Gene brought up cat window seats in another post and mentioned it was a cash cow for his son. Last night (bear with me) I was watching the news do a story on relaxing rules for gatherings, such as funerals. They were interviewing a manager of a local funeral home (one that advertises discounted prices) about the improvements he expects. Anyway, he was sitting in front of a wall of cremation urns they had for sale. Right behind him was one made of a very nice wood, maybe bark included, that couldn't have been more than 6"x6"x12" (a rectangular lidded box). The price was quite obvious: $295! I'll bet he turned ones that were equally a good buy . Anyway, if I did such stuff I think I'd consider making these .

59 minutes ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

Anyway, if I did such stuff I think I'd consider making these .

 

I've heard the big money is in pet urns (quantity).  Many people are having their pets cremated these days instead of the backyard burials.

There is a very good market out there for cremation urns/boxes. When we took in the urn I turned for my mothers ashes  the gentleman made a point of giving me his card and said he would take whatever I could make. At that place they ranged from $300-400 for the cheapest and at the high end $5000-6000. The high end ones were ceramic or metal. I never followed up on it but it seemed like a good market for boxes and turnings. 
Paul

I have a friend in the club that has turned a bunch of these and sold to funeral homes.  My guess is he gets abo8t half what they get sold for.

 

I talked to another friend this week.  For about 7 years, he's been making cremation boxes that fit inside a well of a hearse.  There is a local company that makes and sells the hearses.   He said that was business had about run its course.  I don't know if they are one per hearse or one per cremains.

Edited March 7, 20215 yr by kmealy

My wife and I plan on being cremated, I'd better get busy making something...I'd hate to think someone will spend that much on a box. Then again, they may just shovel my ashs into the garden.

We'll be cremated also. We made arrangements with the funeral home for simple cardboard boxes and no ceremony. Survivors instructed to scatter ashes wherever is handy. 

I've left instructions to...

Dig a hole, throw me in face first and tell the world....

9 minutes ago, Larry Buskirk said:

I've left instructions to...

Dig a hole, throw me in face first and tell the world....

 

You tripped again?

I am going to be cremated too. My instructions are to do one of two things. Find a mountain area that is beautiful, easy to do in Co, and allow the wind to take me away.  The other was to put my ashes in the garden and let tomatoes grow out of me.

about 6 years ago, my dad gave me some cherry wood that had been a small bookcase.  the wood was from his family tree farm in Michigan, and he had helped in milling the lumber many, many years ago.  so he had some connection to the lumber.

 

he visited my old shop, and in the course of a day, we took that lumber and made 2 matching cremation remains boxes, one for him, one for mom.  about 6x6x12 inside dimensions, lid is screwed in place with 4 brass screws.

 

late last year, my mom passed away, and now her remains are in the box marked as hers, we'll all gather in May to put her earthly remains to rest in a local cemetary.  

 

and a few years ago, i had a friend contact me and ask for a box for her uncle who passed away at age 44, quite unexpectedly.  so i made one of maple and mahogany with exactly 44 pieces of wood used.  materials ran about $100.  it was a gift to the family.

 

making the same box over and over does not appeal to me, that all of a sudden sounds like work, and would really complicate my taxes and record keeping.  pass.

After watching the movie "Get Low" with Robert Duvall, I'm dead set on building my own coffin. I love the idea, if the good Lord will allow me the time that is.😊

2 hours ago, HandyDan said:

 

You tripped again?

 

... How'd you know? Fell face first into...

Another cremation advisory:  we put my dad's ashes in some kind of cremo vase, and my brother (Seattle) stored it in the attic for about a decade while deciding what choice bit of shrubbery merited anointment.  When the time came, brother dumped the urn over, and all he got was a klink.  Looked in the urn:  the ashes had turned into a hard rock (Dad was a Marine: paying attention Gunny?).  Ashes to .... coal.  So don't wait too long, eh!

The Missus and me are planning on being buried at the Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge NH. Cremations only there. My other desire was to have the ashes scattered over the ocean from a boat.This was done for my Uncle Joe. He was a bit of a nonconformist so of course right after the eulogy when my cousin went to empty the ashes into the sea, the wind changed direction, and we were.......... rather kinda wearing Uncle Joe.   Afterwards at the yacht club, while toasting in his name, we agreed that was his way of getting in the last word for the day.