The building background and journey are noted in the blog posts (#1 and #2) so this will be a simple description.
This is an urn I built for myself - no issues, just planning ahead. Of course, the wood selection had to be walnut. I wanted a simple design so nothing overly fancy. I looked online to get ideas and watched a lot of urn-building videos. Many of these are a bit emotional, being built for family members so am thankful folks are willing to share.
Decided on mitered corners with floating top and and then the bottom will screw into place. I had some issues with the miters (see blog), and in the end went with splines to support the mitered corners. I used walnut for the splines as I didn't really want a contrast as I typically have done with splines on other projects. The top was from a figured piece of walnut I picked up some time ago and was waiting for just the right project - and this ended up being where most of it was used. Worked to keep the grain flowing and was happy with how that worked out, even on the non-continuous side.
The bottom will be held in place with screws once the plastic container with the cremains is inserted and there are oak dowels to ensure centering with the pre-drilled pilot holes.
Finished with Odie's Oil which really brought out the grain in the walnut as seen in the pre/post comparison.
Great looking urn Barb, but I hope it isn't needed for many years. I've never done a floating top and it’s a nice look. I think I’ll have to try it out on one of my next projects.
Petey- thanks! And yes, just wanted to work through how to build this. I don't know God's timing for me, but from my perspective, this is an "early" build.
Awsum55 - thanks. I actually built a jig for on my tablesaw in order to get the top bevel. Before the bevel, I cut the edge so it could slide into the groove. I did use space balls on the sides as I did not want it moving (cut those in half as a whole was just a bit too much for this application). I added a bit of glue in the groove in the middle of the ends so I could get it centered, but still allow for a bit of movement.
Ron - thank you. As the old hymn says, this world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. The build has been a good project, with time to reflect on many aspects of life.
Thanks Gary G. Walnut is my favorite so that was an easy decision.
Tony - I think building for someone else will be harder. Sort of like my dad's flag case - there were so many emotions. This afternoon I started on my husband's (board prep) and he wants some contrast. Plans are for walnut with a lighter wood for a cross and splines. I'll try to blog about that build.
Thank you Jim. I liked the idea of making what I wanted. Sounds like you are also a planner.
