People are dying to buy them

[robinson46176]

In a thread in the community section there was mention of Wal-Mart selling caskets. I decided to drop that here and go toward woodworking with it.
Many states now again allow you to make or buy your own casket and require undertakers to accept them. My own state (Indiana) as I understand it, requires a vault so that graves do not sink and with that the casket does not really matter.
I once saw a TV news item telling about the growing number of "pine boxes" being used. They also showed some truly beautiful wooden homemade caskets.
I have given thought to making some caskets for family members but storage is kind of a problem. I would hope that they would have to be stored for a very long time.
Does anyone here make / made caskets?

[joedw00]

Not I. I would thank that making a gasket would be a little spooky. That just shows that if Wal-Mart can make money on it, they will sell it.

[mickyd]

In a thread in the community section there was mention of Wal-Mart selling caskets. I decided to drop that here and go toward woodworking with it.
.......................
Does anyone here make / made caskets?

Very weird subject but it is reality. The older you get, the less weird it gets. When faced with a decision to spend $5 - 10K from a funeral director vs. just going up into the attic and grabbing the one that was custom built by the one in need, I know which I would prefer.

[Ed in Tampa]

In a thread in the community section there was mention of Wal-Mart selling caskets. I decided to drop that here and go toward woodworking with it.
Many states now again allow you to make or buy your own casket and require undertakers to accept them. My own state (Indiana) as I understand it, requires a vault so that graves do not sink and with that the casket does not really matter.
I once saw a TV news item telling about the growing number of "pine boxes" being used. They also showed some truly beautiful wooden homemade caskets.
I have given thought to making some caskets for family members but storage is kind of a problem. I would hope that they would have to be stored for a very long time.
Does anyone here make / made caskets?

In days of yore caskets were used like "hope chests" until needed. I believe that is how fancy caskets came about. People built them and had to store them so they put them to work as storage units. Since most were visible they started to decorate them and caskets began getting fancy. They became pieces of furniture until needed.

If you ever have to go through the casket buying process, I guarantee you you will wish you had built one. They are outrageously priced, constructed about as cheaply as they can be and are a TOTAL ripeoff.

I want to build one for my wife but I can't get my wife to climb into the box so I can adjust the fit.

[riot_nrrd]

Rocler has a bunch of stuff related to this topic:

http://www.rockler.com/search_results.cfm?filter=casket

Riot Nrrd

[nomoman]

With My luck; I'd build one and the bottom would fall out.

[robinson46176]

Being a realist I don't see this as a weird or spooky subject. I have never known a person that was born that failed to die. Science is going to have to move awfully fast for any of us here to not die. My father used to very frequently say that "death is just as natural as life".
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One of my great grandfathers owned a sawmill in the late 1800's and one of the products he made to sell was caskets. He was a better person than a businessman. His customers were all his friends and neighbors and if someone died and couldn't pay up front he would let them have a casket on payments. He didn't get paid for a lot of caskets... In some cases he would just give someone really hard up for money, lumber to build a casket for a lost family member. He was also prone to sell lumber to people who's house had burned, on payments, knowing that he probably would not get paid. He just lived in a time and place where money was really short for most people. He was a little better off than most. He also owned the grist mill. Both mills were water powered. He used to buy big bolts of a white woven net material that he used to screen corn meal and flour as it came from the stone wheels. A new batch of that white netting became much of my grandmother's wedding dress.
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The bottom of a casket falling out in mid funeral would probably not be considered a good thing.

[dlbristol]

Hey Ed, You have shed light on one of my mysteries! It makes sense that the decoration comes from some place other than just having a pretty box to bury someone in. My wife has been prearranging for her Mom and she found a monistary in Indiana that builds caskets, stores them for you until needed and ships in 1-2 days. The most interesting part for me was that they have their own timber sources and do sustainable forestry practices. When you buy form them, they plant another tree to " replace" the wood used in your casket. Interestingly the prices were very reasonable when compared to some of the commercial options.
As for me, I want as little as possible spent on that need. Keep the $$ and do something that will make a difference to someone who could use the help.

[lnrmiller]

I don't think it's creepy. My wife, who is from a very small South Carolina town where everyone knows everybody (and their business), tells a story of a very old neighbor who had his casket standing up in the corner of the barn. This is in the 1970's and the man is in his 90's. He apparently purchased the casket from a salesman when he was quite young.

Interesting concept for a woodworking project. Definitely a conversation piece

[ryanbp01]

I remember seeing caskets on display at the Indiana State Fair two years ago. Also, you can order the hardware from Rockler. Haven't checked the Woodcraft catalog to see if similar items are available.
While we're on the subject, do you know the difference between a coffin and a casket? I do!:)
BPR