Instructions for a Wooden Baptismal Pedestal

While some churches perform baptism by immersion, many others perform baptisms by sprinkling or pouring. In these churches, a small baptismal font is used. Supported by a pedestal, it is used both for baptisms and for christenings. As much a symbol as a piece of church furniture, these pedestal baptismal fonts are a constant reminder to their congregations of the new birth.

The Pedestal

Some builders find the main body of the baptismal pedestal to be the most complex part to construct. This is because most pedestal fonts are eight-sided; some believe this to be symbolic of the first Christians, who met not on the Sabbath (seventh) day, but on the day after.

The actual size of each of these eight side panels will depend on the size of the basin you intend for it to hold. However, no matter what size those panels are, two measurements will be roughly the same. One of these, the height of the pedestal, is around 40 inches tall in most Protestant churches, not including the cover. You want it to be about waist high.

The other measurement, which is of particular concern to the builder, is the angle on the edges of the side panels. These edges should be beveled at a 67.5-degree angle.

The Basin

The typical size for a basin is 12 inches, and it is usually made from metal. If you use 7-inch wide panels for the sides, this will create an octagonal pedestal just over 18 1/4 inches across at its widest point. This is a good size for a 12-inch basin; you can cut a 12-inch diameter hole in the middle of the basin's top piece, and add a support underneath to support the weight of the filled basin.

Detailing

Detailing is perhaps the most important part of building a pedestal font, as the simplicity of the pedestal makes a good canvas for adding meaningful symbols.

At the very least, you should add molding around the top and bottom of the pedestal. This gives it the balanced appearance of a column with a base and a capital. You can make these the same size, or make the base slightly larger than the capital.

You can line the side panels with thin moldings to give the appearance of insets on each side, or with carvings of other Christian symbols. Doves are very popular, because of the dove's association with Christ's baptism in all four Gospels.

Most pedestal fonts also include a top. This is usually octagonal as well, with three steps of decreasing size, and topped with a cross which also serves as a handle.