Cheap targe revisited

**Andrew Green** · 29th September 06, 05:58 PM

Alright, well...
I started the acquisition. 1 sheet of 1/2"X24"X48" plywood, 1 Stanley door pull (black, and scooped, my dirk seats into it nicely), 2 packs of #3 carpet tacks for attaching leather, coverings and whatnot, 3 packs of 7/16"X1/2" upholstery nails (antique brass finish), and 2 #10 1/2" screws (to attach the door pull). Now all I need is some leather (working out the details),and some Gorilla glue (it's supposed to be tough stuff, and probably better than anything else at my disposal). I still have yet to cut the wood... but that's a project for another day. First step was acquiring materials. Total cost so far: $18.12.

**Brasilikilt** · 29th September 06, 07:33 PM

Hey there

After reading your last thread, and seeing how everyone had constructed their targes, I have been inspired to make one of my own.

My first of many questions: Is 1/2" ply a little thin for a targe? I figured 3/4" would be better suited if one might consider mock battles in the future.

I also thought about using scraps of wooden flooring pieced together in 2 layers which would be more in tune with the way the original targes were made (no plywood back then!)

**Blu (Ontario)** · 29th September 06, 07:47 PM

Originally Posted by Andrew Green

... Gorilla glue (it's supposed to be tough stuff, and probably better than anything else at my disposal)....

This is good stuff in certain applications because, unlike Polyvinyl acetate (white glue), it's not susceptible to moisture. Polyurethane glue (Gorilla glue) requires contact with a minimum amoiunt of moisture to activate, and I've never used it over large areas. In this application, you might be better to invest in a small can of good quality contact cement which is good for laminating larger areas.

just a thought.

.

**Andrew Green** · 29th September 06, 09:16 PM

Blu:
Thanks for the input about the cement. I'll keep that in mind, as I have not purchased glue yet (leather is still at least two weeks away, unless I find a screaming deal on something local).

Brasilikilt:
That's an interesting notion. I almost picked up the thicker stuff... but most everyone I know of has used 1/2" thick plywood. The leather really ups the strength of the shield... I recall a special that was done on the history channel regarding shield construction. This was from I think the mid 1000s, and rawhide was used as the covering medium. An arrow would destroy the wood used without the covering (I mean split, destroyed... no protective qualities), but when covered with rawhide would stop an arrow dead.
Shields were also disposable, and many warriors apparently carried/owned more than one (coming from the history channel again)

I do have enough wood to make 2 targes. I may take the time to scrounge up enough materials to make two completes... and use one as a working model. See how it would perform and what not.

At the same time, I would expect a shield of any notable thickness to survive mock battles. They might get beat up, but would see nowhere near the amount of abuse the original articles would have. Plus I am also under the impression that modern plywood is more solidly put together than the old targe cores, and therefore wouldn't need to be as thick. I have also read that old targe cores were very much like a primitive plywood: they were layered with the grains at perpendicular angles to each other, and held together with wooden pegs. Sounds a lot like plywood to me.

Then for the sake of absolute accuracy... I would like to learn how to make a period adhesive, as well as smith my own wrought iron handle, hammer out my own boss, and *maybe* get the materials, or borrow a shops press and make my own plywood and peg it together. It would be a very fun process I am sure.

**Woodsheal** · 30th September 06, 05:00 AM

Having built a couple (You've seen my other posts!), half-inch plywood is plenty thick. With the leather coverings and the padding in the back,the finished targe will be about an inch thick. They're meant to deflect sword blows and will stop an arrow. Musket balls, however, zip right through them...!

Yes, the ancient method was, in effect, plywood - two layers of planking glued and pegged togther with the grains running at right angles....

**Blu (Ontario)** · 30th September 06, 05:34 AM

Originally Posted by Andrew Green

Blu:
Thanks for the input about the cement...

If you've never used contact adhesives before, note that adhesive must be applied completey over both the leather and wood surfaces and then allowed to become dry to the touch. Then roll the leather evenly onto the wood surface making sure there are no wrinkles or air bubbles. Re-positioning time is zero, so a dry run before applying glue is a must. Testing the materials with a bit of scrap is always a good idea. Plan ahead. You'll have a project that looks good and lasts for generations.

**auld argonian** · 30th September 06, 07:43 AM

Two thoughts:

re: using the rawhide to cover the shield...I assume that they put it on wet and then let it dry and shrink to fit the form. Anybody remember the book/tv miniseries "Centennial"? The stock of a musket gets broken and Pasquinale uses a strip of rawhide to make it better than new by boiling the rawhide, wrapping the re-assembled stock with it and letting it shrink down to tighten up. It would seem to me that this would make something that was even more sturdy than one owuld expect.

...and we're using flat pieces of plywood...were the originals made of one piece of wood or a couple of pieces fitted together? Also, were they flat or were they convex (for lack of a better term)? If they were done with a gouge, they might be convex and I'd think that that would be more advantageous in many ways...

...just askin'...

Best

AA

**Woodsheal** · 30th September 06, 08:34 AM

Originally Posted by auld argonian

...and we're using flat pieces of plywood...were the originals made of one piece of wood or a couple of pieces fitted together? Also, were they flat or were they convex (for lack of a better term)? If they were done with a gouge, they might be convex and I'd think that that would be more advantageous in many ways...

The wooden cores of originals were "plywood" - two layers of planking glued and pegged together with the grains at right angles. Some period paintings and drawings seem to show convex targes, but all of the surviving originals are flat, so maybe it was "artistic license"....

**Caradoc** · 30th September 06, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by Woodsheal

The wooden cores of originals were "plywood" - two layers of planking glued and pegged together with the grains at right angles.

The piece that I remember the documentation for had three layers of planking - very thin - at sixty degree angles, not right angles.

Of course, I may be misremembering another shield type instead of a targe. I can't find the reference to that at the moment.

**Brasilikilt** · 1st October 06, 09:41 AM

I had an idea for a couple minutes to possibly use wood flooring glued to a very thin 1/8" piece of plywood, but then decided to go with regular 3/4" (crappy) plywood. I have a rough circle of it cut out in my shop right now and will rasp the edges up a little more evenly.

I cut mine out at 24" which seems like a good size for me, but after reading some of your posts it seems that slightly smaller might be more historically accurate. I'm guessing it might be because most people were built a little smaller than we are today.

What thickness of leather is best for the front? I'm guessing that a thicker saddle weight leather would be ideal.

What is best to use for padding on the back? I already have a piece of leather salvaged from an abandoned couch, but it doesn't offer much comfort or protection for my arm.

Thanks for any help

Iain