Re: Rohirrim Shields - Lord of the Rings WIP - First one finished.
The construction of real shields varied in relation as to how much money was spent on them, most were glued and then crossed with iron bars across the grain on the reverse, the more expensive ones have the leather covering to hold the boards together. On the whole though, these shields were pretty much disposable. Leather or no leahter, they were usually destroyed during battle, then the metal work was gathered up by the victors and recycled into new shields with replacement boards.
I think there is evidence of shields being made by laminating crossed thinner planks, just like plywood is now. But on the whole, they had to be fairly light to be able to be used effectivly.
The construction of real shields varied in relation as to how much money was spent on them, most were glued and then crossed with iron bars across the grain on the reverse, the more expensive ones have the leather covering to hold the boards together. On the whole though, these shields were pretty much disposable. Leather or no leahter, they were usually destroyed during battle, then the metal work was gathered up by the victors and recycled into new shields with replacement boards.
I think there is evidence of shields being made by laminating crossed thinner planks, just like plywood is now. But on the whole, they had to be fairly light to be able to be used effectivly.