Carved frames for windows in a wooden house, how to make beautiful window patterns photos, templates, instructions

Since ancient times, the main decoration of wooden architecture was house wood carving - decorating the facade of a house with various patterns and entire designs carved from wood. The central element of the home's exterior decor has always been window frames, handmade by folk craftsmen and craftsmen.

This is what homemade carved platbands look like

Anyone can try to revive the ancient practice of wood carving and make window frames with their own hands, if they are not afraid of carpentry. The joy of the creative process and contemplation of the result of one’s labors will undoubtedly bring satisfaction to the creator.

Carved frames for windows in a wooden house: we understand the advantages and disadvantages

Today, during construction, the emphasis is on originality. Returning to past trends is a fashion trend. Houses made of timber and wood are complemented by carved platbands, but at the same time they look modern and stylish. In addition, decorative items on the windows emphasize the status of the owner and his excellent taste.

Traditional window decor has many advantages:

Attractive appearance - window trims perform a decorative function, visually expanding and stretching the building. They look quite unusual, adding festiveness and personality to even the most ordinary home.
They perform the protective function of the space between window openings and wall surfaces, excluding the ingress of moisture and dirt.
They do an excellent job of reducing heat loss and sound insulation.
When made by hand, they have a fairly low cost.
Carved platbands look equally advantageous with both plastic and wooden windows. When decorating PVC windows, you can give preference to plastic platbands, which are made in the same color scheme as the windows.

You also need to remember about the possible disadvantages of window frames:

If carved window frames are made of wood, this requires further care. Without it, they will simply lose their attractive appearance and will look unaesthetic. The formation of fungus and mold on the window is possible.
During operation, the owner of the house will need to regularly treat the carved platbands with compounds that prevent swelling.

Carved pattern of Russian windows

26.11.2018

As soon as you drive a few kilometers from a large city, away from the same type of high-rise buildings with plastic windows and iron doors, an extraordinary space and alluring antiquity of wooden houses with intricate patterns open up to your eye. No matter what condition the house is in, you see that the owner takes care of the window casings first of all.

And this is not without reason. Listen to this word: “platband” - “located on the face.” The facade of a house is its face facing the outside world. Your face should be washed and beautiful, as it is a kind of business card that distinguishes you from everyone else.

At the same time, it may seem that the wooden openwork lace around the windows is a simple decoration - like makeup on the faces of modern beauties - so that passers-by will like it. However, before nothing was done just like that, everything had a meaning. The aesthetic function of the platbands is undeniable. But the protective one was more important - the platbands served as protection from drafts and noise, since they covered the gaps between the window frame and the wall. And the carved symbols protected the house from the invasion of evil forces and attracted the energies of good to its residents.

As you know, doors and windows are not only a way out, they are an opportunity to get inside. And each owner tried to protect his home, ensure safety and prosperity for his family. How could he do this? One way to protect yourself is to surround yourself with protective symbols.

The images depicted in the frames can be found in Russian folk embroidery or Easter eggs.

Certain elements of carving could often be seen on all the houses of one village or village. In another village, the motifs of the carved frames on the windows could have been completely different. The farther these settlements were from each other, the more the carved frames on the windows differed in appearance.

In the second half of the 20th century, with the development of transport, printing, television and other means of communication, ornaments and types of carvings previously characteristic of one region began to be used in others. A widespread mixture of styles began.

Collectors of Tales

Nowadays, more and more people are turning their attention to their historical roots and are interested in the traditions and culture of their ancestors. And the carved patterns decorating village huts, like a visual piece of history, attract inquisitive and inquisitive minds.

Even a Virtual Museum of carved platbands has been created, where many photographs of platbands from different regions of our country are collected and their classification is presented.

It is becoming popular to look for such houses and tell residents of big cities about them. For example, some time ago, a geography teacher and collector of Russian legends, Natalya Listvina, began posting her pictures of Russian windows on Instagram. Some of her photos are shown below.

Kozmodemyansk city, Republic of Mari El

Palekh village, Ivanovo region

Purekh village, Nizhny Novgorod region

Pestyaki village, Myt village, Ivanovo region

Soimitsy village, Ivanovo region

When did platbands appear?

It can be argued that the period of popularity of carved platbands in Rus' falls on the second half of the 19th century. But the fact of their first appearance in history is not recorded. It is not known for certain in which century this happened, in any city.

The appearance of platbands is usually associated with several key moments, namely, with the development of the glass industry, the rise in price of hewn boards and the development of woodworking tools. All this takes us back to the 18th century, at the earliest to its beginning. What came before?

Ivan Khafizov, the creator of the Virtual Museum of Carved Platbands, believes that they, although in their simplified form, existed before.

He made such conclusions based on a picture from a book of 1955 (Sukhov D.P., Maksimov P.N. “Wooden architecture of the Gorky region”)

and a text from 1916 (Krasovsky M., “History of Russian Architecture”), you can dig a little deeper. We read:

“As for the artistic treatment of windows, namely, plank frames decorated with cuts and external shutters (...), they could only be widely used in the post-Petrine era (...). Until this time, the window frame (“deck”) was usually not covered with platband, and cuts were made directly on it (...). Logs of this type could only be installed in utility buildings (due to the design features), while in residential buildings both vertical and horizontal parts were made from separate beams (...). The gap from the outside was closed with a block or wide plank decorated with cuts, which formed the crowning part of the external window treatment.”

Platband design and symbols

Despite its apparent simplicity, the platband is a complex structure. Whatever the appearance of the platband, it always has four main elements.

Parallel to the plane of the wall there are two vertical boards - sidewalls (3), and two horizontal boards, frieze (2) and window sill (4). Do not confuse it with a window sill, which is located not outside, but inside the room.

They are covered from above by a cornice (1) attached at an angle to the wall. Its function is to protect against rainwater flowing down the wall from getting into possible cracks. The cornice is made from one or two boards; in the second case, the upper board is made slightly larger than the lower one, but there are exceptions.

The beauty, variety, and often uniqueness of the platbands is given by such additional elements as “ears” (6) and the valance, or completion (7), pommel, or kokoshnik (5), located on the sides of the kokoshnik, and sometimes, additionally, on the in its center there are figurines of beregins (9). Sometimes, in place of the figures of the beregins, something else can be placed, for example, animal signs, signs of the sun. On the sides the valance is limited by “earrings” (8). Sometimes earrings are so faintly expressed that it gives the impression of their absence. Often the “earrings” look like a continuation of the sides.

Additional elements may be present either together or separately. Their presence or absence depends entirely on the imagination and skill of the master.

The entire ornament that is found among the ancient Slavs can be divided into several groups:

- solar symbols; - symbols of water; - symbols of the earth (and as a subgroup - symbols of fertility); — amulets symbols; - wish symbols.

What do house symbols mean? Let's try to decipher them.

It should be remembered that the upper part of the platband (frieze board and kokoshnik) symbolized the sky, the lower part (window sill board and valance) symbolized the earth, and the side boards (sidewalls) symbolized the connection between heaven and earth. In addition, the upper part of the composition was considered daytime, and the lower, accordingly, night, since the sun sank underground at night. Sometimes the sidewalls extend far beyond the bottom edge of the window sill board. In this case, symbols related to the underground, Navian world are placed on the protruding part. The same can be said about the entire composition of the communal carvings.

Protective symbols

A figurine with outstretched arms and legs is a figurine of a woman giving life, personifying the feminine principle, one of the most common images that occupy an important place, both on old embroideries and on carved frames. One of her names is Bereginya.

The image of Beregini is usually placed in the center of the upper part of the casing. Her figure is usually highly stylized, often the body is formed by a tangle of plants, snakes, etc., but in any case you can guess the head, outstretched arms and legs.

If the figurine’s “hands” are raised - a request to give heavenly water and light, with hands down - an appeal to Mother Earth with a request for a harvest. Often a sprout (krin) was placed in Beregini’s body - a symbol of the origin of life and fertility.

Sometimes on the kokoshnik on the sides of Beregini or on the side boards there are two more female figures - Rozhanitsa.

symbol "Star of Birth"

They were responsible for the well-being of the family and clan. Their image is the protection of “their own” from any attacks from outside, as well as the accumulation of wealth and the preservation of traditions.

Sun signs (fire, solar)

Solar symbols are very diverse in form and execution, especially if you take into account centuries-old stylizations and simplifications. The oldest of them is the Kolovrat, that is, a cross with curved ends. It is often placed in a circle. There are more than 140 varieties of the solar wheel, each of which emphasizes some aspect of the solar function.

Solar signs are protection from evil. In addition, without the sun, plants do not grow, and there is no food for animals or people. So this is also a wish for material well-being.

Storm cover, protects from bad weather.

Turned in the opposite direction - Thunder - protection from evil thoughts.

Ognevik - protection from all evil spirits.

Turned in the opposite direction - Yarovik - protection of the harvested crops and livestock.

The six-rayed wheel - Perun's sign - diverts lightning.

The eight-rayed wheel is the sign of Svarog - a wish for supreme justice and wisdom.

Often the Kolovrat were combined into labyrinth complexes:

The Rysich sign is protection from dark forces.

Rubezhnik - shares Reality and Nav with Prav, is the border beyond which not earthly, but heavenly principles operate.

When they wanted to show the universality of the solar sign, a circle was superimposed on it, but the time of day was indicated.

Since our ancestors divided the day into light and dark times, the sun, in this case, was depicted like this:

daytime, on kokoshniks or sidewalls;

night, on the window sill.

Such placement of these symbols provided round-the-clock protection from all evil.

It happened that the sun was depicted against the background of an elongated rhombus. Later, as a result of simplification, this led to a transformation of the drawing.

In the first case, the function of the amulet was transferred to the rhombus itself (bottom left), but solarity appears only when the sign is located on the upper or side parts of the casing. If it is located below, on the window sill, it becomes an earth sign.

The sun sign was considered very important and was often duplicated, so that the complete set, at a minimum, consists of 6 (rising, noon, setting, setting, midnight, pre-ascension) symbols.

Water signs

According to the ideas of our ancestors, there are heavenly and underground waters. With heavenly moisture, the germs of life fall to the earth - the wish for fertility and wealth. Groundwater feeds plants, forms springs and rivers - again, a wish for a calm, comfortable life. In addition, evil spirits do not cross flowing water.

Wave-like patterns in the upper and lower parts of the casing, running streams and twisted columns along its side shelves, spiral curls - all these are signs of the water element. Just like fire signs, they can form labyrinths.

Bezkonechnik - wraps up evil spirits, preventing them from entering the house.

Earth signs

The land itself, which gives people a harvest, is not left without attention. Agricultural signs are perhaps the simplest, one of the most common. Diamonds with dots inside, intersecting double stripes - this is how our ancestors painted a plowed and sown field.

Sown field

These symbols are common at the bottom of the casing.

Earth soaked in water, another name - Mother of Cheese Earth - protector and nurse.

Beast marks

Images of animals on the frames are most typical for forest regions, that is, where life and prosperity depended more on hunting and fishing, and farming and gardening were a side benefit.

Veles sign "Komoeditsa".

Initially, Veles “managed” the heavenly herds, and since cattle used to be a measure of wealth and money, Veles appears before us as the god of wealth. The heavenly flocks shed life-giving milk on the earth, hence another of his hypostases - the patron of all wild and domestic living creatures.

A special place in animal motifs is occupied by snakes, which are closely associated with the concept of water, and therefore fertility. The cult of guardian snakes, lord snakes, has deep roots.

In Belarus and its neighboring regions, a brownie was considered a real snake living under the stove; The housewives called him a gospodarnik and fed him milk. Snakes were considered guardians of seed grain because mice are afraid of them. Archaeologists encounter images of snakes on many objects.

You could also often find an image of a lizard or a dragon on the platbands.

Lizard and Fire Breathing Dragon

The lizard is a serpent - the lord of underground waters. The Lizard's sanctuaries were located in swamps, the banks of lakes and rivers.

The lizard is especially important for those who live on water - lakes and rivers, and depend on them - whether for fishing or a trade route. The underwater owner can give fish, or he can leave the nets empty; It may safely let the boat with its guests through, or it may drown it.

Beliefs in legends about the dragon are confirmed by many images of the dragon-lizard with symbols of flowing water.

Sometimes the Dragon transforms into a Pike and acts as a talisman of fishing luck.

The heavenly cow Zemun is the mother of Veles, the nurse of the gods. It is her milk that fills the milk river, which separates Yav from Iriy, and, spilling from the udder onto the earth, brings life.

Her symbol is female breasts on display

and a slotted or three-dimensional, often paired image on the trim and external trim of the doors.

In some regions, the symbol of a cow was placed instead of Bereginya, since at the same time it is also a symbol of Mokosh, more precisely, of that incarnation of hers that gives life. The horns of a cow (in some regions, elk, deer) are the rays of the sun, protecting against evil spirits.

The horse is another of the popular animal motifs on the frames, which symbolized strength and endurance, and the deer, which represented long life and wealth.

For many peoples, birds such as geese, ducks, and swans are associated with the perception of the world order. The birds flew in and brought spring on their wings, that is, warmth, food, and prosperity. The arrival of geese and ducks saved us from winter hunger and gave us hope for a harvest. Thus, the image of these birds is a wish for material well-being, providing protection from unfavorable climate, and located in the lower part of the casing protects from nighttime misfortunes.

Swans

Ducks. Geese

Often, instead of a full image of birds, only their legs are cut out.

Another symbol looks exactly the same. One of the Finno-Ugric goddesses has the image of a frog. Its main functions are patronage of women's household work (weaving, sewing, cooking, etc.).

The crow of a rooster is the herald of sunrise and the onset of day, that is, the time when most of the evil spirits lose their strength and hide. Thus, the rooster is a protector from evil spirits, vigilantly standing guard “I sit high, I look far.” He, along with the horse, was often carved on the okhlupna (roof detail).

Floral ornament

Often it is fundamental. Beregini and many animal images are often stylized as plant elements.

The cherry, a symbol of girlish beauty, was supposed to attract love. A pine branch is a symbol of eternal life and youth. The grape motif symbolized brotherhood, goodwill and long-term, faithful love. The ornament of apples and plums was supposed to bring wisdom and health. The floral ornament in the form of springs (sprouts), a stylized letter “Zh”, is similar in meaning to Bereginya.

In Soviet times, platbands were in demand among consumers until the 1950s, but their patterns underwent some changes. Thus, solar signs and “Perun’s wheels” slowly began to be replaced by five-pointed stars and flowers, and the paired Bereginya figures turned into the card suit of spades.

We looked at the main, most common symbols found on Slavic frames. And now, when you drive or pass by a house whose windows are framed with a carved pattern, you can not only admire it, but also read the signs encrypted there.

Or maybe you would like to decorate your windows with protective patterns...?

Other articles on the topic “Russian hut”

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Carved platbands for a wooden house - materials for manufacturing

What material to choose for making carved platbands? You can make a choice in favor of:

Natural wood. It is considered the most preferable, as it maximally emphasizes the style of the ancient era, looks aesthetically pleasing and attractive. The main disadvantage is the need for constant care. Products will have to be treated with special impregnations, since wood can darken and is exposed to moisture.
PVC or plastic. In this case, carved window frames are more resistant to aggressive environmental factors. They will not lose their appearance and quality characteristics due to temperature changes and heavy precipitation, and are practically not exposed to moisture. Constant maintenance is not required - just wet cleaning with products as they become dirty is enough. In addition, such window trims can be bought in any store - the only question is whether their design will correspond to personal preferences.
MDF. Window trims are made from environmentally friendly material, which contains wood waste. Externally, the products are very difficult to distinguish from natural wood - modern technologies make it possible to imitate any shape. Special care is also not required. MDF is best used indoors. MDF trim placed on the outside of the building will quickly deteriorate and lose its original appearance.
Polyurethane - it is highly practical.

Manufacturing procedure with slotted thread

We will divide the production into 2 stages: roughing and finishing.

Rough work

First you need to find and download the template. You will find sketches of drawings and stencils for wood carving below. It can also be drawn by hand and then perfected on the computer.

We apply the stencil of the ornament and pattern to the board and transfer the drawing with a pencil.

Now the main work begins. First of all, we take away the parts of the tree in the drawn slots. We do this with a drill and jigsaw according to the instructions.

In order for the jigsaw to cut inside the board, you need to drill a hole. The average width of the file is 10 millimeters, so the hole should be at least 11-12.

Insert a jigsaw file into the hole and cut along the contour.

Since we have a handicraft production, we do not set high requirements for evenness. Small mistakes are quite appropriate, especially since we will also remove them later.

So we cut out the entire platband.

By the way, instead of a jigsaw, you can use a hand router. In many cases it is much more convenient, for example, when drawing out roundness. And if you cut with a jigsaw, but you have a router, you can use it to bring the roundness to perfection. Even subsequent processing with sandpaper and a drill is not required.

When working, the nail file will always go to the side - this is normal. Just try not to go beyond the drawing lines.

We are talking about through holes, but what about slotted threads? For this case, we bought a set of cutters. There is nothing complicated here: we go along the contour with a hatchet or a blunt knife and then take away the material with semicircular chisels. To cut out egg-shaped recesses you need a cranberry - a spoon cutter.

Final finishing

Everything is cut out, all that remains is to bring our carved frames for the windows in a wooden house to marketable condition.

Grinding

It is best to buy planed boards. There are no scratches on it anymore, and the surface is even and smooth. If not, you will have to do it yourself. Let's start by grinding the plane. If you have an eccentric sander or grinder, just buy sanding wheels for it. No? You'll have to do it manually.

In this case, it is recommended to buy a sanding block. It costs only 2 dollars, but it’s twice as easy to work with. It doesn’t overwhelm the plane, picks up more wood at a time, and your hand doesn’t get too tired.

We start with P100 grit. She cleans up the biggest bullies. When they have already been removed, we move on to the P320. We derive a flat, almost smooth surface. Then we take the P600 and it may already be the last. After it, the wood will be slightly rough, almost mirror-like. We can continue, but there is no point in going higher than P1200.

We grind the slots with a flap wheel for a drill. Just insert it into the hole and press the button. Carefully walk along the bends.

Primer

Decorating windows with platbands will not last long if the wood is not primed. Moreover, we need soil with an antiseptic. Fungus, bark beetles, furniture grinder, blue stain - this is what we will have to protect ourselves from.

In the store we buy any antiseptic primer for wood, even an inexpensive one. It will prepare the material for painting and protect it from insects with mold.

Painting, varnishing

Well, it's time to give our platbands a new look. There are 3 options to choose from:

Dye. The cheapest and simplest. You can take any moisture-resistant enamel or acrylic. But there are pitfalls here. Even exterior paint will crack and wash off over time. Once a year it will definitely have to be changed, and this is: sanding, priming, painting, and so on every year. And it hides the beauty of the wooden texture.
Varnish. In fact, its only advantage over paint is that it does not hide the wood. Otherwise, the same disadvantages. Only the varnish is also more expensive.
Oil. Perhaps oil impregnation is the best solution. Firstly, the platbands look like decoration. The oil impregnates the wood fibers, making the pattern and shape more expressive. You won't have to change it for years. But there are also disadvantages: it will show all the errors, it takes a long time to harden, it’s expensive.

So we have finished making carved platbands with our own hands. All that remains is to install them.

We make carved window frames with our own hands: how to choose the right wood?

Despite the wide choice of materials, most home owners prefer wood. It is necessary to select the type of material taking into account the performance characteristics:

Hardwoods - for example, beech, ash. Such boards have the greatest strength and rigidity. If you plan to create light and delicate patterns, this will be quite problematic.
Soft hardwoods - alder, aspen, etc. These types of wood are quite easy to process even for a beginner, so they are suitable for creating platbands with a large number of patterns. There is also a drawback - window frames made from such boards will have to be constantly treated with special means, otherwise they will simply lose their original appearance over time.
Apple, cherry - wood species are ideal for creating small products that can later be easily attached to the main product.
Birch, pine - wood has excellent quality characteristics and is easy to process even by hand. Using such materials you can create even the most complex elements. In addition, carved platbands made from such types of wood are quite simple in further use.

Please note: it is not necessary to make carved platbands for a wooden house from one material. For example, hard hardwood can be used to make the base, as they have sufficient strength, and additional openwork details can be created from soft wood. In this case, be sure to use professional protective impregnations.

Carved home decorations

With the fashion for houses made of timber came the fashion for carved home decorations. Previously, carvings were applied to every element of the house. Cornices, shutters, pillars, decorative balusters and supports could be decorated with carvings.

Since ancient times, the ridge, which is located at the junction of two roof slopes, has been decorated with a wooden sculpture of a horse, rooster or other bird. Another decoration for the roof is the piers, which go down in an openwork pattern and decorate the massive ends of the logs that hold the roof.

Geometric window carving

Gorokhovets window with carvings

Like lace, the cornice is decorated with a carved board - a frieze, along the edges of which hang beautiful carved towels, or in other words “earrings”, fenders. Going down from them, your gaze lingers on the carved platbands.

They are mounted in two ways:

Overlay. Such platbands are attached with glue or nails and are called overhead.
Telescopic method. When installing this way, you need to be prepared for installation difficulties, but the result will be more pleasing. A “beak” is driven into the groove of the box, which is made on the platband in the form of a protrusion.

Nowadays, those who are going to decorate their home with carvings most often choose platbands, since they are the ones that attract the eye with their beauty. It is very important that folk traditions are being revived.

Carved window frames in the interior

Carved cornice of a house

How to choose patterns for carved frames for windows in a wooden house - templates

The process of selecting a pattern for window frames at home should be approached wisely. You shouldn’t consider the first option you come across. If there is such an opportunity, you can select several of the most preferred options and simulate conditional models on the computer - ordinary photo editors will do. When choosing a pattern for carved platbands, it is worth considering several key aspects:

The color scheme of the trim and walls of a wooden house must be combined.
It is very important to consider the size - for example, too massive platbands are not suitable for small windows. Such a frame will look bulky. Likewise, for large windows you should not choose trim that is too narrow.
All elements of the template must be combined with each other, so it is best not to place floral, ethnic and animal ornaments on the same frame.

As for the choice of pattern, it all depends on the individual preferences of the home owner. Among the most popular solutions:

Traditional ornaments. The choice is truly huge: grape leaves, plant patterns, weaves, tiaras, horns and ears.
Animal ornaments – along with plants and other decorative elements, animal figures are used. It is not recommended to use human and animal figures on the same frame at the same time. Most often, when making window frames, figurines of bears, snakes, birds, fish and dragons are used - they symbolize abundance, prosperity, goodwill and hospitality of the home owners.
Modern - preference is given to conciseness and simplicity. Usually regular elements are used, as well as columns, porticoes, and chapels.

The platbands on the windows of a house with an additional upper part (face) look especially noble and expensive. Making such a part requires careful and painstaking work, as well as good artistic skills. Particularly popular:

tiaras, which are a symbol of the sun;
medallions and crowns of their plants.

If you do not have special skills, give preference to concise and simple templates. Firstly, such templates are easy to transfer, and secondly, the likelihood of material damage due to cutting errors is minimized.

Even the simplest window frames can be decorated with additional, more complex products and secured to the base using liquid glue. If it is difficult to do them yourself, you can order cutting from a professional craftsman.

Popular templates and sketches of patterns for making window trim for a wooden house

The pictures below show both simple and complex sketches of platbands.

How to correctly print a template and transfer it to material

Unless you have polished artistic skills, it's best to print out a template or sketch on a printer. Preference should be given to a 1:1 scale - this will avoid cutting errors and size discrepancies. Professional copy centers provide large-format printing services - the service will cost up to 300-400 rubles, depending on the complexity and size.

You can transfer simple drawings yourself - use regular tracing paper or thin paper. The finished template is connected to a wooden panel, the drawing is transferred with a pencil. Experts recommend preparing several templates and cutting each element separately:

bottom bar;
top bar;
vertical slats or frames.

Please note: be sure to highlight the slot locations in color in the drawing - this will avoid mistakes in future work.

We make platbands for windows on a wooden house ourselves - a step-by-step process

Before you start creating a platband, you should select and print a sketch. We have already talked about this in detail in the section “Templates for carved platbands for a wooden house.”

How to create patterns correctly? Two main methods have found widespread use:

Carved carving - involves the creation of a through ornament, which in appearance resembles lace.
Overlay carving - the key difference is that all the elements that make up the window casing are made separately and placed on a pre-prepared base.

To make your own carved frames from boards for windows you will need:

jigsaw - necessary for painstaking work that requires special care;
hacksaw;
knife, chisel;
milling machine - used to give products small edges.

Making carved window frames yourself is quite simple:

Take preliminary measurements of the windows. Make sure your measurements are accurate; it is best to take them several times. This will avoid time costs and damage to materials.
Select the wood - its width should be in harmony with the dimensions of the window openings. If we are talking about making slotted carvings, it is necessary to use wood with a thickness of at least 30 mm. If preference is given to applied threads, the original blade must have a width of at least 10 mm. Under no circumstances should you use damp or slightly damp wood when making platbands. The canvas must be completely dry.
Start cutting out the blank for the future platband from the boards using a special stencil. It is best to attach stencils to the surface of the board using glue. The resulting workpiece must be treated with a protective compound.
Cut out parts and small overhead elements - it is best to use a jigsaw for this work. First you need to cut out the external and then the internal parts on the board.
For sharpening, you can also use a special electric sharpener with a stone: you can easily give the desired shape to almost any element. The procedure requires special care, so there is no need to rush. Use different types of files for elements of different sizes - this will allow you to get neat parts.
Sand the resulting small products - it is advisable to use regular sandpaper. Be sure to treat the carved parts with a strong impregnation. In order to remove the characteristic whiteness of wood after sanding, professional solutions based on chromium, iron and copper are used.
If necessary, you can coat the components of the casing with varnish - this way the products will be protected from exposure to the sun and temperature changes.

Proceed to direct installation connecting all elements. Here you can use both nails without heads and spikes - protruding fastener elements. It is best to make them from hardwood. The normal spike size is from 6 to 25 mm.

Installation of the platband on the window can be carried out in two ways:

For deaf type:

On the surface of the window frame and trim, use a pencil to mark the locations of the tenons - elements for installation.
Using tools, in accordance with the markings, recesses for tenons are created on the window frame - grooves. The diameter of the grooves should exceed the size of the tenons by approximately 2-5 mm.
The adhesive is applied evenly to the spikes. The tenons with glue applied are carefully inserted into the groove - a pre-prepared recess for the tenons in the frame, after which the platbands are placed on them.

This fastening method is notable for the fact that it allows you to protect the manufactured platbands from the adverse effects of moisture, dirt and dust. It is quite complex and requires care, but allows you to get the most reliable connection.

Using a through tenon - during installation, the joints should be covered with transparent or colored varnish, and then proceed to installation with glue.

To facilitate the installation process, it is best to frame the window opening with a special strip. It will eliminate possible unevenness of the wall and create a reliable foundation. The thickness of the slats should not exceed 10-15 millimeters.

Please note: under no circumstances should you install the platband using self-tapping screws. Such auxiliary elements can cause wood to crack. Window trims on a wooden house, made of plastic or PVC, should be installed using liquid adhesives.

Important: during installation work, the direction of opening the windows should be taken into account. If the windows in the house open outward, the platbands should be installed at a distance of at least 3 cm from the sashes.

Ancient technology for making platbands

In the old days they believed that carved frames protected the house and its owners from the evil eye and evil spirits.

Exterior and decoration of the house with carved platbands

Each pattern and ornament was created not only as a decoration, but also as a talisman. At the top of the window there were most often symbols of the sun or a cross. Plant motifs show the desire for unity with nature. Carved curls and waves are signs of water, bestowing life and fertility. Snakes, birds and other animals also had their own symbolic meaning.

Significance was given not only to carved signs, but also to the properties of wood. The type of tree, place and conditions in which it grew were also taken into account by the craftsmen. For example, houses were never built from the trees that grew at the crossroads and no objects were made. The ornaments and techniques for making carved frames in each region and even in each village were different and unique.

The following types of wood carving are distinguished:

Option for a homemade window trim pattern

Blind or flat thread. This popular type of wood carving is distinguished by the absence of through holes and slots on the base of the casing. The ornament or design is almost flush with the carving. Flat carving includes all types of relief carving, among which geometric carving with its rhombuses, squares and circles occupies a special place. The technique of blind carving is quite complex, but it makes it possible to practically limit your imagination, creating entire pictures and ornate patterns on wood.
Sculptural carving is the most complex and requires knowledge and a certain talent from the carver.
Overlay thread. Separately cut out small parts are attached to the base; these can be various relief figures or carved lace strips attached to a contrasting base. An example of manufacturing a platband with applied threads
Slotted carving. This type of thread is also called sawn or through thread. With this technology for manufacturing platbands, the boards are cut through and the background of the product is completely removed. The beauty of the resulting openwork fabric and the relative simplicity of the method makes slotted carving the most popular way of decorating window casings. For products with through threads, you can use ready-made sketches and templates.

Caring for carved window frames after installation

Caring for platbands is a mandatory procedure after their installation, especially when it comes to natural wood products. You should use impregnations that promote:

longer service life;
preventing cracking:
protection from exposure to adverse environmental factors and insects.

In addition, the use of special means reduces the likelihood of fires. The procedure should not be abused - the trim on windows in a wooden house should be covered at least once every 1-2 years. Complete care consists of three stages:

initial application of primer to the surface of the casing;
coating with varnish or paint – helps to renew the color and reduces the likelihood of corrosion.

If we are talking about plastic or metal carved platbands, then complex care is not required. Clean the elements as they become dirty - a soap solution or other detergent is ideal. Particular attention should be paid to corrosion protection - you can purchase products in specialized stores.

↑ Peasant hut and house carvings of the Ivanovo region

A village house is a kind of cradle of peasant Russia. At the beginning of the 20th century, the majority of the country's population lived in villages and numerous hamlets in wooden houses. Dozens of generations of ordinary Russian people were born and lived their lives in village huts, whose labor created and increased the wealth of Russia.

Naturally, in our country, which abounded in forests, the most suitable material for construction was ordinary wooden logs. A wooden house, built according to all the rules, was enough to live for two or even three generations. It is believed that the lifespan of a wooden house is at least one hundred years. On the territory of the Ivanovo region, unfortunately, not many village houses from the 19th century have survived. These are precious examples of the rural way of life of the Russian people. It can be noted that the oldest residential wooden house not only in Ivanovo, but also in the region is the house of the manner carver V. E. Kurbatov, built in 1800, on Mayakovsky Street.

House of carver V. E. Kurbatov. Classic solar sign. (photo: Pobedinsky Vladimir)

Nowadays, when the outback is intensively populated by summer residents not only from Ivanovo, but also from Moscow, many houses are losing their original appearance. Instead of amazing wooden frames, plastic windows are often installed, which are harsh on the eyes and disfigure the historical appearance of village houses. Therefore, it is very important to preserve their original appearance, if not in kind, then at least in photographs, so that the younger generation has an idea of what kind of houses their ancestors lived in.

In the vast expanses of Russia, a peasant house in different regions can differ significantly in shape, design, construction traditions of its external decoration, different decorative details, carving patterns, etc. The talented Ivanovo local historian and writer Dmitry Aleksandrovich Ivanov, who spent more than twenty years studying the ethnography of the Ivanovo land, compiled a generalized portrait of the peasant house that predominates on the territory of the Ivanovo region. It is a small house with 3-4 windows, with one bright room in front. At the back of the warm part of the house there is a kitchen and a wide corridor, and behind them the utility rooms adjoin the house. Thus, the house is a combined canopy-yard structure, extended from the street, with a porch attached to the side. The main feature of such a house is a proportional facade and a certain decoration: carved lace, platbands separating the windows from the wall of the house, with carved or applied details, a lighthouse, less often a mezzanine, three-part blades blocking the corner extensions of logs stacked in a “burl.” The pediment of the lighthouse is pushed far forward and is supported by two pairs of carved pillars, in front of which there is a lattice, creating the impression of a balcony. This pediment is broken by a figured peak image, which is precisely the main local element of the artistic design of the facade of a residential building. Local carpenters call this cut a “worm cut.” The balcony lattice, balconies, and pediment valances are decorated with openwork saw carvings. Houses of the described design make up the majority of rural buildings in the Ivanovo region.

(photo: Pobedinsky Vladimir)

The tradition of decorating structural elements of residential buildings with carvings arose quite a long time ago. The motifs of the drawings carry within them the folk memory of pagan symbols and amulets that existed in ancient times. It should be noted that in Russia at the beginning of the 19th century. several regions whose population was famous for the art of wood construction. One of these folk crafts existed in the Ivanovo region. Its center was the village of Yakushi in the modern Pestyakovsky district. The inhabitants of this village and the surrounding area were very skilled carpenters. Every year, up to seven hundred peasants, fluent in carpentry, left here to earn money. Their art was so famous and recognized in Russia at that time that the name of the village of Yakushi went down in history. There was even a word that was included in V.I.’s dictionary. Dalia - “to play yakush”, i.e. build, decorate from wood. These were not just artisans, but artists who decorated residential buildings with a special type of decor - “ship” relief carving. The essence of Yakushev carving was that decorative elements were hollowed out in a thick board and made convex in comparison with the wooden surface. Most often, such a board occupies the frieze of the front facade of the house. The subjects of the drawings usually included floral ornaments, flowers, and amulets in the form of images of mermaids, lions, and swans. The largest number of houses decorated with “ship” carvings have been preserved in the Pestyakovsky, Verkhnelandkhovsky, Savinsky districts, whose villages contain excellent examples of Yakush carpentry art; they are priceless monuments of ancient folk culture. Currently, there are not many such houses preserved; they can literally be counted on one hand. This was largely facilitated by the fact that in the 80s of the 19th century. Blind relief carvings are beginning to be replaced by a through slot in the board - the so-called saw-cut carvings, which currently decorate the vast majority of rural houses.

House carving. The village of Zhabrikha, Ivanovo region. House of merchant Balakirev (19th century) (photo: Vladimir Pobedinsky)

An integral and characteristic element of the design of a local peasant house is the carved light fixture with a cutout in the shape of a heart. The peaked neckline is the most common design element. However, on the territory of the region there are houses whose light contains, instead of “worms”, the so-called “firmament”, i.e. the cavity in the pediment is the size of a quarter sphere. Often stars are scattered along the inner surface of the sphere, painted blue. Such a constructive element gives a special charm to peasant huts. Houses with a “firmament” are found in the Palekh and Savinsky districts.

(photo: Pobedinsky Vladimir)

The most effective and beautiful decorative element, which largely determines the aesthetics of the entire house, are carved trims. There is a wide variety of types of platbands found in ethnographic zones in the Ivanovo region. Platbands can be with a slotted frame, with a shelf above the window, with turned and applied parts. The upper part of the platbands can be straight, angular or arched, as well as with a gap. Often there may be a medallion in the center of the design. A frequently encountered element of cut frames are ears or horns protruding from the edges of the upper shelves. You can find ears in the form of fire tongues, spreading bushes, flowers, chiseled pins, turrets, crosses, etc. The lower part of the platbands can be completed in the form of a “skirt”.

(photo: Pobedinsky Vladimir)

The houses of the so-called “capitalist” peasants can also be considered characteristic residential buildings for the Ivanovo region. In pre-revolutionary times, various crafts were very developed in our region, in which tens of thousands of peasants were employed. Peasants who became rich often built brick houses, including two-story houses, with a brick bottom and a wooden top with traditional wooden decorations. There are especially many such houses preserved in the village of Ivanovo and Voznesenskoye Posad.

It should be noted that in this article the author did not set out to provide a detailed presentation of the material on the topic raised. Those who are interested in it can be directed to the book by D. A. Ivanov. Ethnozones of the Suzdal Land. Landeh.

Source

www.shushara.ru

Photos of platbands

House carving. Yaroslavl and Yaroslavl region: House carving. Totma, Vologda, Tutaev House carving. Ryazan region House carving. Orekhovo-Zuevsky district: House carving. Novgorod region House carving. Nizhny Novgorod region:

Huge gallery of platbands

See also:

House carving lessons The proposed manual is designed to help teachers of arts and crafts, but can be used by anyone interested in house wood carving. The manual is compiled on the basis of the material collected within the framework of the project and is used in the course “House carving in the Samara Territory”, designed for middle and high school students, as well as students of specialized secondary and vocational educational institutions. All collected photographic and graphic materials of local examples of house carvings, except for the pages of this manual, are presented on the pages “Carving and House” and “Photo Archive”

Special thanks to our friend with the nickname PartyZan

for the idea and the material found