All About Carved Pillars

Wooden poles are supports for some types of buildings, they hold and distribute the load of the structure. They are used both indoors (to create stairs) and outside, on the garden plot, erecting fences, arbors, terraces. The owners of private houses, trying to give uniqueness to their buildings, use wood carvings to decorate pillars and other wooden elements.

The pillars, which will be discussed in the article, relate to the architectural and construction elements of wooden structures. They are endowed with three components:

• reasonby means of which the support is fixed on the surface;
• trunk (directly by the pillar itself);
• the capital - the top of the product taking over the coating.

Wood carving has always been in Slavic traditions. Such a structure as a pillar is an ideal subject for the realization of the imagination of the master. From it you can make an integral sculpture or show your skills in endless figured details that hold the audience’s admiring gaze for a long time.

Building poles are made in two ways:

• the first is made of glued beams;
• the second, more expensive option is made from solid wood.

Carved pillars in the architecture of gazebos, terraces, logs and stairs are of particular value, their advantages are obvious.

• Reliable support. Pillars play a special role in structures without walls; they bear the load from the entire roof.In this case, the safety of the gazebo or terrace depends on the strength of the supports.
• Visual increase in volume. The roof on the pillars protects from rain and the scorching sun, the terrace under it seems high and spacious. It is the absence of walls that unloads the space, and the pillars even without them perfectly cope with the function of the supports.
• Aesthetic virtues. Carved architectural structures are incredibly beautiful, they hold their eyes on themselves regardless of the scale of creation. The small carved balusters of the stairs are as good as the giants supporting the roofs of the arbors.
• Easy installation. Poles are much easier to install than to build a wall, and paying for such work will be cheaper (we are not talking about calculating with a woodcarver).
• Environmental friendliness. Such structures are pleasant to the touch, carry energy value and are harmless to others.
• Exclusivity. At the request of the customer, the thread plot can be unique and not be repeated in other products.

The disadvantages of artistically designed pillars are also available:

• they are priced expensively;
• are made for a long time;
• if poorly processed in street conditions, wood loses its attractiveness over time;
• wood products require periodic care and restoration.

To work with poles, the same methods of artistic carving are used as for all other objects made of wood. The peculiarity of the thread on the pillars is the beneficial use of their volume, for example, it is more difficult to convey a realistic image on a flat tabletop to the viewer. The most popular techniques can be noted.

Thanks to sculpted carving, wood material is best served. It has a three-dimensional image and is a complete sculpture of a person or animal. This is a more complex form of art, requiring the master of this artistic talent and knowledge of geometric proportions.

During embossed carving, the general background of the product sinks deeper, and a three-dimensional image is located above it. This method allows you to make a thread more realistic.

This technique is the opposite of the relief method. The pattern is cut out on the surface of the tree, gradually deepening into it, and the background remains at the initial level.

This type of art is also called geometric, for the use in the creation of patterns of strict proportions and shapes.

This technique involves cutting through the surface layer, creating lace lace from wood. It is impossible to fully apply the slotted technique to the pillars, it will take a lot of effort, and they will lose their supporting function. The creation of the finest lace ornament on the surface of such a product will acquire elements of a relief technique. Sometimes the pillars are simply decorated with shields with a through ornament, which can be seen in the arbor.

Wood comes in different densities. Hard varieties such as larch, white acacia, Karelian birch, hornbeam, oak, maple are expensive, but they will last for a long time in the environment. For stairs located indoors, you can use pine and other inexpensive conifers. It should be remembered that it is more difficult to work with dense wood, the most refined patterns are obtained from soft pliable varieties.

For aesthetic perception of a carved product tree structure is important. The most expressive drawings are tropical plants. Of the flora of temperate latitudes, the most beautiful texture of oak, maple, plane tree. Drawing on a cut of a tree can be in the form of rings, stripes, interspersed.

The shapes of carved pillars depend on the customer’s imagination. But most often round options are chosen, they correspond to the natural shape of the log. The most spectacular views include sculptural products. Externally, curly wooden poles may look:

• square;
• round;
• resembling a triangle;
• wavy;
• conical;
• flat;
• sculptural.

As for the sizes, standards for decorative posts are not provided. They depend on the parameters of the architectural structure. The similarity of standards can only be found in the staircase. For sale there are finished intermediate and lead-in carvings with section sizes - 80 by 80, 100 by 100, 120 by 120 mm, as well as 150x150 mm. They are used both for building staircases inside the house, and for the porch.

Pillars as supports are used for many buildings. After the work of the carver, the product, in addition to functional qualities, also acquires decorative capabilities. Supports are made for internal and external use. Street options are made from hard wood and are treated with special impregnations that protect the material from decay. Outdoor poles are used for all kinds of buildings.

• Porch. Carved supports hold the canopy and decorate the main entrance to the house. They are combined with curly balusters of a small ladder or support the theme of a carved border of the canopy.

• Garden furniture, terrace, terrace. Beautiful decorative pillars take on the weight of the roof. Patterns and sculptural forms should not prevent them from coping with the main task - to be a reliable support of the garden structure.

• Intermediate fence posts and gate supports. These products can be considered the hallmark of the entire estate, because it was they who were originally seen by guests and every passerby. Carved pillars will certainly attract attention, emphasize the taste and status of the owner.

• Freestanding pillars. They are beautiful products made using any carving technique. They are used by landscape designers to decorate the site.

• Balconies In private homes, fences on balconies can be made in the form of carved columns. Especially often this technique is used in combination with other similar buildings - an artistically decorated porch, bench, roof.

Inside, the artistic supports look amazingly impressive, they create a special atmosphere of sophistication and comfort. The supports are used in different versions.

• Amazing carved stairs contain pillars and balusters of fabulous beauty.
• Large halls are often zoned by carved decorative columns. They are also used in rooms with low ceilings in order to visually “stretch” the space.

Carved pillars are ideal for wooden houses. They are good for stone buildings that have additional elements with artistic carvings.

See how to make beautiful carved pillars with your own hands in the next video.