By Stellaria

Here's my son's shield:

I made this mainly because I had limited materials to work with - couldn't find a foam sled, didn't have the space to work with plywood, and limited funds made ordering foam a joke. And since our unit uses mainly round shields, I figured this would be the best route.

This particular shield used about 2.5 rolls of Wal-Mart camping mat, half a quart of DAP gel, and a bit of Super 77 spray. And some leather straps I had lying around.

I cut 2 of the camping mats into long, 2" wide strips. If at all possible, try to get your hands on a plexiglas quilter's ruler like a 6"x24" Omnigrid - they make is REALLY easy to cut really straight and really even-width strips.

Once I get that all cut, I take my pile of strips, and sit down with the DAP. And a Guinness :D First I spread the entire inner-curve face of one strip with DAP. Then I flip it over (well, sorta flip it over. I try not to lay the DAPped surface right on the floor....so I kind of curve it around so it's resting on an edge) and DAP the other side. By the time I get to the end, the end I began at is already dry, and I can start sticking it together.

Just start at the dry end, and start rolling the foam onto itself fairly tightly. Try very hard to match up the edges and keep the emerging disc fairly flat. A tiny bit of convexity is good, but NOT MUCH. Once the whole strip has dried and can be stuck together, lay the disc down and start on the next strip - inner curve first, then outer, then start sticking it on where you left off. Be sure to DAP the ends of the foam strips, too, so they join neatly.

Once you get the disc to the diameter you want, slice the end of the strip in a long taper so you don't have a bump where you ended.

Now you can figure out where your straps need to be. Mark the anchor-points for the straps, and use a sharp knife to (CAREFULLY!) slice slits all the way through the foam spiral, wide enough to pass your straps through.

Run the straps through the foam spiral so they can be adjusted on the exposed side. You can tape down the part of the strap that goes over the face of the shield, but I didn't.

Now I take the 3rd camping mat, and lay the shield out on it and trace as much of the circle as I can fit onto it. Cut out the partial circle, and spray it and the face of the shield with spray adhesive, then stick it down when ready. Then trace the remainder of the circle left to be faced onto the camping mat, cut out, and repeat.

Now all you have to do is cut and buckle/tie your straps to the right length, and cover.

Also, be sure you face the back of your spiral shield with plenty of duct tape (see the picture below). A single overlapping layer should do, if you're neat and methodical about it. This will keep the dapped seams from popping on impact if you happen to be fighting in the cold....or if your dapping job was a bit light and your shield becomes prone to popping. (Ask me how I know!)

I use a knit fabric for my covers, because they stretch and so are very form-fitting. (I think the polyester double-knit like football and cheerleader uniforms are made from is ideal for shield covers. Really!) Then I further ensure that the cover won't sag by using elastic (either the 1/4" stuff from the fabric store, or shock-cording) as the drawstring. Put the cover on and pull the elastic TIGHT and knot off.

Here's my buckler that I made the same way, only using wide elastic bands for the straps and anchoring the ends to the face of the shield with lots of Gorilla Tape: