Corner shelf for icons - a spiritual gift and an interior element created by yourself

Home iconostasis of natural wood with carved patterns

The tradition of arranging a home iconostasis exists for more than one century. Although in modern homes, icons are often placed on the shelves of bookcases or hung on the wall, it is best to equip for them a separate special place.

Single-tier direct rack - shelf for icons

A good option would be a hanging shelf, which according to the canon should be placed on the eastern wall of the house. Often such a shelf is made angular, two or three tiers high.

Beautiful wooden shelf for icons in the corner of the room in three tiers

Corner shelf for icons with a candlestick

Varieties

Shelf for icons “Home mini iconostasis corner”

In the workshops you can order a stand for home icons of any size and configuration, but this is quite an expensive job.

Corner shelf made of fiberboard, made in three tiers

A simpler option is to use a regular corner shelf from a hardware store, but in this case there can be problems with dimensions. In addition, you will have to look for a model that better fits into the interior. All these difficulties can be avoided if you make the shelf for icons yourself - this is quite feasible even with a little experience in carpentry work.

Hinged corner shelf for wood icons

Shelf for icons with their own hands can be of any convenient design. Corner shelves are made single-level or in several tiers. For the connection of several levels, usually used are carved out of the tree supports. The finished shelf is often decorated with carvings, laced plates, covered with special carpentry varnish, wax.

Small corner shelf for icons two tiers

Home iconostasis do it yourself

Required materials and tools

For the manufacture of the corner shelf used wood of various decorative species - for example, oak or cherry. A less expensive material would be a pine board. In addition to wood, you can also use plywood or chipboard. Board thickness can vary from 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm. You will also need small planks in order to turn the supports.

For work you will need the following tools:

• tape measure or ruler;
• saw-hacksaw;
• sandpaper for wood;
• electric jigsaw;
• electric drill;
• self-tapping screws;
• wood glue;
• varnish for wood.

Required Tools

For fixing the finished shelf to the wall, you will also need drills for stone, metal corners or hinges, and self-tapping screws with dowels.

Manufacturing steps

Carved corner shelf for handmade icons with a drawing

Before starting work, you should make a project drawing. The size and number of shelves depend on the type of icons that will be located on the finished home iconostasis. To make a simple two-tier shelf, you will need two pine boards 1.5 cm thick, as well as four supports.

1. Using a marker or pencil drawing is transferred from paper to tree. The sides adjacent to the wall should be located relative to each other at right angles. The outer edge can be straight, semicircular or figured.
2. With the help of a saw and jigsaw according to the drawing, the details of the future product are cut.
   

   Jigsaw cut out on the pattern of three parts - sidewall, side and bottom

3. The edges and surfaces of the parts are sanded with sandpaper.
4. The supports can be made simple in the form of flat plates, or they can be shaped using a jigsaw.
   

   The billet is milled by stencil on special equipment.

5. If necessary, the sides for the shelves are cut from a thinner board.
   

   To grind decorative parts you will need a lathe or they are taken ready

6. By means of self-tapping screws shelves fasten to support, then connect among themselves.
   

   We assemble a shelf - the bottoms are screwed to the turned elements with the help of screws.

7. Joiner's glue is used to strengthen joints, as well as to attach bumpers.
   

   When connecting the sides with the bottoms of the screws should fall into the middle of the ends of the bottoms

8. Metal hinges are attached to the back of the shelf or to the supports.
   

   The sides are screwed using cylinders - the screws are inserted into the holes from the bottom, the cylinders are worn, the hardware is twisted into the side

9. The holes for the dowels of fixing bolts, on which the product will hang, are drilled in the wall. It is necessary to make sure that the fastenings will support the weight of the shelves with icons.

The final stage - covering the finished product with linseed oil and attaching to the brackets in the corner

After completion of the work, the finished shelf is treated with stain and varnish. Both colorless varnishes and those that give the board the color of various types of wood will do. When choosing a quick-drying varnish, the product is ready for operation in a few hours.

Small shelves for icons of different colors - pine, walnut, mahogany

Dressing

Depending on the complexity of the elements of decorating the shelves under the icons, they can be made by hand or purchased in the finished version

The most common way to decorate a home icon case is wood carving. You can do it yourself with a jigsaw. If you do not have the necessary experience, carved items can be purchased at the hardware store, ordered in the workshop. The finished carved plates are mounted on the shelf with carpenter's glue.

For carving is selected soft wood: birch, spruce, pine, aspen or juniper

Another way of decoration is the burning of the ornament with the help of a special device - for this purpose, the pattern is pre-drawn on the tree with a pencil. Shelf can also be painted - special paints for wood are sold in building departments. An alternative to strict monochromatic painting would be to apply a different color to the pattern on the enamel.

You can burn out the ornament, followed by enameling of individual fragments of the image on the shelf

To further strengthen and decorate the shelf, its rear walls are covered with a wooden panel. It can also be decorated with carvings, painted with varnish and enamel.

Shelf for icons with a beautiful back wall

For decoration of the upper part of the shelf under the icons, you can choose the outlines of an Orthodox church

When using plywood boards, these methods will not work - but on such a panel it will look spectacularly painted with acrylic paint with the addition of gilding.

A small figured shelf for icons with candlesticks and a lamp

Video: Do-it-yourself iconostasis shelf Woodcarving DIY woodcarving