# Funeral urns / boxes



## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

A dear friend asked if I would make two funeral urns like the one that I had made for her dad. These are for her and her husband. The friend's mom supplied me with two walnut boards.

These are 8-sided with maple splines. 

Also another lady asked for a memory box for her 1-year old granddaughter. I made it out of bubinga with maple splines.

While I was at it I made an 8-sided box out of ambrosia maple and put hickory top on it.

I use a bird-mouth router bit to make all the corners of the 4-boxes. The finish is oil-base Zar polyurethane diluted with 50/50 mineral spirits. 

These are just some of what I have made in the past two weeks.

Also, I delivered 15 boxes and 3-baskets to Down Syndrome Society.

I have been documenting how I make boxes. I was doing this in Word. I sent a message to Router Forum Administrator asking if a Word Document would be acceptable, but never got a response.

Malcolm / Kentucky USA


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## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Those are beautiful, Malcolm, just beautiful! Save your Word document as a PDF then that can easily be attached to a post. We'd love to see your how-to on these!

David


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

beautiful...


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## OutoftheWoodwork (Oct 4, 2012)

I should put my order in now, for a double one for Ken and I. Those are absolutely beautiful. 

P.S. I aint makin my own... it's bad luck, and it requires finesse. I don't do accurate schtuff. I screw 'em up... and I can prove it!


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

Those turned out very well Malcolm. I've attached a copy of a set of plans that I copied from Wood magazine, same basic principle although they could be embellished as desired.


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## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

I make doubles, singles, infants, pets, etc.

Also I make the size that Arlington National Cemetery requires.


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## Marco (Feb 21, 2009)

Wow!


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

OutoftheWoodwork said:


> I should put my order in now, for a double one for Ken and I. Those are absolutely beautiful.
> 
> P.S. I aint makin my own... it's bad luck, and it requires finesse. I don't do accurate schtuff. I screw 'em up... and I can prove it!


WATCH OUT KEN, SHE IS ORDERING THE URNS, CHECK THEM AFTER SHE LETTERS THEM AND SEE IF THERE IS A DATE ON THEM.
Herb


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## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

I had a neighbor from Texas. She wanted a double urn with a Texas longhorn engraved on it. She kept talking about it, but I noticed her husband said nothing. I told my wife that if this lady dies before her husband I didn't think his ashes were going to be in there with her.


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## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

I had one lady that wanted a double urn. She wanted to have her ashes in the same box with her mother's. 

I have had numerous folks contact me for urns who said they went to the local funeral homes and their urns were insulting and poorly made. 

I showed one funeral home several urns including one made a rosewood. The fellow said we sell rosewood urn and brought out a box that was painted red. It looked like something we made in the 8-grade shop class.

Any funeral home with Dignity or Newcomers on it won't buy from me because they have to get theirs from corporate. 

I have probably made a couple hundred urns, probably over 250 baskets and well over 2,000 boxes. I'd say 95% of the boxes and baskets go to children or ladies with major medical issues. That's what keep me in the shop and gives me a reason to keep going.


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

When my club, NCWoodworker.com, began making urns for Veterans several years ago, we found out that the National Cemeteries and others would not use them unless the cremation box could be inserted into the urn without the need to open the cremation box. If it had to be opened, the funeral home had to do it before it reached the cemetery. If too large, many other cemeteries would not accept them, since they would not fit into their concrete vaults. We altered our design to accept either of the two standard sized cremation boxes, and now keep quantities of these urns at our National Cemeteries in NC for their use. The bottom is removable, with 5 stainless screws attaching it, the uneven quantity serving to keep the orientation of the bottom correct when being re-installed. The corner joints are usually either box joints or lock miter joints and the top and bottom has rounded or Ogee edges and slightly larger than the box sides. The top is attached via pocket screws from the inside at the time of assembly. 

We also provide laser engraved disks 2 3/4" in diameter with the branch of service emblem engraved on it. This emblem gets glued into a 2 3/4 recess in the face side of the urn at the time of it's use. Another laser engraved disk is installed in a similar recess in the bottom of the urn at the time of the urn's construction, that explains who we are and that the urn is being provided "free" and "with thanks for the Veteran's service to our Country". 

Our urns are pre-cut from hardwood lumber that is donated by NC sawmills and cut to size by one of our members. These "Kits" are then distributed to other members who assemble and finish them. The Klingspore Workshops has been kind enough to store the finished urns for us in their warehouse, until the time that they are needed by the cemeteries. We also deliver finished urns direct to Veterans, or to their immediate family at their request, if the Veteran will be placed in a family plot in another cemetery.

So, making urns can be a bit more complicated than just making pretty boxes. Our urns are quite plain, but as functional and durable as possible. They get stained in different colors and several coats of polyurethane applied to make them look acceptable at the time of use. Cypress is the wood most preferred for these because of it's long life in wet environments.

Just passing this information along for those considering urn making. We opted for "simple and compatible" to keep them acceptable by all involved here. There are many rules and differences between cemeteries and their ways of dealing with urns. Find out what is required in your area before making them. 

Charley


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## ScottyDBQ (Jul 5, 2008)

What a magnificent job !


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## Archi (Jan 6, 2015)

CharleyL said:


> When my club, NCWoodworker.com, began making urns for Veterans several years ago, we found out that the National Cemeteries and others would not use them unless the cremation box could be inserted into the urn without the need to open the cremation box. If it had to be opened, the funeral home had to do it before it reached the cemetery. If too large, many other cemeteries would not accept them, since they would not fit into their concrete vaults. We altered our design to accept either of the two standard sized cremation boxes, and now keep quantities of these urns at our National Cemeteries in NC for their use. The bottom is removable, with 5 stainless screws attaching it, the uneven quantity serving to keep the orientation of the bottom correct when being re-installed. The corner joints are usually either box joints or lock miter joints and the top and bottom has rounded or Ogee edges and slightly larger than the box sides. The top is attached via pocket screws from the inside at the time of assembly.
> 
> We also provide laser engraved disks 2 3/4" in diameter with the branch of service emblem engraved on it. This emblem gets glued into a 2 3/4 recess in the face side of the urn at the time of it's use. Another laser engraved disk is installed in a similar recess in the bottom of the urn at the time of the urn's construction, that explains who we are and that the urn is being provided "free" and "with thanks for the Veteran's service to our Country".
> 
> ...


Beautiful! Love what you are doing. I've been looking for a project that I can do for my fellow vets. Can you find some pictures ? Tim


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## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

Thanks Charley for the information. I have one of the plastic boxes that funeral homes use to hold the ashes. I make my urns large enough to hold it. I like putting 5-screws in the bottom so the alignment work. I use 4-screws, but have 2-at one end slightly wider apart than the other end so they can see how they go back together. I also use pocket screws to hold the top on because funeral homes don't like any obstruction on the tops. I put a router ogee cut around the top edge of the top and bottom.

Arlington National Cemetery say their urns go in a wall so they can't be over 9" in any direction.

The ones at other funeral home that I have worked with are inserted into a waterproof fiberglass vault. When I started making these I was told if a wooden box goes into the ground without the vault that 20 years later granddaughter would come and ask for her grandmother's ashes because she is moving to California. They said they wouldn't be able to find anything.

I make urn for infants that I donate - generally a couple each year.

Oh, my engraver started calling me Urnie Ashes when he started engraving urns for me. Even his wife calls me Urnie.

Thank you guys for your helping to serve our veterans. I am a Navy veteran.

Malcolm / Kentucky USA


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## MikeSibley (Aug 11, 2020)

Not trying to change the subject, but when it is my time to go, I told my wife to get a refrigerator box, put me in it and but me on the curb. Then she could announce to everyone that "services were under the direction of Waste Management." I figure it would be much cheaper.

Seriously, guys that's wonderful and generous!


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Archi said:


> Beautiful! Love what you are doing. I've been looking for a project that I can do for my fellow vets. Can you find some pictures ? Tim


 @Archi

Tim, I sent you a PM (private message). Please look for it.

Charley


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Malcolm...sorry this is late...love how you split the corners...gives it a real classy look...!


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## JosyPaigan (Apr 1, 2021)

Looks nice. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away last year, and I also have such a funeral urn. And it's in my granny's house. They have lived together for 50 years since they were young. I love when she talks about her life with my grandfather, she misses him. Last year when my grandfather passed away, I couldn't physically attend his funeral, and I was upset about that, but I couldn't do anything. So, the only way to support my grandma and somehow attend the funeral was to find some streaming services for funerals. That's how many other people like my grandfather's friends, relatives, and I could watch the process.


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum @JosyPaigan


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## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

OutoftheWoodwork said:


> I should put my order in now, for a double one for Ken and I. Those are absolutely beautiful.
> 
> P.S. I aint makin my own... it's bad luck, and it requires finesse. I don't do accurate schtuff. I screw 'em up... and I can prove it!


I make double urns; singles; infants; pets.

It is a dying business.


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## GerryAttrick (Jan 14, 2015)

It would be great if you could attach your pdf on how you make these boxes. I'd love to try my hand at making them and advice from an obviously skilled woodworker would sure help.
Wonderful work and a great attitude.


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## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

GerryAttrick said:


> It would be great if you could attach your pdf on how you make these boxes. I'd love to try my hand at making them and advice from an obviously skilled woodworker would sure help.
> Wonderful work and a great attitude.


I'll see what I can put together.


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## Jimmy Dee (Oct 31, 2012)

kywoodchopper said:


> A dear friend asked if I would make two funeral urns like the one that I had made for her dad. These are for her and her husband. The friend's mom supplied me with two walnut boards.
> 
> These are 8-sided with maple splines.
> 
> ...


Malcolm, do you find that the "bird's mouth" router bits give you "near perfect" fits versus using a table saw or miter saw?
Jimmy Dee


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## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

Jimmy Dee said:


> Malcolm, do you find that the "bird's mouth" router bits give you "near perfect" fits versus using a table saw or miter saw?
> Jimmy Dee


I plane my boards to .46". 

I make sure one edge is completely straight by running it over the jointer. I mark the opposite edge from end to end. I also put a mark an inch or so from end to end about 1" from what will be the top of the box. So now I know what will be the outside of the box and what will be the top portion of the box.

If my board is a little longer than I will need, I pass the end of the board by the router bit to ensure the bit height and fence is set at the correct place. I generally get a perfect joint and the end of the boards will fit into the corner pieces that are 1" wide. I also use a push board that is against the fence and pushes my work piece by the bit. I have to make sure my work piece is cut at 90 degree and they are parallel. When I cut the pieces to length they will be the correct length, but they may not be parallel. After cutting pieces to the length I run them through the tablesaw to make sure they are parallel. To do this I put the edge that was against my miter gauge. The cut will be on what will be the top section of the box. Hope this helps.


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