I lost my Brother-In-Law to cancer a couple of months ago just short of his 65th birthday. He was a good guy and I'll miss him. My sister asked me if I would airbrush a design on a metal urn if she were to buy one, because I had done some airbrushing art on one of his vehicles and he really liked it. I told her I would rather build his urn and she agreed.

I used tiger maple and cherry for the urn. Once I told her the design I had in mind, she also asked if I could find a special piece of wood for the top. I started this build and was very aware of what I was building and there were days it took a toll. I thought this piece of wood looked like a beach with waves and a few clouds. It seemed very peaceful to me , so the selection was made and I chose the section I thought would represent that.

I learned a lot while I was doing this project. One of the things I learned is how fast regular 10% ammonia can age cherry. I read on line that cherry doesn't fume very well because it doesn't have an abundance of tannins. I tried it anyway and the results were fantastic. This is what it looked like after 4 or 5 days.

I was very particular when fitting the M&T's and there were so many parts that fit perfectly only in one spot, so I found it helpful to label each joint to remind me how it all goes together. Tape wasn't working for me so I pulled out my wood burning pen and labeled each piece with a design like used on playing cards. It was the only way I could keep everything organized so the fit and orientation of each piece was as perfect as I could make it. I also added a strip of foam in each groove to keep the panels from rattling.

I used mortise and tenon joinery on the corners and I wanted it to look masculine if possible. I liked the proud tenon look, but I didn't like the way things looked when I dry fitted the piece with only one set of tenons poking through. I decided to miter the frames and use fake tenon plugs to get the look I wanted.

I started to glue the frame together and I realized I didn't like the way the joint looked, so I made another prototype to see if I was able to save what I had already glued up. I used a fine blade saw to cut into the joint and then some files to get the joint to look like it was slightly beveled before glue-up. I was pretty happy with the new look, so I went back and did the same thing to all the frame sections I had already glued up.

Knowing the tablesaw wouldn't be the right tool to make these plugs I first tried the bandsaw but it would shoot the plug off the table at the end of the cut. I have this tool from an old Christmas gift. It is a kit from X-Acto that included this little miter box. It was the perfect tool for cutting these plugs.

The bottom was probably not done the best way, but through this entire project I was worried about how this was assembled knowing it might have to last for a very long time. I have no experience with urns or cremation so it had me wondering how long this would be passed through generations. I used glue and screws to make sure it will stay together.

Keeping the grain pattern in tact, I wrapped the insert and was able to achieve a piston fit for the bottom.

I beveled and put leather on the feet, burned my logo w/date and waxed. The feel of the wood is the best finish I have ever achieved. I fumed the cherry, used Danish oil on everything, I sanded everything to 400 grit and then 0000 steel wool and then used Briwax.

This was the most stressful project I have ever done. Mostly because it was for my sister who I love very much, but also because my B-I-L would have done the same for me.

I'm sure there are better ways to do what I have done, so feel free to comment if you know of a better way of doing something. This project was different from anything I've done before and I'm so glad it is over so I can go back to making things that don't have such a profound meaning. Once I had it packaged and ready to go I felt such a weight had been lifted. I'm proud of my results, but I'm so glad it is finished.