I was asked to make an urn for my Daughter-in-law’s father. I went through many designs and decided on this one. I was looking to make it unique so I tried several shapes and I thought a triangle might work. My wife spotted this lumber called “Black Limba” and we thought it was very attractive and looked a little like an ocean beach scene, which he loved. I noticed the grain design in the wood had a line that made the panel wrapped in a triangle look like the letter “A”, the first letter in his name. Not intentional.
I had never used my laser for a photo before and did probably 30 versions using all different settings trying to get a good result. Every piece of wood acted a little differently and some were too light and some too dark. Parts of the picture would plug up and other parts would not even show. The larger the picture, the better it looked. When I thought I had a couple that were the best I could do, I used them.
The urn is made with walnut and black limba. I really liked the combo and added some brass pins. I spun them in my drill on some 150 grit sandpaper to leave a concentric pattern on the ends.
I had to figure out a way to make the glass replaceable just in case something were to happen to it. I ended up using magnets and a pin to register the frame. The glass is held in place with double stick tape which makes it easy to fix. I set the magnets half in and half out to prevent the frame from sliding or rotating. I also added a pin to register the frame correctly. I made a video so they would know how things worked and wouldn’t pull the frame off or drop the urn by mistake. https://youtu.be/bmPx0VpmBbs
The frame on top was made with walnut, maple, Ziricote and black limba. The picture is engraved on birch ply, the engravings looked the best with its subtle grain patterns. Engraving the picture was the hardest part. I worked on it for hours trying to get a good result.
This is the second urn I’ve made and I tried to think of everything that might go wrong. The entire bottom comes off if there is any problem getting the remains through the access panel. There are screws under the pads that can be peeled off.
I used a few of the engravings that were in the running to be used for the urn, to make a couple of framed pictures. I worked too long on these to be wasted. They actually look better in person than they do here. I re-sawed maple and ziricote to make the banding.
I also made a couple of stands. The one on the left is walnut on some mystery wood I pulled from a bin at Rockler. The stand on the right is canarywood on the same unidentified wood, both have brushed brass pins to hold the frame..
This one was made with mahogany. I added a magnet to this one to go on the fridge.
This is a second urn that will be buried, all red oak in a similar shape.
wow john that is just stunning. the wood combo really works and the design is very unique. thats gonna bring a tear to her eye for sure. well done as usual !
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
It’s a great urn Awsum. I like how the grain on the bottom goes all the way around the box. Every thing fits well. The photo is such a nice addition. Which one will he be in? The one that gets buried or the other one?
Ok I get it awsom. You’re dividing him in two parts (who gets that job)and half of him will be buried in his hometown and the other half will stay with his daughter. Isn’t that spreading him a little thin? Which half will be buried and which part will be live with his daughter? I guess he’s defying the old saying. He can be in two places at one time.
So many thoughtful details. Building an urn is very special and I'm sure your daughter-in-law appreciates all the care and thought you put into building this. Very nicely done.
