Might be considered odd, but I'm in the planning stages for building an urn - for myself. And, when I told my husband, he said he wants me to build one for him too. No specific health concerns - so this is hopefully for the far-off future.
I have tried to look up "size" and it seems that typical adult size is 10-12" x 6-9" (exterior dimensions). According to one website, they suggest an adult cremation urn should be 200 cubic inches, or if "companion urns" (for 2 people), then double that at 400 cubic inches . They noted that as an estimate 1 pound = 1 cubic inch. Obviously, I want to build this with sufficient room. An interior of 8 long by 6 wide x 4.5 would be 216 cubic inches. Looking online, I see 10" x 7.5" x 5.5" as an example that looked nicely proportioned (and better extra space than too small) - guessing that was the external dimensions.
I am interested in hearing from anyone who has built a box (either single urn or companion urns) and if there are any special considerations that I need to take into account.
here are a few barb, a couple pets and an adult. here is one i made for my best friend. i dont have an sizes though but i just went by what i found online as you did. mine all open from the top but some people have the opening on the bottom. i hope my urn days are over.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
I made boxes for myself and my wife. Later we bought crypts to hold the remains. My boxes were too big to fit in the crypts. They did have bigger crypts at a much bigger cost. If you know where the urns will go, find out the details.
Hey, you don't know me, but you don't like me ... Buck Owens
Wanda keeps asking about what to do. I tell her I really don't care, as I won't be present.
When she presses ( and we're 80, so its probably time to get serious), I tell her to cremate me. It will get me accustomed to high temperatures.
Then, she can keep the urn on the mantle, or somewhere convenient.
When she thinks of something I did wrong, or forgot to do, she can simply grab that urn, walk to the toilet, dump a little in and flush. "Take that, you worthless &*$%". And she will always have some left for next time.
Thanks Jim - I saw that measurement in several sources. I guess various factors can impact that relationship, like bone density. I tend to build things to pretty tight tolerances, but this is one project I plan to be a bit more generous with space. I think the 1 pound=1 cubic foot is a good target.
i went over the recommendation because i had no size restrictions on any ive done, dog or human. the only one was my best friends daughter who was being placed in a mausoleum. i didn't have pic's of that one.
ps- if you ever do one for a pet always ask if they want to include a favorite toy or something ! and allow extra space.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
I did some checking and from what I found, ashes are placed in a plastic bag, and then that is placed in a temporary plastic box, or cardboard box. I called a local company and also checked online for the size of the plastic container - typically 8.5x6.5x4.5 (exterior dimensions in inches) although I guess there are varying sizes.
I think I'll build so the temporary box can just slide into the wooden urn. That will also help me finalize the shape as I was debating between a cube vs rectangular. To slide in this temporary box, it will be the latter.
When I made the urn for my mom, the ashes came in a plastic container (as you described) which I just slid into the urn. Less than four years later when I made my dad's, the same place used a much larger cardboard box. I had used the same design for both urns so we ended up merely placing just the plastic bag (which held the ashes inside the cardboard box) into the urn. If your urn ends up too small, you can always pass out little containers of the extra ashes to other family members. 🤔 L/W
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin
L/W - thank you for sharing the urns you built (so nicely done and a lovely way to honor your parents). I plan to build a bit bigger than the typical plastic box, and if that isn't used, then the plastic bag should still be able to fit.
The above dimensions of the cardboard box the ashes come in sounds about right for the two relatives I know that have been cremated but their body sizes were pretty small by the time they died (<120 lbs). Someone larger might require larger box so I would estimate based upon the weight.
I thought about making an urn for my eventual ashes but I finally just told my family to dump my ashes on the compost pile and later spread the compost in my garden to fertilize the flowers once fully composted. If I could, I would just have myself composted as to not waste the energy to cremate and also so that the energy tied up in my body would stay on the planet. When you are cremated, the energy from your body escapes into space and is lost forever rather than being recycled into new living things.
--Nathan, TX. Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.
