Turning a Celtic Shield

Spend a couple of hours creating this beautiful, decorative Celtic shield. *Not for use in actual combat.

Spend a couple of hours creating this beautiful, decorative Celtic shield.

Looking for a fun project with so much potential for embellishment and design? Or maybe a unique, historically based piece to turn and hang on your wall? Look no further. Turn a Celtic shield.

You'll need to start by selecting a blank that fits your lathe. Here, I'm using ash. Scribe a circle and cut it at the band saw. Even if you just cut the corners off to make the blank an octagon, it will make a difference to how quickly the piece can be trued up and balanced.

Preparing to Turn

The size of the blank dictates which method I use to initially mount the piece. With a larger diameter blank (say over 12"), I like to use a 4" faceplate ring for the extra support towards the edge of the shield. Faceplate rings have a dovetail and allow the piece to be taken off the lathe and replaced without losing accuracy. The faceplate ring is placed and mounted with several screws. I use at least 3 holes to affix it to the wood. On larger pieces I may use them all. Don’t worry about the screw holes in the face of the shield as these will be removed whilst designing the shield.

When mounted on the lathe and ready to turn, I first true up the edge and then the face of the blank using a 1/2" bowl gouge. This face of the blank will become the back of the shield. As a side note, when working on a blank with the grain running perpendicular to the bed, never use a spindle roughing out gouge. The grain is running in the wrong direction and could invite a huge catch. The spindle roughing out gouge is for roughing out a spindle square from square to round, where the grain runs the length of the bed. Lastly, I make sure that this surface is slightly undercut to ensure that the shield will sit flat against a wall.

Starting With the Back

Using a pair of dividers, I measure the outside diameter of the chuck jaws and transfer the measurement to the wood by marking it with dividers. I close the jaws until there is approximately 1/8" between the jaws before measuring as this will ensure that the jaws grip evenly with the maximum amount of jaw surface in contact with the wood.

I use the Vicmarc 120 chuck and the diameter of the recess measures 2 3/4". After marking the recess, I use a 1/8" parting tool and plunge cut into the face of the blank to a depth of about 3/16". This is ample to hold the 16" diameter blank. Make sure you cut to the inside of the scribed mark otherwise the recess will be oversize. I then make two similar cuts with the parting tool to remove enough of the recess to fit a 1/2" bowl gouge. I use this to remove the rest of the recess waste. The back of the shield is now ready for sanding and finishing.

I power sand using a 2" sanding pad starting with 180 grit and working through to 400 grit. I then seal the wood with a thinned down Zinsser’s Shellac clear coat. The mix I use is 30% denatured alcohol and 70% Zinsser’s clear coat. I find that this thinned-down version penetrates further into the wood and seals it better. I prefer to apply a couple of thin coats rather than one thicker coat. When the shellac is properly dry, sand back lightly with a fine abrasive. I use a Scotch-bright abrasive pad as the fibers do not tend to break and enter the pores of the wood as steel wool tends to do, especially with open grain wood like ash. After sanding, I apply a light coat of Natural Danish oil, wipe off the excess, and leave it to dry. The oil really “pops” the grain and gives the piece a beautiful luster. The back of the shield is now finished.

Turn It Around

After removing the blank from the faceplate ring, place the recess in the jaws of the chuck and expand them firmly so we can attend to the front of the shield. I cleaned off the front face of the shield using the 1/2" bowl gouge and a draw cut. You will see that you have the screw holes in the surface from the faceplate, don’t worry as these will disappear in the design.

Now using the 1/2" bowl gouge, I start a cut from the middle and begin to form the dome in the center of the shield. The depth and curvature of the dome will change depending on where the screw holes are located on the surface. Your aim is to remove the holes with the dome or if necessary, cut a cove in beside the dome to get rid of the holes. The design of the shield is entirely up to you as long as the holes are removed within your design. Thinking about it a little more, you could fill the holes with a copper or silver rod or any other product you think of to include the even spaced holes in the design.

Give It Some Personality

After I have the dome turned, I used a draw cut and take away some of the excess wood away towards the outside of the shield. Next, I scribe a pencil line to mark the finished thickness at the rim of the shield. This gives me something to aim for when turning away the excess. After completing the dome in the center, you can pretty much design the shield however you like.

You can see in the main image (as well as the illustration to the bottom right) that mine has a dome, a cove, a bead, and an area which is scorched with a blowtorch. The charred area is then cleaned off with a wire brush to give the shield a very tactile feel as you feel the grain in the wood.

Scorching the Surface

When scorching the surface, I use MAP gas (mixture of Acetylene and Propane) which is hotter than propane gas alone. Start by scorching the surface until you see the grain (annular rings) in the wood turn red. I start in one area working around the piece. Make sure that the scorching is consistent and has an even black tone.

Then, use a wire brush to scratch away the scorched wood. Be sure to work with the grain and not across the grain, otherwise you will leave large obvious scratches. When you have removed all of the loose carbon, cover the surface with a soft paste wax so it soaks into the grain and mixes with the carbonized surface. It will dry quickly as the surface will still be hot. Next, buff the excess off with a paper towel and you will be left with a jet-black area that has a silky smooth, textured finish. This can be done on or off the lathe. Choose a spot where you can take the proper safety precautions.

I then use a parting tool to cut away the unwanted scorching back to the natural wood. It defines the scorched area and gives it a clean line. Next, I remove the rest of the waste wood on the shield and form a raised area where I will eventually place the upholstery studs after indexing and marking the points.

The Final Touches

Once you are happy with the look and feel of your Celtic Shield, it’s time to sand, finish, and add some final details. All of the natural wood surface, except the scorched area

(the wax has finished it), are sanded to 400 grit and sealed. Do not finish with the Danish oil just yet. We have to metal leaf the dome first.

Now that the dome is sanded and sealed, the next step is to apply the latex-based adhesive with a soft-bristled brush. The liquid adhesive is a white color when applied but dries clear when ready to apply the leaf. I used a variegated leaf which had some bright colored flakes as well as gold, silver, and copper. Whatever color flakes hit the surface of the glue first is what will be left when the excess is brushed away with a clean, soft bristle brush. The leaf flakes only adhere to the glued surface. I tend not to put any finish over the metal leaf as that the natural luster can shine on its own.

Back on the lathe, I color the small bead around the center with a black Sharpie. This black bead frames the metal leaf work on the dome adding a very attractive touch to the middle.

For the final detail, I used the indexing feature on the lathe to divide and mark the placement of the 12 upholstery studs. Next, I drilled a fine hole at each marked spot before tapping in the upholstery studs. I find that the studs aesthetically draw the eye away from the quite dominant leafed center and frame and balance the whole piece.

The rest of the natural surface is then finished with a light coat of Danish oil and then hand buffed to a satin sheen. Your shield is sure to become a conversation starter in any room of your house.

Jimmy Clewes has spent the last 30 years traveling the world teaching woodturning. His quick-wit and rebellious personality have made him a favorite instructor of students worldwide.

1 After cutting the blank round, mount a faceplate ring on the back. The dovetailed ring quickly and easily mounts the blank to a scroll chuck.

2 Use a bowl gouge and a series of draw cuts to smooth out the face of the blank. This face will end up being the back of the finished shield.

6 Switch to a bowl gouge to remove the rest of the waste.

3 Measure the outside diameter of the jaws with dividers.

7 True up the outside edge of the blank with a light push cut.

4 Transfer the measurement to the center of the blank.

8 Sand, seal, and oil the backside of the blank.

5 Make three plunge cuts to the inside of the scribed mark.

11 Start in the center and roll a dome into the shield.

10 Clean up the face of the shield with a draw cut from center to rim.

9 Flip the blank around and expand the jaws into the recess on the back.

13 Continue to roll the dome until you're happy with the size.

12 As the dome starts to form, remove some of the outside waste with a push cut inwards.

17 Leave raised areas to create frames around decorative elements.

14 Use a spindle gouge for a clean cut around the edge of the dome.

15 Cut a cove leading into the dome.

18 Roughly draw in scorched area.

16 Bring the thickness of the shield rim to approximately 1/2".

20 After brushing away any loose carbon, apply soft wax.

22 After the scorching is complete, you can bring the details down to the final thickness, including the raised area around the outside of the shield.

19 Use a torch to scorch the designated areas. Burn until the surface crackles red.

23 Use a bead tool (a modified spindle gouge) to cut a small bead, framing the center of the shield.

21 Clean up the scorched area with a parting tool.

28 Use a black Sharpie to color the small bead.

26 After the size is dry, sprinkle on metal leaf. It will stick wherever there is dried size.

29 Use the lathe index (or dividers) to mark, then punch, the stud locations.

24 Seal the non-scorched areas with shellac.

27 After using a balled-up tissue to press the leaf down, use a soft bristle brush to flake off any loose leaf.

25 Apply a leaf adhesive called "size." It paints on white but dries clear.

30 Because the upholstery tacks are fairly soft, pre-drill all of the stud locations. Use a small flag of painter's tape to set the depth of the bit, and avoid going through the back of the shield.

31 Lay the shield flat on a solid surface (like your lathe bed), and hammer the studs into place. If you find the studs are slightly loose in the pre-drilled holes, you can use super glue to hold them in place.