Another interesting project completed - whew!

It's not too often that I build something and think about it lasting more than a hundred years.  

Oh, don't get me wrong - there are times when I build a dining table or a bed or a cabinet, and I wonder what people will think of it when it's handed down over time. But this time - I'm talking about building something more like a time capsule.

The urn that I just completed will soon be on its way to Italy, where it will end up in a walled vault with a lease. There are a ton of rules and regs for transporting ashes - you can read about those here.

The cemetery in Turin allows cremains to be housed for 99 years, after which, the urn ... well, who know what happens to it.

Here's the inspiration for the build. 

Early Dynastic Coffin by Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum on Sketchfab

Tradition has this urn being build of Cedar of Lebanon, and my client tracked down a slab of it in Northern California.

 I spoke to the lumber dealer, and explained how I'd like it re-sawn, and within a week or two, I had these 4 slabs resting in my shop. 

We went through a ton of design considerations - everything from building with wet wood (which is sure to shrink) to utilizing joinery that doesn't rely on glue. It took months, and frankly, a lot of emotional decisions. 

Here's the crate, in which the urn will be transported.

 The contents of the crate need to be accessible for inspections, hence the buckles that secure the lid.

 Once the lid is removed, the urn is revealed. 

 Since this wood is fairly fresh, the aroma of the cedar rushes right out at you - it's pretty amazing.

  You can see that curve on the lid from this view - thanks to my buddy Rick for machining that curve on his CNC. 

When it was finally complete, the buyer and I sealed the cremains in the urn, using brass screws and plugs to cover the screws. 

What will the cemetery people find in 99 years, when this box is removed from its vault?

This crate and urn will soon be on its way to Italy. All in all, this was a pretty emotional project, but one I was very honored to build. 

Godspeed, Pia.