Coffins
are included on the list of products the Woodwright Shop produces.
Several years ago an old 19th century toe pincher coffin was hastily
constructed. It served well but due to the popularity it became battered
and started to fall apart. Simply put, it was loved to death.
Initially it was used as a display, but unexpectedly, a huge
percentage of our patrons liked to have their pictures taken in it. We
even added a bouquet of artificial lilies for the patrons to pose with.
This winter was replacement time for the old coffin with a newer
one that was more sturdily constructed. It was constructed in my garage
as the Woodwright Shop is closed for the winter.
1. Raw materials. Rough cut, one-inch, pine planks. Total cost; $40 dollars.
2. Tongue and groove cut in the planks.
3. Tongue and groove planks glued and assembled for the sides.
4. Sides standing up to see how they look.
5. Sides and ends cut and temporarily assembled to make sure the measurements and angles are correct.
6. Rough assembly.
7. Cutting the box joints to hold the pieces together.
8. Final assembly with the bottom started.
9. Final assembly on saw horses, The height makes finishing a bit easier.
10. Completed with molding installed and rope handle holes
drilled. It was necessary to add molding as the box joints did not fit
as well as I would like. Molding is very useful for hiding poor
workmanship.
11. Coffin permanently installed in the Woodwright shop. It is
safely screwed to the wall and ready for patrons for many years to
come. A top was not constructed as it would just be in the way. It would
be simple to make as it is essentially a clone of the bottom.
It took about a week of off-and-on work to complete the
project. As the garage door was open and the project in full view there
were quite a few comments from the neighbors. It was great fun and
probably reinforced my friends and neighbors opinion that I am totally
nuts. I suspect Mrs. Woodworker agrees with them. Hopefully the new
coffin will be as popular as the old one.
