Strip built scutum: edge banding or planed wood?

[richsc]

I am just about to buy a bunch of 1.5mm and 2mm thick edge banding (1" wide or so) to make my second strip built scutum, and had two questions:

1. given the choice of alder, birch, maple and oak, which would be most likely for a Roman shield?

Edge banding is great and comes in strips long enough to cover the shield edge to edge. Wood workers say that using a plane to cut strips won't work, particularly if I try for long pieces.

2. Were strip built scutum created with one long strip side to side/top to bottom, or where they pieced together?

[Crispianus]

Alder given the choice... Oak only for those with strong arms its heavy...

The Complete Scutum from Dura is Plane wood or Platanus Orientalis, Oriental plane... described as tough and difficult to split...

Why? Alder(my preference, carves easily with hand tools) and Birch are related similar woods common to Europe, Maple is American and Oak can be very heavy... I assume that the Alder and Oak are American varieties though, which would leave only the Birch as potentially suitable, but I think you could use Poplar or anything related, some of the oval shields at Dura are reported as Poplar...