent a warehouse or workshop at a geographically convenient enterprise. The workshop infrastructure should include administrative premises - 20-30 sq. meters, lumber warehouse and finished products 30-50 sq. meters (preferably divided by different rooms), workshop premises 100-200 sq. meters.

The size of the workshop depends on the dimensions of the equipment. Generally industrial premises They are of the same size and have low rents.
The average cost for renting a warehouse will be 15,000-18,000 rubles per month.

Equipment for the production of furniture panels.

The universal four-sided four-spindle machine Winner Blazer BL 4-23 for woodworking is suitable for a high-tech workshop; it performs all the described operations. You can choose from inexpensive woodworking machines, their price is 12,000-36,000 rubles;

Thicknesser double-sided MIDA SPBF-2S/500 or MV-2061 for lamellas, respectively, Portuguese and made in China. Thicknesser JET JWP-12 m can be purchased for 18,000 rubles;

Optimization line OMGA T 2000 NC series, a used Russian machine can be purchased for 640,000 rubles;
- end splicing line OMGA FJL-183, the Russian version will cost 144,000 rubles, a semi-automatic machine will cost about 56,000 rubles;

Glue applying machine OSAMA S2R-1600, you can purchase a less expensive version of the machine for approximately 220,000 rubles;

Fan wedge TRIMWEX INDUK type SL(P), used wedge can be purchased for 300,000 rubles;

A machine for aging wood in order to obtain a unique texture for furniture panels will cost 320,000 rubles;

Some types of machines listed can be made independently. Accordingly, this will significantly reduce the volume of investments. When preparing a business plan, you can go in two ways. To purchase new or overhauled equipment on credit or leasing, most companies offer favorable conditions; accordingly, you will only need to work hard to pay for the equipment. The second way involves purchasing used equipment at your own expense. This option also has advantages - you do not need to pay off debts.

Staff.
The number of workers in mini workshops is usually 5-15 people. As a rule, workers and carpenters also perform work on loading and unloading raw materials and goods. In general, you will need to hire the following employees; it is better to choose people with work experience or technical education:
Workshop manager (who is also the owner and main foreman) - 70,000 rubles/month;
Accountant-secretary - 25,000 rubles/month;
2 professional carpenters - 2*40,000 rubles/month;
2 apprentice assistants - 2*20,000 rubles/month;
1 machine operator - 50,000 rubles/month;
1 mechanic - 30,000 rubles/month;
1 loader - 20,000 rubles/month;
1 cleaner-storekeeper - 15,000 rubles/month;
2 watchmen - 10,000 rubles/month;
TOTAL: 350,000 rubles/month.

To work at an enterprise, workers must conclude a contract and also take out insurance, since work in production poses risks to health and life if technical safety standards are violated.

Investments in mini business.
The required investments will depend on the capacity of the workshop for the production of furniture panels and the level of its equipment. Required:
- rent a premises for production, prepare it for setting up a workshop, it may require repairs, installation of a ventilation system, partitions, doors, gates and checkpoints. These costs depend entirely on the chosen premises and its arrangement. We estimate the costs for this position without rent at 100,000 rubles;
- purchase or order equipment, the estimated investment in technological equipment will be 1,820,000 rubles (approximately 45 thousand dollars);
- the purchase of raw materials can be carried out to order, 50 cubic meters. meters will be quite enough for a start. Average price per 1 cubic meter m pine unedged boards is 8,000 rubles, respectively, the costs will be 400,000 rubles;
- rent of premises for 3 months - 54,000 rubles.
- salaries for 3 months - 1,050,000 rubles, in this case there may be options, since it is not worth supporting employees without having a workload. Initially, you can hire an incomplete staff, and later expand it. For the first time, monthly salary expenses will be limited to 400,000 rubles/month.

Financial plan.
For example, the cost of furniture panels made from SS grade pine is 1,200 rubles per 0.04 cubic meters. meters, respectively, 1 cubic. a meter of furniture board will cost 120,000 rubles, while the cost of an unedged board is 8,000 rubles.

First 3 months of work (partial load):
In this case, in order to recoup the costs of maintaining the workshop in the first 3 months:
- 18,000 rubles/month. rent + 4000 rubles/month. communal payments;
- 400,000 rubles/month. salaries.
You will need to receive an income of 422,000 rubles. When selling per month 20 cubic meters. meters of furniture board, the turnover in the first months will be 2,400,000 rubles. Costs for the board: (20 cubic meters + 30% for defects) * 8,000 rubles = 208,000 rubles. Accordingly, the cost of raw materials will not exceed 10%. Income will be:
2,400,000 (total sales volume) - 422,000 (costs of maintaining the workshop) - 208,000 (costs of raw materials) = 1,770,000 rubles.
The break-even point (based on the costs of raw materials and maintenance of the workshop) assumes the production and sale of 3 square meters. meters of shield per month. Don't forget about paying VAT, payroll taxes and income taxes.

After the workshop reaches its design capacity (50 cubic meters)
After the workshop reaches its design capacity (approximately 50 cubic meters), the income will be:
6,000,000 (total sales volume) - 105,000 (costs of maintaining the workshop) - 520,000 (costs of raw materials) = 4,430,000 rubles.
The break-even point for the maintenance of the workshop assumes the sale of 13 sq. meters of furniture board.

Payback periods.
Thus, we will make an assessment of the costs of investing in a business and estimate the planned income in connection with the planned production volume.
So, for the first 3 months the workshop will operate in experimental mode, producing and selling 20 cubic meters. meters of furniture board. Income excluding taxes will be 1,770,000 rubles each month.

Investments in equipment, according to our calculations, with a fully equipped workshop (see “Equipment”) will amount to 1,820,000 rubles. In fact, with properly organized implementation, it is possible to recoup the investment already in the first 2 months of operation of the woodworking shop. This allows you to think about purchasing high-quality equipment on lease or credit. But you can save and form a financial asset, and within a year you can radically expand production. So from a small workshop you can create a fairly large woodworking enterprise that produces not only furniture panels.

Marketing.
Of course, such impressive results can only be achieved with well-organized implementation. The marketing task, which during the first steps of the business falls under the responsibility of the owner, involves the sale of furniture panels in bulk.

Typically, wholesale means purchasing 10 cubic meters. meters. In practice, first of all, you need to conclude an agreement with two wholesale buyers. To do this, you need to offer more low price products.

In the following months, the portfolio should include 5 large customers. This all presupposes preliminary negotiations with customers and their search.

Advertising.
Obviously, in the first months of operation, a mini workshop for the production of furniture panels should focus on attracting wholesale customers in order to reach the break-even point. At the same time, working with wholesalers does not at all exclude selling the board at retail or in small wholesale markets.

Any advertising should be targeted at a potential group of consumers. In our case it is furniture companies. To present information about the new production, you will need to make booklets or brochures that will describe the workshop and its capabilities. For advertising in markets among small wholesale and retail buyers, you will need business cards and pocket calendars, which can be left in stores and on trays. We must not forget that an online store will help sell goods.

Advertising costs will be:
- brochures 1000-2000 pcs. - 16,000 rubles;
- booklets 1000-2000 pcs. - 6000-8000 rubles;
- pocket calendars 1000 pcs. - 3000 rubles;
- online store - 8,000 rubles with advertising.

If an active advertising campaign is required, this should be handled by a separate employee - an advertising manager. Wage manager can be negotiable and amount to about 15,000 rubles for part-time work. In some cases, the functions of an advertising manager are taken over by accountants. For them, it is enough to order and receive products, as well as close financial documents.

Please note that creating a website does not imply that it will be found without additional effort. This is exactly what a content manager usually does, who promotes the site in in social networks, search engines and forums. Typically, such specialists work on a contractual basis based on volume, so costs can be planned during operational activities.

Sales of products.
Sales of products during the first months of the workshop's operation are usually carried out by managers. At the next stage, sales agents and managers are involved in the work and a sales department or sales department is created. Most sales agents work on a percentage of sales volume, thus, business owners motivate traders to enter into more contracts, from which they receive a constant percentage.

The independent work of the sales department gives good results, the task of the agents is to organize sales, the task of the workshop is to produce quality products. The functionality of the sales department is over time complemented by the functions of the advertising and marketing department, which must generate productive sales concepts, constantly replenishing the portfolio of large and small buyers.

In fact, the proposed review is an instruction on how to create a small woodworking shop and develop it to the level of a large woodworking factory. With a pragmatic approach, building a large business from scratch is possible even today.
We wish you good luck in your first steps and hope that our review helped readers start their own business and achieve great success. Despite the skepticism of many, it is possible to create a large business from scratch, the main thing is to plan everything carefully and not be afraid of work. Of course, the choice of business direction is of particular importance. It is in this choice that we decided to help you and make the task of planning easier.

How to glue wooden boards into a board

To get it right glue furniture board, first you need to acquire special equipment:

Planing machine;
Circular Saw;
Hammer;
Thicknesser for drawing marking lines;
Long ruler, tape measure and pencil;
Clamps or homemade tools for tightening boards;
Surface grinding and tape machine for stripping wood. Instead, you can use sandpaper, screwing the wood onto the block, but cleaning will take more time;
Electric planer;
Wooden boards.
Glue.

To successfully glue boards, it is important to choose high-quality and reliable glue:

Isofix G818. Professional wood glue made on the basis of polyvinyl acetate. It does not contain solvents, is characterized by high moisture resistance and powerful fixation, and is used for interior and exterior work, gluing any type of wood. Becomes transparent after drying. Product cost: 232 rubles per 500 ml package.
Joiner or Moment Super PVA. Heat-resistant, quick-setting and high-strength adhesive designed for gluing all types of wood, chipboard, MTF, DVM, veneer, plywood, fittings and laminate. After drying it becomes transparent. Cost: 330 rubles per 750 ml package.

Instructions - how to glue a shield without clamps and clamps

Once you have all the equipment, tools and suitable glue ready, start gluing the shield. This process consists of several stages.

Preparing the boards

The wood for making shields must be of the same type.

Types of wood that are used to make furniture panels:

Birch;
Pine;
Clear;
Larch;
Aspen.

The wood must be dry, smooth and free of knots. Best buy finished timber and saw it at right angles into pieces required sizes. If there are any unevenness on the bars, use a planer.

The thickness of the boards should be several millimeters greater than the final parameters of the shield, since after gluing and drying they will need to be refined by sanding. To do this, select a workpiece with a width to thickness ratio of 3:1. The boards should be no wider than 15 centimeters so that excessive stress does not arise in them during drying.

Preparation for gluing

Before connecting all the boards, they must first be adjusted so that you get a beautiful shield:

Build a flat surface so that it is convenient to glue the board from the boards. For this, it is best to use a chipboard sheet;
Attach the strips to the two edges of the chipboard, adjust their height in accordance with the height of the workpieces;
Place the boards between the planks so that they fit snugly together. If there are gaps, remove them with a jointer. Carefully examine the wood grain of each specimen. The lines of adjacent blanks should connect smoothly and then the shield will turn out beautiful. To adjust the lines, move the boards along the length;
After placing the blanks on the chipboard sheet, mark them or mark them with figures so that you can quickly put the board back together.

Gluing process

Once you have adjusted the boards, glue them together one by one.

Cover the surface to be glued completely with glue. It is important not to apply too much glue, otherwise it will cover the seams. But do not neglect the glue - its deficiency will negatively affect the strength of the shield;
Press the greased boards firmly one to the other;
Attach two more planks perpendicular to the two planks located on both sides of the chipboard and secure them with self-tapping screws. This will avoid bending of the furniture board when gluing;
To increase the adhesion of the bars, use wedges. Press the boards until the first drops of glue appear on their surface;
Let the shield dry for about an hour. Then remove it from the surface of the chipboard sheet. Do not touch the material for another day.

VIDEO INSTRUCTION

Final stage

As soon as the homemade furniture board dries, the wood must be sanded, planed and traces of glue removed.

This will give you a smooth and even surface:

Place coarse grit in the sander sandpaper for preliminary grinding;
Then treat the surface of the shield with a surface grinder;
If you notice lint, you can get rid of it with a small amount of water. Pour it onto the surface of the furniture board and wait until it dries. After this, the fluff will rise and can be easily removed with sanding equipment.

By following these instructions, you will create a high-quality furniture board that will become an excellent basis for the construction of bedside tables, tables, shelves and many other items for your home.

The main purpose of this article is to fill the existing gap and make life easier for those who are just starting to act in the field of historical reconstruction. It is recommended that you first read the translation of Peter Beatson's article at the above addresses, and then use this article as a guide to action.

Material.

The shield field can be made based on two options: from a furniture panel (closest to reality, but less durable), or a plywood sheet. The furniture panel is a rectangle glued together from boards, 1 m wide, 2 m long and 2 cm thick. Considering the thickness of real shields, you will need to plan with a plane wooden blank almost one and a half times 6-8mm. Or use plywood with already given thickness. The diameter of the workpiece can vary from 80 to 90cm.

The handle must be made from wooden plank D-shaped section. The length is adjusted based on the diameter of the shield, so that the distance from the edge is about 5 cm. The handle can be made the same width along the entire length, or it can be reduced to a cone - from the center to its two ends. Thickness and height no more than 3-3.5 cm. Carolingian miniatures contain images round shields with a figured metal handle (Man), Anglo-Saxon material also confirms the use of this type of handle (Man).

The central place on the shield is occupied by the umbon - an iron cap covering the handle on the outside of the shield. During the Viking Age, umbons had a fairly similar appearance throughout Europe, differing in the details of making the cone itself and the design of the field. At the end of the 19th century, a typology (Rüge) was developed which is still in use today. The umbon can be made independently by cold forging on a mandrel from a 2-2.5 mm iron sheet.

The edge of the shield was covered with a leather strip 2-3mm thick and 5-6cm wide. The joints of the pieces were covered with rectangular iron fittings 1 mm thick and measuring 2 by 7 cm. According to materials from the Birki burial ground, these fittings were riveted with 2 rivets.

The outer side of the shield must be glued with leather or fabric (burlap). The shield from the Tyrian peat bog was glued with leather on both sides.

Again, based on the materials from the Birki burial ground, along with the finds of shields, the finds of one or two iron rings on brackets located at the same distance from the umbon, apparently necessary for attaching a leather shoulder strap, can be traced.

Misconceptions

Before you start making your first shield, you need to avoid the most common mistakes:

Additional strips.

In addition to the handle, the field of the shield was not reinforced with additional longitudinal strips riveted with a large number of rivets. Firstly, there is no archaeological evidence for this fact, and secondly, this addition does not give the shield strength, but only makes it heavier. The shield handle was the only bar that held together the shield field and the umbon. The use of rivets to fasten these parts is still controversial. Usually the umbo was fastened with nails bent inward. The handle of the Tyrian shield was tied to the field with a rope.

Shield thickness.

The optimal thickness of the board is 6-8 mm: you should not make a board from plywood more than 10 mm thick. This adds weight, turning the shield from a mobile, active defense into just another heavy object on your hand. Real artifacts give us an idea of a shield as protection for one fight; tests show that the shield cannot withstand arrows and darts; powerful chopping blows with an ax destroy the edge of the shield, breaking even the handle. This fragility is compensated by its maneuverability and ease of dismantling. metal parts to a new field.

Shield shackles.

You should not bind the edge of the shield with a metal strip; this will again increase the weight and will not greatly save the edge of the shield from destruction. The shields of the Viking Age had only a leather strip along the edge, additionally fastened with metal brackets. In Birka's only burial, the bindings are riveted close to each other, covering one sector of the shield.

Shield belt.

The belt was attached to steel rings, which in turn were attached to the handle. The most common mistake is installing the belt to the shield field using a rivet and washer, followed by installing the buckle and belt tip. Buckles, and especially (richly decorated) finials, were never found together with the remains of the shield. Apparently, the belt was single, or its length was adjusted using a series of holes at one end of the belt and a forked tail at the other.

Decorations.

Archaeological finds of shields give us a limited choice of decoration for the outer part: Gokstad - alternating yellow and black paint, Gnezdovo - ocher-red color on the remains of wood on the frame of one shield. The Tyrian shield has a leather covering, which most likely did not have a pattern. The pictorial sources on shields are much richer (there are quite a few examples of miniatures with reconstruction of the design throughout Europe). In addition to these sources, drawings on models of shields and decorations can be used. The basis of the design is usually the so-called “Segner wheel”, or a cross. The most common misconception is the transfer of a real zoomorphic or geometric design decorating any object. material culture(braids on dishes, spoons, embroidery, architecture, book miniatures) on the subject of military life. We should not forget that ornament for our ancestors had a practical meaning rather than simply as a decorative element.

Making a shield. Shield field.

First, you need to cut a circle out of plywood; with the usual cutting of a sheet, you can get two blanks with a diameter of 89 cm. To mark, use a nail driven into the center of your future shield, a thread tied to it with a pencil, equal to the radius of the shield. It is also necessary to cut a hole for the arm in the center of the shield. The diameter of the hole should be slightly larger than the internal diameter of your (already finished) umbo. All edges of the cuts must be thoroughly sanded. The inside of the shield is laid out onto boards using a layout knife along the longitudinal pattern of the plywood and treated with stain. If the surface is assembled from furniture board, then the texture and direction of the boards will appear after treatment with stain.

After this you need to cover it with cloth. outside shield, to do this you need to apply a layer of PVA first to the plane, then place a wet(!) cloth on the shield and apply several more layers of glue on top. Last layer will be a design of a shield - for this you add a coloring pigment or tempera paint to the glue itself and paint the surface.

Umbon.

While the shield is drying, you need to make a umbon. With abundance modern means this will not be difficult to do. The first way is to buy a ready-made, hot-deformed umbo, which can be endlessly rearranged from the old shield to the new one. And the second way - self-production. To do this you need: a knockout hammer with a round striker, a small concave steel cup/ingot or a wooden block with a recess in the center. A workpiece with a diameter of 16-18 cm is cut out of sheet iron 2-2.5 mm thick, then a 2 cm margin is outlined along the edge with a caliper. The workpiece must be held on the die with pliers and, moving it in a circle, struck with a hammer. You need to knock out the sphere with a series of blows from the edge to the center. Each cycle of blows will allow you to knock out the sphere approximately 5mm. Considering the required depth of the umbon is 6-8cm. After the second hour of beating, you finally get the idea that it was better to buy it.

Edge stitching.

After the fabric on the face of the shield has dried, you will need to cut off the excess pieces of fabric around the edges. Then we will proceed to trim the edge of the shield with a leather strip. With a shield thickness of 8 mm, a strip of leather 5 cm wide will be sufficient. By fitting the strip onto the edge, mark the edge line of the strip along the entire board. Next, retreating 5 mm from this line to the outside, use an awl to line future holes for stitching at equal intervals (10-12 mm). If you have chosen continuous stitching, then one line of holes will be enough; if the stitching method is used, then it will be necessary to step back from the line 5 mm inside the shield and mark the holes in the gaps. Next, you need to drill all the holes in a circle with a diameter of 2 mm, apply a strip and use an awl to pierce holes in it for the firmware, so that they coincide with those drilled in the field of the shield. You can sew on the strip with thick linen or waxed threads.

Installation of shackles.

For the bindings, you can use a sheet of iron 1mm thick, from which you need to cut 6-8 identical plates 2cm wide and 7cm long (with a shield thickness of 8mm and leather covering 2mm - if these dimensions change, the length of the bracket may vary). 4 holes are drilled in the workpiece for future rivets, and the bracket is pressed tightly with pliers along the edge of the shield. After this, holes are drilled in the shield itself, rivets are inserted and riveted with inside. If the leather strip on the edging consists of several pieces, then brackets are placed at each joint; if the strip is solid, then 4-6 brackets can be placed along the sectors of the shield at an equal distance from each other.

Assembly of shield parts. Umbo, handle, rings.

Before installing the handle, it is necessary to secure the rings on it - belt holders. The rings are bent on a mandrel with a diameter of 2 cm made of 4 mm wire. Then strips 4-5mm wide are cut from one extra bracket. They are bent around the ring and inserted into the holes drilled in the handle, and the remaining shanks are bent to back side. Their location may vary, the main thing is that they are equidistant from the umbon.

Next, the handle and the umbo itself are mounted. It is usually attached to 4 nails or rivets, two of which also go through the handle. The handle itself requires two more rivets at the ends, although you can rivet each board of the lined shield. The final touch is installing a belt with ties and sewing a linen cover for the shield.

Hello. Today we will talk about how you can make a shield with your own hands for, or simply for the purpose of reconstructing ancient weapons and armor. Previously, we have already looked at material about and, as well as weaving. Now it is the turn for the front line of defense of the medieval warrior - the shield. The shield should not only be durable and impact-resistant, but also lightweight. Therefore, think about what kind of wood, and we will make the shield from it, you will use. The most the best option For making a shield there will be birch. This type of wood has not only good viscosity and elasticity, but also lightness compared to other alternative woods. Next, you need to decide on the size of the shield. A shield with a diameter of 600-700 mm is considered optimal. Such a shield will completely protect the forearm (from elbow to hand) and at the same time will not be too heavy.

Medieval shield manufacturing technology

The boards for the board must be well dried, have a straight-layer structure and do not have large knots. So, the shield manufacturing technology is as follows. Take a birch board measuring 2100x200x40, already pre-planed, and saw it into four parts. You should have two pieces of 620 mm each and two pieces of what remains. Carefully plan and fit the side edges of these boards tightly to each other. From these pieces we will glue the base of the shield. Use plasticized PVA glue. Leave to dry overnight.

Now we need to plan the planes of the shield blank in order to smooth out the joints of the boards, removing the steps. Next, we outline a circle with a radius of 300 mm and cut it out with a jigsaw.

Next we need to make our shield blank convex. To do this, on one side we plan with a plane, going deeper from the edge to the middle, and on the other hand, on the contrary, from the middle to the edge. As a result, we should get a kind of wooden lens 15-17 mm thick.

Well, we have the wooden base of a homemade medieval shield ready. Now let's get to the metal.

In the center of the shield there should be a convex bowl called the umbo. The umbo can be knocked out from a round metal plate 1.5 - 2.5 mm thick, placing it on a lead pad, and tapping it with a hammer from the center in a diverging spiral until you get a convex dome with a diameter of 150-200 mm and a depth of 50 mm. We bend the edges on an anvil to a width of 15-20 mm. This is how cold forging is performed. But in order to settle the cup to such a depth, you need to use hot forging, heating the metal gas burner or until red, depositing metal in an annular mandrel or matrix. However, if blacksmithing is new to someone, he can order an umbon from a forge, or buy something similar in a store.

Now we need to forge the edge of our medieval shield with iron. To do this, we again need an anvil and a hammer to bend a steel strip two millimeters thick along a radius of three hundred millimeters in a plane. We place the strip on the anvil and begin to flatten one edge with a heavy hammer, periodically checking its curvature with a cardboard template. If your strip is made of ductile metal, then it will be enough for you to produce cold forging. But still, it is better to do this by heating the strip with a gas burner until red and letting it cool slowly. After that, we continue to hit it with a hammer. It is not necessary to bend the strip along the entire circumference of the shield. You can divide it into several individual parts. It will be a little easier this way. Although the work is quite hard. We adjust the metal to the shield so that there is an edge left for bending to the thickness of the shield. Bend the edge ninety degrees can be done on an anvil. To do this, we replace one of the “lips” of the vice with a plate, the upper edge of which is curved along a radius of 300 mm, that is, along the circumference of our shield.

We carefully adjust the finished edging of the shield ribs to each other and attach them to the shield using bolts, which we will later replace with rivets. We also screw the umbon to the middle. Now we need to work on the remaining parts of the shield. We need to cut twelve shield covers from sheet iron using a jigsaw. The photo clearly shows what shape they should be. But you can show your imagination and make something of your own. The plates can be riveted to the panel with furniture bolts. We rivet from the inside of the shield, placing wide washers on the bolt rod. We saw off the rod so that it extends two or three millimeters above the surface of the shield.

Now we just have to make the shield holding elements. To do this, we need to carve a wooden one (you can use a copper or brass tube) and rivet it from the inside of the shield. The forearm belt loop is made of leather, 70mm wide in the center and 40mm wide at the edges. We attach it to the shield also using through rivets. But the forearm pillow can be screwed to the shield with bolts with a rounded head.

Well, that's probably all. Our medieval shield is completely ready. You can start role-playing games, or hang it on the wall as a decoration next to your other remodeled pieces. Good luck!

The article is a rewrite. Photos taken from the book “Reconstruction of Ancient Weapons”

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