This is all coming off the top of my head, so the measurements aren't exact...

I made a 24" (w) x 12" (h) shield. Then, I took two, 10" lengths of 1" square dowel rod, and made seven, equally spaced notches in the back of it. Notches are cut about 1/2" deep, and 3/8" wide. I then mounted one dowel on each side of the shield. The beard glue nicely into the wood, and don't look sloppy at all. I've made a few of them for my friends.

I'll take a picture and post it. Someone could probably make quite a few bucks selling these things.