Help please...timber for an ashes urn

kgill · 27 Oct 2024

Hi,
Sadly my father in law passed away last week, and my mother in law has asked if I would make an urn for his ashes.
This is not only a great honour but also quite a scary responsibility.
I'd like to do the man and our family justice by producing the best item I can. He was not only a lovely man, but incredibly generous and a talented woodworker himself. I have inherited his hand tools - including his hand planes, dovetail saw and marking gauges etc. At 92 years young at his passing I received these some time ago and they are the tools I have come to love and use pretty much on everything I make.
So... the questions for you wise and talented folks are;
WHAT TIMBER AND WHERE TO GET IT?
PLUS DESIGN IDEAS AND HINTS AND TIPS TO GET THINGS AS PERFECT AS POSSIBLE.

I was thinking mahogany and a simple elegant mitre box with wrap around grain and a chamfered lid.

But I've no idea where to source mahogany - can you even still buy it?
Plus what is the best most precise way to miter the joints.
Etc.

Diver Fred · 27 Oct 2024

Teak would be a better timber. Is/was there a timber he preferred to work with?

I'd dovetail the sides together (in fact I did) Rebate for the base out and screw together - use brass screws (or if you must Marine grade Stainless steel).

The size is 12x8x5 or 12x9x5 inches.

I made the late MIL's out of timber from her favourite garden tree - we had to cut her flowering cherry down some years ago and I'd converted the butt to planks. Used some of that for her casket.

kgill · 27 Oct 2024

Diver Fred said:
Teak would be a better timber. Is/was there a timber he preferred to work with?

I'd dovetail the sides together (in fact I did) Rebate for the base out and screw together - use brass screws (or if you must Marine grade Stainless steel).

The size is 12x8x5 or 12x9x5 inches.

I made the late MIL's out of timber from her favourite garden tree - we had to cut her flowering cherry down some years ago and I'd converted the butt to planks. Used some of that for her casket.

THANK YOU!!

Jeez sometimes the universe does freak me out a bit. Sat here chatting with my better half about her dad since my post and BOTH teak AND dovetails were mentioned!

Yes I think teak could work. I'm just a little nervous about dovetails. It's not only the fact they are a little unforgiving of errors but also getting the angles and spacing right so they look right in the size and dimensions of the box.

I made this jewlery box for a friend's daughters birthday a couple of months ago. While not perfect I was happy with the dovetails but I still find the size and spacing incongruous with the overall box.

HOJ · 27 Oct 2024

kgill said:
WHAT TIMBER AND WHERE TO GET IT?

If Oak is an option DM me and I can send you some KD European Oak for the cost of postage, can't guarantee the cut of the board though.

bourbon · 27 Oct 2024

Try smaller charity shops for brown furniture. You might get lucky and pick up something Mahogany.

kgill · 27 Oct 2024

HOJ said:
If Oak is an option DM me and I can send you some KD European Oak for the cost of postage, can't guarantee the cut of the board though.

Oh thank you, that's very kind in deed.
However Oak is a preferred material of mine and I do have some.

Additionally I'm currently thinking I may need a relatively thick board as I'd like to rip it down the middle to achieve the full wrap around grain effect.