We've got the basic bowl shape of the shield already, using 20 concentric rings of wood stacked on top of each other and getting progressively smaller.  Now we need to smooth the front and back of the shield, but we're afraid sanding both sides will leave it too thin and flimsy; thus we're hoping to cover one or both sides with something, and we think paper mache might be the thing to try.

1st, we'd need to be able to sand/smooth down the surface after we applied the paper mache, and we'd need the product to be rather strong and durable.  What mixture and technique would allow us to do this? 

Also, pulp or paper sheets?  I'm thinking pulp...

Thanks for any ideas and suggestions