My Home-made Prie Dieu (Kneeler) Plans
Here's some rough plans for the Prie-Dieu. I used pine that was about 1/2" thickness which is what you would buy for homemade shelving. It was 9" wide.
The kneeler pillow board itself is 9" by 20" with a 2" thick foam piece I then covered with a rugged fabric material. I used a staple gun to staple the fabric material around the foam to the underside of the kneeler, kind of like re-upholstering a chair.
The top piece where you place your arms (along with a bible or prayer book or rosary) is 24" by 10". So it's oversized and is glued onto the top piece of pine. I used a different type of wood, I had some nice pieces of cedar/redwood, but you could skip this step and leave the top piece as the pine board 9" by 20". It will glue flush between the side vertical pieces. This is the top piece that connects the two vertical side boards.
To give the slant to the top of the kneeler, make the vertical side piece 32 " long on one side and 30 inches on the other. Then when you cut them, the slant will be made. I dont know if this makes any sense. I kinda was flying by the seat of my pants when I made this.
The two little feet pieces that glue to the inside of the kneeler are 17" long and 3 3/4" wide. They stabilize the kneeler and give you a surface to place the actual knee board on. I used another piece of pine 18 3/8" by 3 3/4" to glue between the pine footers to further stabilize the feet and support the kneel board. Especially if you're a heavy pray-er.(LOL)
I used cheap pipe clamps and furniture clamps and titebond glue to put it together. The hardest part was getting the initial glue joint set up for the top piece and the side vertical pieces. As Mr. Sweat used to say in shop class in 7th grade: " measure twice, and cut once" and always do a dry run of clamping before you actually apply glue and clamp.
I cut some little notches out of the sides of the vertical supports to give it a bit of character but if you are good with a roto zip you could probably do all sorts of cool things on these side pieces.
I attached the actual kneeler pillow board to the kneeler with velcro .
Note, I am 6'2 and you may need to shorten the vertical dimensions for the kneeler a bit if you are quite a bit shorter.
If you have any questions, just comment or e mail. Have fun and may the Lord Bless you in Zion and hear your prayers and answer them according to all his riches in Christ Jesus!
The kneeler pillow board itself is 9" by 20" with a 2" thick foam piece I then covered with a rugged fabric material. I used a staple gun to staple the fabric material around the foam to the underside of the kneeler, kind of like re-upholstering a chair.
The top piece where you place your arms (along with a bible or prayer book or rosary) is 24" by 10". So it's oversized and is glued onto the top piece of pine. I used a different type of wood, I had some nice pieces of cedar/redwood, but you could skip this step and leave the top piece as the pine board 9" by 20". It will glue flush between the side vertical pieces. This is the top piece that connects the two vertical side boards.
To give the slant to the top of the kneeler, make the vertical side piece 32 " long on one side and 30 inches on the other. Then when you cut them, the slant will be made. I dont know if this makes any sense. I kinda was flying by the seat of my pants when I made this.
The two little feet pieces that glue to the inside of the kneeler are 17" long and 3 3/4" wide. They stabilize the kneeler and give you a surface to place the actual knee board on. I used another piece of pine 18 3/8" by 3 3/4" to glue between the pine footers to further stabilize the feet and support the kneel board. Especially if you're a heavy pray-er.(LOL)
I used cheap pipe clamps and furniture clamps and titebond glue to put it together. The hardest part was getting the initial glue joint set up for the top piece and the side vertical pieces. As Mr. Sweat used to say in shop class in 7th grade: " measure twice, and cut once" and always do a dry run of clamping before you actually apply glue and clamp.
I cut some little notches out of the sides of the vertical supports to give it a bit of character but if you are good with a roto zip you could probably do all sorts of cool things on these side pieces.
I attached the actual kneeler pillow board to the kneeler with velcro .
Note, I am 6'2 and you may need to shorten the vertical dimensions for the kneeler a bit if you are quite a bit shorter.
posted by Russ Rentler, M.D. | 9:08 PM
20 Comments:
Thanks Russ! Looks like something I could do. With a little help from my husband! (his tools!)
Thanks, Russ! This is very helpful. I will add this to my list of projects.
By the way, thanks for stopping by my site and leaving a comment!
Russ,
You have given me a new project to attempt.
God bless,
Brent
Great Brent, have fun with it. I suggest cheap wood to start in case you make a few boo boos. Pine shelving at home depot, or loews, actually, is good stuff to use. Let me know if you need a hand.
It's been a while since you posted this, but I just found it and it's given me the incentive to build my own too. Thanks! I just don't understand why these are so expensive. Ah, well, there's probably something wholesome about building it one's self anyway.
Bless you!
Thank you for posting this! I am going to buy supplies today. Thanks so much!
I have been looking for a kneeler to build for some time. I will buy material and build soon.
Have been thinking of building one of these for some time, but have limited tools and or know how. This looks pretty simple and straight forward. It also occurred to me that this could easily be pinned with dowels and glue. Perhaps white oak with black walnut pins. Wish me luck!
Dowels and glue are a great idea and will make it much stronger.
Saint Joseph the carpenter will pray for you!
thanks for leaving a comment.
When you get it done, send me a pic!
Looks good, Doc. I'd like to make a hinged kneeler that folds up and turns into a mild-mannered bookstand. Do you think that without the kneeler pad, yours would be steady enough to keep from tipping over, or would it need bigger feet?
...or I could find some way to put extra weight near the bottom, besides me, that is.
Greetings, Russ. I just discovered your plans for the kneeler. My husband will be able to help me build it. I do have one question: I am only 5'2" short, so can you tell me how much I will need to reduce the height?
Helen Rock
Greetings, Russ. I just discovered your plans for a kneeler. My husband will help me build it. I do have one question: I stand only 5'2". Can you tell me how much I should reduce the overall height of the kneeler?
Helen
Helen, I suspect at least 6-10 inches shorter. You could kneel down on floor and put your elbows out where they are comfortable and have your husband measure the distance from elbow to knees and take that measurement to adjust the total height of the side pieces. Or go to a Church that has little kneeler a and tape measure the height of the side pieces.
Thank you, Russ. Any chance you could email me photos of your finished Prie Dieu?
Helen if you e mail me at dobrodoc1 (at) gee mail dot com with your e mail I'll send them.
I thank my dear friend, Dave Biche who sent this link to me. We are going to do this together: with his tools, as I get the materials. ALL FOR OUR MUTUAL FAMILY BENEFITS. Thank you Russ Rentler, M.D. and Dave Biche, my friend. Stay blessed and safe.
Fr Onyeabor
I just today made this prayer kneeler (or rather a version of it after a few needed modifications because I am one of those "big prayers"). I felt God prompt me to make a prayer kneeler this week. I am not a craftsman at all, but I love to create things, and I really love creating this. Thank you for providing pictures and measurements. your blog post made things much easier.
God bless you.
Happy you could benefit from it!
God bless you too and say a prayer for me while you’re at it. Thanks
Thank you for the plans. I'm going to give it a try!
Thank you for the wonderful inspiration and your kindness in sharing your plans. I've been trying for some time to figure out how to make a prayer bench like this for my own devotions. I am very grateful for your help.
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