05-09-2014, 01:34 AM
Hello everyone! I thought it was about time for me to stop being a lurker and join! 
I would like to thank Chris B, Matt Amt and everyone else who has posted information on the topic as it has been very useful!
I have decided to build an aspis using the ring method (exact measurements on Matt Amt's hoplite page fit me so I went with those. I did build templates to try first though.) using ash boards. I guess I should explain first however that my woodshop teacher has been kind enough to let me use the machines in our shop to build the aspis (keeps me from trying to make wooden swords!) This has been a huge aid in making it! Anywho... I used four ash boards to make the rings. Why four? The thickness planer in our shop can't take boards greater than 16 inches (or something like that...) so thats why I used four boards of 15 inches to get all the rings. The first two boards had layers 1,3,5 and the latter two had 2,4,6. I then used a compass to trace out the layers and cut them out on the bandsaw.
*If I did this again I would most definately mark out the layer that will be on top with a dashed line since this would make it much easier to assemble and glue.
I now had a whole bunch of semi-circular rings. I holes and inserted dowls into layer one (remembering that material would be sanded off of course!) and started gluing the rings together.
Sorry I don't have photos of the beginning! I wasn't thinking of doing a build thread!
[attachment=9823]088_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
Layer 1
[attachment=9824]086_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
Layer 2
[attachment=9825]089_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
Rings in the closet!
[attachment=9826]090_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=9827]091_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=9828]093_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=9829]094_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
I would like to thank Chris B, Matt Amt and everyone else who has posted information on the topic as it has been very useful!
I have decided to build an aspis using the ring method (exact measurements on Matt Amt's hoplite page fit me so I went with those. I did build templates to try first though.) using ash boards. I guess I should explain first however that my woodshop teacher has been kind enough to let me use the machines in our shop to build the aspis (keeps me from trying to make wooden swords!) This has been a huge aid in making it! Anywho... I used four ash boards to make the rings. Why four? The thickness planer in our shop can't take boards greater than 16 inches (or something like that...) so thats why I used four boards of 15 inches to get all the rings. The first two boards had layers 1,3,5 and the latter two had 2,4,6. I then used a compass to trace out the layers and cut them out on the bandsaw.
*If I did this again I would most definately mark out the layer that will be on top with a dashed line since this would make it much easier to assemble and glue.
I now had a whole bunch of semi-circular rings. I holes and inserted dowls into layer one (remembering that material would be sanded off of course!) and started gluing the rings together.
Sorry I don't have photos of the beginning! I wasn't thinking of doing a build thread!
[attachment=9823]088_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
Layer 1
[attachment=9824]086_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
Layer 2
[attachment=9825]089_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
Rings in the closet!
[attachment=9826]090_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=9827]091_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=9828]093_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=9829]094_2014-05-08.jpg[/attachment]
