Expanded weapons charts.

[Jon Hodgson]

Recommended this one before:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0moVAG0JDOc

Lots of quite up to date info on the construction of the early medieval (or "dark age") shield. Much lighter than you'd think.

[Glorelendil]

Recommended this one before:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0moVAG0JDOc

Lots of quite up to date info on the construction of the early medieval (or "dark age") shield. Much lighter than you'd think.

Thanks for re-linking, Jon. I'm only partway through (super interesting) but got to the part that said shields were likely made of Linden wood, so I paused to look it up. Linden has a SG of .42, compared to .67 for red oak.

EDITS:
- In reference to the observation that the pieces of wood didn't have tongue and groove joints, I don't know what kind of glues they had access to, but modern glues are stronger than natural lignum, so a carefully flat-planed edge (actually very slightly concave, about 1/1000") that is glued correctly is stronger than the wood itself.
- Do Brits really pronounce Hegemony with a hard G?
- He gives way too much credit to Alfred the Great. We all know Uhtred of Bebbanburg won that battle for Alfred.
- I would have thought that using two layers of linden wood, with the grain at 90 degrees (in other words, plywood) would have been effective. I'm sure they would have thought of it; I wonder why it wasn't adopted.

[Hermes Serpent]

[quote="Elfcrusher"(former furniture maker[/quote]
That's one thing I believe you and Harrison Ford have in common

[Glorelendil]

[quote="Elfcrusher"(former furniture maker

That's one thing I believe you and Harrison Ford have in common [/quote]

You've obviously never seen my tomb raiding skills.

[Hermes Serpent]

I believe that there would have been animal and maybe vegetable glues available. I know we used to sell horses to the knackers yard for bonemeal and they used the hooves for glue up until fairly recently, maybe still do.

[aramis]

I believe that there would have been animal and maybe vegetable glues available. I know we used to sell horses to the knackers yard for bonemeal and they used the hooves for glue up until fairly recently, maybe still do.

Hide glue is pretty much standard throughout history for most glue purposes. Still made. Made from hides and sinews.

Hoof glue is a second choice used for more flexible actions (bow strings, bow lamination, shirt collars, wood springs, some cabinetry).

Hide glue has always been more prevalent, probably due to more material to work with.

[Glorelendil]

That shield video Jon posted is part of a series (Shield, Sword, Lance, Armor, Longbow) that I've been enjoying. Kind of corny, but interesting for both technology and history.

Funny watching the host trying to "help" the smith, in the sword segment. After all his macho swordfighting he's a dainty tapper with the blacksmith hammer, using his elbow and wrist.