How to make a virge
In the Episcopal church, the verger is sort of like the drum major for the procession - they get everybody lined up, make sure everybody knows what to do, and lead the march. During the service they make sure everybody is doing what they're supposed to do in the right order.
The virge is the stick they carry that has a cross on the end of it.
When my wife became a verger it was a great opportunity to get into the ritual and learn about why they do what they do. But all the stuff you have to wear comes from England and it starts to add up real quick.
We figured the virge could be a home made job - so here's how I did it.
I started out by sawing a piece of nice wood (we're using cherry for the pictures) about 1 3/4 by 1 3/4 and 36 inches long. In the top two inches I drew a picture of what I wanted the cro
ss to look like. I made it wide-footed so it wouldn't break off or anything if it got bumped around. Then I used a coping saw to saw the lines almost to where they met, but not quite. I didn't want to chip off the parts with the lines on them so that when I sawed the adjacent side the lines would still be there to work with.
Once I had all those lines cut I sawed in at the base and cut away the parts I didn't need. Here's what it looked like at that stage:
That's actually the hard part. After that all you do is neaten it up. I used a shurform tool (like a grater) and a plane to make the handle round and taper it down to the end. Then I used a file 
and sandpaper to smooth out the whole thing and finished it with fine sandpaper. I used tung oil and no stain to coat it. It came out pretty good looking.
The purple thing in the background is a shroud for Lent.
At the opposite end I screwed on a solid brass cabinet knob ($3.99 from Home Depot), to give it some heft and twinkle. On the occasions when the verger wants to start a silent procession, they'll rap the floor with the tail end of the virge.
I think if I were going to do it over i would select perfectly clear wood - my wife likes the knots and natural flaws in the wood but they stand out when you don't use a stain. Also it might be nice to make one out of red oak or ash.
The virge is the stick they carry that has a cross on the end of it.
When my wife became a verger it was a great opportunity to get into the ritual and learn about why they do what they do. But all the stuff you have to wear comes from England and it starts to add up real quick.
We figured the virge could be a home made job - so here's how I did it.
I started out by sawing a piece of nice wood (we're using cherry for the pictures) about 1 3/4 by 1 3/4 and 36 inches long. In the top two inches I drew a picture of what I wanted the cro
ss to look like. I made it wide-footed so it wouldn't break off or anything if it got bumped around. Then I used a coping saw to saw the lines almost to where they met, but not quite. I didn't want to chip off the parts with the lines on them so that when I sawed the adjacent side the lines would still be there to work with.
Once I had all those lines cut I sawed in at the base and cut away the parts I didn't need. Here's what it looked like at that stage:
That's actually the hard part. After that all you do is neaten it up. I used a shurform tool (like a grater) and a plane to make the handle round and taper it down to the end. Then I used a file 
and sandpaper to smooth out the whole thing and finished it with fine sandpaper. I used tung oil and no stain to coat it. It came out pretty good looking.The purple thing in the background is a shroud for Lent.
At the opposite end I screwed on a solid brass cabinet knob ($3.99 from Home Depot), to give it some heft and twinkle. On the occasions when the verger wants to start a silent procession, they'll rap the floor with the tail end of the virge.
I think if I were going to do it over i would select perfectly clear wood - my wife likes the knots and natural flaws in the wood but they stand out when you don't use a stain. Also it might be nice to make one out of red oak or ash.
posted by piggdogg at 4:08 PM
2 Comments:
Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with me is such a creative and meaningful way, Honey. I love you.
Your wife~
t
Thank you for the inspiration! I am about to be installed and the accoutrements do add up quickly so I'm thinking of asking a friend who is a wood turner to make one for me!
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