Urn

Sad circumstances; beautiful memories.

I was honored to build an urn for my great uncle Babe. I was given a few parameters: wood type (red oak), stain to match, glossy finish, and the dimensions. The urn needed to be double the height of normal urns because they want their ashes together when my great aunt passes.

The sides are joined with miters, then black walnut splines were added for extra strength and decoration. The top fits on the bottom by sliding around a faux inner wall as you can see in the pictures. That faux inner wall is only 1.5" deep and is made of black walnut as well.

The top "side" is oak cut as a raised panel which fits in grooves. I wasn't sure how it would look when completed, but I like it.

The stain I used was American Heritage Minwax, and I finished it with glossy wipe-on poly to minimize drips and other problems. That went very well and I'll probably use wipe-on poly more. I like the glossy finish more than expected.

A picture before stain and poly.

I made this urn about a year after the first. It's especially special to me because it is made for my grandparents. We lost my paternal grandpa this spring after his long fight with Parkinson's disease.

This urn had no stain applied, just rub on glossy polyurethane. I love the grain of the wood on the front face because it's very unique.