This particular article is about the type of handle I like to make for my Centergrip shields, I like the look and feel of a wooden handle and I also like there to be some clearance for my hand. I have found from using other peoples shields before I built my own that a handle flat against the back face of the shield tends to cause the edge of the cut out to dig in a little and cause discomfort over time.

The picture below is and indication of the basic form I am aiming for here, it is the previous handle I constructed, the one used in the shield construction article.



The following is a step by step look at a new handle I am constructing, since I had no photos of the original.

First step is to get a reasonable piece of timber to work with, it would be best to avoid anyhting with big knots or cracks in it. I got some pine due to it being cheap light and easy to work with. I think this was an offcut from the stuff designed to be used in construction, so it was all nice and uniform.

It then needs to be cut to the length you want and is easier if it is all squared up on the ends, a mitre saw is good for this.



While there are probably may ways to obtain this finished product, this is about how I did it. I basically just use just a rasp and some sand paper, this means I can work on it basically anywhere, so i am not limited to just the shed, I could go and work on it in a park on a nice day, or whilst sitting around when off camping somewhere.

I like to start with the grip area of the handle, and then shape the rest of it later, so it is a case of finding the centre of the piece of wood and then trying yo figuring out how wide the hand grip area needs to be, this will depend on the size of ones hand, and the width of the shield's cut out. Mark this to give some idea of the area to stay with in.

Now that it is marked just start hacking away with the rasp, there is a lot of wood that needs removing. I use the curved side for the inside of the handle, as it is makes it far easier to get that curve radius, I use the flat side to curve the top of the piece of wood.

Here is an early step in getting the handle shape, still a fair bit to go.



The shaping contines until the handle is comfortable to hold in whatever you will wear on your hands when using the shield, in my case mailled gloves.

And here is the stage at which I was more or less happy with the feel of the handle.



At this point a which it is time to shape more of the handle, final tweaking can be done later, with a course sand paper. The aim now is to taper the handle off somehow, refining the shape whilst retaining strength. Edges need to be avoided because someone may get hurt when the shield is used (most likely yourself), also by reducing the amount of wood the overall weight of the shield will be reduced.

More on this later when I have some photos prepared of these steps.

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Article last updated 02/06/2005