Oriental motifs in landscape design are very popular among Russian gardeners. Our author Sergei Golovkov did not pass them by either. After going through several options, he decided to make a stone lantern from wood. Read the article to find out what he did.
The idea of creating a traditional Japanese lantern for the site seemed very interesting to me for a long time, but for a long time I could not decide how and what to make it from. I don’t know how to cut stone, so this option was out of the question. Conducted several experiments on working with concrete. This option was more realistic, but had its drawbacks. Firstly, there was a manufacturing problem small parts. Secondly, the product would be too heavy. Thirdly, I would be constantly tied to work, since concrete cannot be put aside at any time and returned to later. The only option left was a wooden lantern.
Preparation and selection of material
I started the work with a sketch. Usually I rarely do this and keep the “picture” in my head, but here it was necessary. The material I used was pine and larch, which were left over from the roof repair. Moreover, the tree was far from best quality and did not find use for a long time. But I knew from the beginning that I would paint the lantern, so I practically did not pay attention to the knots and other defects of the boards. Thanks to this choice, the cost of the lantern is very small, but there was a lot of work.
Base assembly
1 . I made a life-size template of the leg from cardboard and outlined it on two internal planes of the workpiece.
3 . I made the rest of the legs and the jumpers between them in the same way. My band-saw made it possible to cut the jumper from a single piece. If the cutting height is not enough, it can be made from two parts.
4 . The parts were glued together with moisture-resistant glue, reinforcing the joints with dowels. Finally, I sanded down the rough edges. If all operations are performed accurately and carefully, you will get a solid and stable “stool” without a seat.
Making a roof
Making this element was the most difficult because the roof does not have a single flat surface. The lower and upper sides of the roof had to be rounded so that the corners were in the most high point, and the centers of the sides are at the bottom.
I started by working on the underside of the roof. To ensure that the profiles of all its parts were the same, I made a template. The radius of the rounding turned out to be about 4 m. I cut the template from 12 mm plywood, both curved and concave parts were needed. The roof was glued in the form of “frames” different sizes, placed on top of each other.
5 . First, I glued together the largest “frame” from a 60 mm thick board. This will be the bottom part of the roof.
6 . To round the surface according to the template, you need a powerful router. I made a device for it in the form of a box. I made a through hole in the center of the short side of the box.
7 . I installed a technological jumper on the roof blank, in the center of which I found and drilled a center into which I inserted a nail as an axis.
8 . On the far side from the center I attached two roller wheels to the box. I placed a plywood lining on the axle under the box so that the box would not rub against the jumper and the corners of the workpiece when moving.
9 . Inside the box I screwed runners made from the curved part of the template sawn in half. After that, I installed the workpiece with the fixture on a flat, smooth surface...
10 ...installed the box on the axle and rounded the underside of the roof. Conducted preparatory work made it possible to do this quickly and easily.
11 . Then I moved to the top side of the roof. Here the surface is concave in an arc from corner to corner and at the same time from edge to center. To start, I glued three “frames” to the top of the roof. The dimensions of the frames and their thickness were calculated from the sketch of the lantern.
12 . While the glue was drying, I started making a device for milling surfaces. First, I ensured the required movement of the cutter from corner to corner. To do this, I placed the router “on rails” - I made a frame in which I made the longitudinal sides from the concave part of the template. And I installed three pairs of bearings on the router as wheels.
13 . I installed a couple more bearings at the ends of the rail frame. On them, the frame itself will move along guides from the edge to the center of the roof. The shape of these guides was determined by the planned curvature of the roof. I cut them out of chipboard scraps. After all the checks and adjustments, I started the router and, moving it in different directions, rounded all four sides in turn.
Lantern walls
14 . The walls of the lantern are on the same level - absolutely identical. To hide the ends of the wood at the corners, edges vertical elements cut at an angle of 45 degrees. I had a ready-made lattice, made of beech - left over from the furniture facade.
15 . I assembled and glued the walls together - and now the first fitting. Some joints require adjustment, but this will be at the final stage before painting. The main thing is that the form was successful. It remains to make two more floors, but of a smaller size. Roofs and smaller walls were made using already tested technologies.
16 . At the very top of the lantern I installed a spire. It consists of a small “roof” and the spire itself. By that time, I had run out of scraps of 100 * 100 mm timber, and I carved a spire from three glued boards.
Light
All the parts of the lantern were pre-assembled into a single whole without any adjustment or sanding. The result pleased me, but the lantern must shine. Open fire, like in a real lantern, is contraindicated for him; all that remained was to install electric light. It was assumed that the flashlight would be connected to the sensor
lighting and automatically turn on when it gets dark. To save energy, I used 3 W LED bulbs. They have a G9 base. It's pretty sealed and... although the lantern has its own big roof, when used outdoors this is important. I installed ceramic plinths on wooden rectangular lintels and secured them in the roofs using their voids. All connections were soldered and insulated with heat shrink tubing.
Before final assembly The electricians sanded the entire lantern, adjusted the connections and coated the inside with transparent acrylic varnish in two layers.
16 . I connected all the parts of the lantern using waterproof glue with 8 mm dowels. The only connection without glue is the top “cover” of the lantern with the spire. It is removable, since otherwise the light bulb on the third floor cannot be replaced. The rest can be reached through the lower window in the base.
Painting
The main task when painting was to create texture natural stone. I wanted to get something like granite, but decided to leave the grates made of wood.
I used acrylic paint. First I applied the base coat. gray. Later I realized that it was easier and better to apply white or very light gray, but this is already the advice of an “expert”. In my case, to get an even tone I had to paint in two layers.
18 . To imitate the texture of the stone, I used four colors - white, black, gray and ocher. Mixing gray paint with white and black, I got two shades of gray different from the background. In total there were 5 colors to dye. I used a natural sponge as a tool.
The painted lantern was left to dry for a day, after which the surface was lightly sanded by hand with 120-150 grit sandpaper and dusted off. damp cloth and covered it together with the grilles with two layers of transparent acrylic varnish.
19 . When darkness falls, a fire is automatically lit in the lantern.
Sergey Golovnoe, Novocherkassk
Lantern on the shore
Candle fire inside.
My garden is at night
Conversing with the moon.
I look and dissolve in a fairy tale...
Creating a garden in Japanese style we use special elements, symbols. One of these elements is stone lanterns. They have ancient history, differ in types, each of which is intended for a strictly specific location. The lantern consists of several parts: base, support, stand for the light chamber, light chamber, roof and top. Some types of lanterns do not have all of these parts. The main types of lanterns are kasuga-toro, yukimi-toro, yamadoro-toro, oki-toro, oribe-toro. A small candle is placed in the light chamber; its swaying light creates a mysterious atmosphere in the garden.
Kasuga-toro- this is the most elegant and largest of the lanterns. It is decorated with rich carvings. Kasuga-toro is installed in a prominent place, next to the entrance. Two such lanterns can form a symmetrical pair.
Yukimi-toro designed for admiring the snow. Therefore he has a very wide flat roof. Often installed near water so it can be reflected.
Yamadoro-toro installed in shady places, in the far corners of the garden. This lantern is made from roughly cut stones. Over time, it becomes overgrown with greenery.
Oki-toro- the smallest of the Japanese stone lanterns. It is installed near shallow water, in Zen gardens, near a dry stream.
Oribe-toro can only be installed together with the tsukubai (bowl for ablution). A distinctive feature of Oribe-toro is that at the bottom of its support there should always be an image of a human figure, which is associated with ancient legend about the origin of the lantern. Legend has it that Master of the Tea Ceremony Oribe was not a Buddhist by religion, but a Christian (which was persecuted in Japan at that time). So that he could worship his God, the craftsman carved a crucifix at the very bottom of the lantern support and placed the lantern so that the plants completely covered the bottom of the lantern. And every time, bending over to the tsukubai to draw water during the tea ceremony, the Christian master bowed to his God. And no one knew about it. Therefore, tsukubai in the garden is placed only in conjunction with an Oribe lantern, the lower part of which should always be covered with plants.
In addition to stone lanterns, Japanese gardens contain pagodas as a symbol of a Buddhist temple. They consist of 3, 5, 8 or 13 levels, the size of which decreases with height. Pagodas are placed so that they can be seen from all corners of the garden, at a high point of the relief. And the size of the pagoda should be higher than the largest stone lantern.
We also placed a pagoda and stone lanterns in our Japanese garden. They were made for us from Inkerman limestone by the sculptor Alexander Boldyrev. Each lantern is intended for a specific location, which is marked on the plan. The pagoda is located on a hill in the center of the garden. We first found suitable objects in Japanese gardens, then created drawings and models of them, and then made lanterns and a pagoda in the workshop.
It was very interesting to work. Sometimes we came up with some stories related to our lanterns. For example, kasuga-toro carvings depict the claws and scales of a dragon in a symbolic form. And the two Yamadoro-Toro lanterns are similar, like two twin brothers, but one of them lives in the city and studies Zen Buddhism, and the other lives in the village and drinks sake...
The pagoda and lanterns have stood in the garden for a year and during this time they have been partially covered with greenery. This process must continue, and every year our stone elements will look better. In Japan there is a concept shinbaku- improving effect of time on objects made of stone and metal.
The photographs show the history of our stone lanterns and pagoda.
Japanese stone lanterns were first used in ancient temples and shrines, where they kept the votive fire lit. The purpose of such lanterns was not to illuminate the space, but to protect fire from the influence environment, since the sacred fire symbolized Buddha, knowledge and enlightenment. Only much later, in the sixteenth century, they began to be used for practical purposes, to illuminate the territory of private gardens, tea houses and religious premises. From classic to contemporary, Stone Forest lanterns draw on this centuries-old tradition.
Designers have been carving traditional Japanese lanterns and original stone lamps of their own design from granite for 20 years. If you are looking for interesting garden decor in traditional Japanese style, or want to choose a more modern one yard decoration and an addition to your landscape, then lanterns highest quality Stone Forest is a great solution.
Traditional Japanese lanterns are made to strict ancient specifications. During the day it is an elegant decoration for decorating the garden, and in the evening, with a candle inside, the lantern performs the function garden lighting playing lights, indicating the path to the tea gazebo, pond or house. The assortment includes all main types of lanterns.
"Tachi-gata"(translated from Japanese as “pedestal”) - the definition already includes the purpose of such lanterns. They are used to illuminate the place in the garden where the owner talks with the most honored guests. Tachi-gata lanterns are distinguished from other types of lanterns by their large height - from 1.5 to 3 m, so they look natural in gardens that occupy a large area.
"Ikekomi-gata"- there is a legend according to which this flashlight is positioned so that the beam falling on it sunlight must have been aimed at the ground. Therefore, areas of the yard and garden that are open to the sun are usually chosen for installing ikekomi-gata lanterns.
"Yukimi-gata" - translated as “seemingly covered with snow.” The highlight of these stone lanterns is their square or round shape, protecting the fire inside from the snow. Often the lantern windows are closed frosted glass, which gives a soft glow to the rays of the sun hitting the lantern and candles in the evening.
"Oki-gata" distinguished by their small size. These miniature stone lanterns will look great in the garden or courtyard of your home. small size, near paths, flower beds and flower beds.
The company can also cut any pattern and create any Japanese lantern as per your request. You can learn more about the products on the StoneForest website.
Japanese lantern for the garden is unusual design solution, which allows the owner to demonstrate his taste and ability to select non-standard solutions in matters of garden decoration.
Types of flashlights
IN last years The popularity of Japanese stone lanterns has increased significantly, but not many people know that in ancient times such lanterns were used in temples and monasteries to protect fire from various external factors. They began to be used for practical purposes only in the 16th century.
There are several types of similar flashlights
When choosing Japanese lanterns, you need to start from the fact that they are produced according to ancient technologies, thanks to which in daytime they serve as a beautiful and elegant decoration of the garden, and with the onset of darkness they perform their main function of illuminating the area. The main types of Japanese lanterns include:
- "Tachi-gata." Translated from Japanese language their name translates as “pedestal”. Already from the name one can draw a conclusion about their purpose. Usually they are installed in those places where the owners meet their guests. They differ from other types of lanterns by their impressive height, which ranges from 1.5 to 3 m. They fit perfectly into garden landscape over a large area.
- "Oki-gata." Their distinctive feature are small (miniature) sizes. They look great in modest-sized gardens. Most often they are installed near flower beds and paths.
- "Ikekomi-gata." To install these lights choose open areas garden This is due to the legend that says that the rays of light that fall on the lantern must be directed towards the ground. Particularly popular are these decorative elements used by those interested in Eastern philosophy and culture.
- "Yukimi-gata." The feature of this type is the presence of a round or square roof, thanks to which the fire is protected from snow and rain. Often such lanterns are made with closed frosted glass to give a greater glow effect.
- "Yamadoro-toro." This is one of the most unusual decorative solutions. Such lanterns are made of roughly processed stones and are installed in remote (shady) corners of the garden. Their peculiarity is that over time they become overgrown with greenery.
- "Kasuga-toro." This is one of the largest and most elegant types. Such lanterns are usually decorated with beautiful carvings and installed near the entrance to the garden. They look most original in pairs.
Video “DIY Japanese stone lantern”
From this video you will learn how to decorate your garden by making a beautiful Japanese stone lantern:
Manufacturing instructions
Japanese lanterns can be purchased at finished form or do it yourself. To make lanterns with your own hands, the best material is foam concrete. Such blocks are much easier to process than brick and other materials.
Lanterns are made (cut) not monolithic, but consisting of several parts: dome, roof, base, spire. The finished parts are glued together using facade putty, which practically does not differ in color from foam concrete, and therefore the joints in the finished product are almost invisible (it is not advisable to use concrete).
The main tools for work are a hacksaw, files and sandpaper. If there is no experience in carrying out this type of work, then initial stage It is advisable to complete the drawings.
It takes experienced specialists from 10 to 14 days to make one flashlight.
When the product is ready, it is coated acrylic paint. The color choice is chosen so that the lantern fits perfectly into the garden design.
Japanese lanterns are not only products that play a role lighting fixtures, they also serve as decoration for any garden, local area and a summer cottage. Their main task is to create additional comfort, a calm and sincere atmosphere.
