A morbid but less expensive idea

[newood2]

Rockler has a wood casket plan for $14.99. Would you consider building one for yourself or a family member? As yukkie as this may sound to even think about it, this may be a very practical and financial-wise idea. It probably would cost less than Costco.

[herb fellows]

It might cost less than Costco, but you have to consider the warranty!

[JeffG78]

You would be REALLY motivated to do a quality job. Otherwise you'd spend eternity staring at your flaws Maybe you could ask to be buried with some wood filler, sandpaper and stain. I don't think you'd have to worry about re-staining in a well ventilated area. I could go on and on...

[cabinetman]

My father was very ill the last few years of his life. He was too ill to visit my shop, or to realize how I was coming along in business. I though what a great tribute to him it would be for me to build his casket. I was in a quandary about the whole idea. I thought that it might be a bad omen for me to be planning such a task, and then actually have him see it.

If I waited for him to pass, I wouldn't have enough time. If I just went ahead and built it and just stored it away, that would solve the anxiety problem he might have developed. That scenario would have given me the satisfaction of doing a last favor.

His will was clear about all the arrangements, as he had a plot next to where my mother was buried. I called the funeral home to tell them of my wishes, and found out that funeral homes will not accept just any casket. They all have their own suppliers and would not accept one that I would make.

I called several and the story was all the same. It was like a controlled distributorship. It's not like there are minimum standards, as I see it the occupant could care less. I also knew that I could fabricate one as good as anything I could buy from them.

So, as stressed as I was at the time, I decided to just deal on their terms, and use their product. With all the calls I made to different funeral homes, one director told me that if I could make pet caskets, I could have a lot of work. He said he got calls regularly for the small sizes. He also said that a lot of people spend more money on pets than parents.
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[crokett]

I'm gonna be cremated, so I won't need a casket. stuff me in a box made of pallet wood, I won't care.

Cabman, our old babysitter's husband is a manager at a local casket company. He said the same thing - people will pay more for pets than parents.

[twistsol]

I could never build one for a loved one. I'd have to keep them in the freezer for 6 months to a year while I finished it.

My wife and I agreed long ago that whichever one of us goes first is going to be cremated and then flushed down the toilet of a plane on its way to Grand Cayman.

[TB Roye]

They use a cardboard box when they cremate you. Nothing fancy. I though of making mine of wood and being cremated in it. I don't think they would allow it as it might mess up the process, to much left over ash. I do know the offer fancy boxes, might even be some kind of thin wood, but not a normal casket. What wrong with a little Hickory? or Maple. or Mesquite?

Tom