Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make! smiley_clapping
I have completed my first casket, Old West Toe Pincher Style, designed specifically for the folks that like the Old West, Cowboys & Horses, and things of that nature.
It has, however, begun to stir some very interesting responses from people from all walks of life.
http://www.treecyclers.com/Coffins.htm
Take a gander and see for yourself!
If you have dial-up, please be patient for the pix to load. They're big, so that people can get the good resolution on the photos, and see what they want to see of the piece.
And yes, I am taking orders if someone has a want for one.
Thanks! Have a Fantastic day!
SD
Dave asked me to check em out. :-\ :D I told him I wasn't getting any closer to em then looking at da photos. Actually I also told him that I hope if I ever Kick off my forum buds will chip in and put me in a box as special. :)
Dave, how about posting a couple of the smaller photos in your forum gallery to post here. We have been having a tom of problems with off site linking lately so its good to have some of the photos here as well.
Man, that is one cool casket. I think it looks awesome. The colors of the wood in it are great. I'd be buried in it!!!
I'll work on posting photos to the forum, as time allows.
With all of the feedback that I have gotten on it, from friends and family, it will theoretcally be a very hot selling item.
That being said, if anyone has a friend or family that works at a funeral home, and is amerable to forwarding my information on to them, I would sincerely appreciate it!
SD
Ok, we'll see if I did this right!
https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-21747
https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-21746
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13193/TPInt4sm.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13193/TPSideLsm.JPG)
A few years ago, some of my woodworking/card playing buddies and I decided that it would be "neat" to each make our own casket; as long as we were still alive, it would serve as the coffee table in our den or living room. Still kinda like the idea, but the wives all put the kibosh (is that a word ;D) on the concept. :D :D
here ya go ;)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13193/TPInt4sm.JPG)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13193/TPSideLsm.JPG)
It looks like it would be very comfortable.
But then it's not easy to get any feedback on that. ;D
Actually, when i designed and built it, it's dimensions are based on me.
Being at the upper end of the altitude scale, a person 6'6 will fit into it, and up to 250 pounds (I think it will go more, but that's my story and i am sticking to it).
It has 1/2" foam sides and a 2" foam mattress in it, so theoretically it's comfy, but being as the person inside won't feel a thing, and I don't have the stones to go lay in it myself, we'll never know.
GOI, thanks for hooking up the photos!
I sincerely appreciate it!
Dave
WHAT? You mean you didn't try it out? ??? ;)
I wouldn't be able to resist trying it out on an unsuspecting visitor.
"Fred slowly rises from the coffin..." ;)
Nice work !!!! Your prices are very reasonable... Actually m :Dy family has saisd they will give me an enema and bury me in a cigar box
I have always loved the look of wood and it just sounds like a good idea to me to be buried in something along the lines of what you are making. Beautiful wood too!
I'm just wondering if it can be used though? Seems like there is something about a coffin being "air tight" that comes to mind... is this one of those stupid laws or just something that the funeral directors came up with?
I don't think its the casket being air tight, I think its the vault. They are supposed to be air and water tight. Besides, how much air is there at 6' under?
Great looking casket treecyclers. 8) I was going to build my "final" box so the wife wouldn't have to buy one for me until she told me she was planning to roll me a ditch out back. :o
Some of the vaults have a seal but not all. The ones with a seal cost more.
pigman, build it anyway. Then she will have to do sometning with it anyway. :D
Will
That really does look nice. I have a question... Do you nail the lid on? Screw it on? This wasn't clear. If you nail it on, I'd think you would want to be careful when and where that took place. I also want to agree that that your pricing is very reasonable.
I know a man who quit his union truck driving job because he made these wood coffins and found a market for them . I dont like looking but I did and you did a very very nice job in making these and hope you have much success with it :)
In the research I have done, it's best to have no airtight seal on a casket, to allow natural decomposition. THe airtight gaskets that are flouted by some mfrs and funeral homes cause putrification in the casket, as opposed to natural decomposition.
The vaults aren't airtight either.
They are intended to prevent the collapse of the hole as the casket and remains return to the earth, more for safety than for any other reason.
Imagine the horror of a funeral party crossing the cemetary, carrying the remains of their loved one, and one of hte pall bearers sinking in to a grave, and dropping their beloved?
Yuck!
ON mine, the lid can be screwed down, it isn't airtight, and has little metal in it, making it ideal for both cremation and burial, so it serves both sides of the equation, making it marketable to everyone, not just one side.
From what I have heard, most funeral homes mark up caskets between 100 and 250% over cost, passing that on to the bereaved. I take issue with that.
I am all for making a reasonable profit, but price gouging isn't part of what I consider reasonable. 5-50% I think reasonable over cost, depending on the product and the amount of personal attention to detail that goes into the product.
Gouging people, especially in time of grief, is unspeakable.
So, even though I do market them to the funeral homes, I also market them direct to the public, at a comparable cost to the funeral homes, and then I pass on an anonymous donation to a local nonprofit in the name of the deceased.
It seems to be a reasonable way of doing business, everyone wins, and the community is a better place for my endeavors.
Could I pocket the added profit? Sure, I could. But, that man staring back at me in the morning wouldn't be real pleased with me.
SD
WOW! That isn't a casket, it is a work of art, I would feel too guilty to be buried in one :D
BTW: Very slick web site, with the windows opening and then closing properly, I am impressed.
Quote from: rebocardo on June 04, 2006, 08:53:00 PM
WOW! That isn't a casket, it is a work of art, I would feel too guilty to be buried in one :D
Thank you so very much for your kind words! The best part is that, even for it's intended use, the wood still demands to be caressed, and appreciated.
I intended it to be for cowboys and horse folks, people that appreciate and respect their fellow man, and folks that remember what it is to be a neighbor.
Quote from: rebocardo on June 04, 2006, 08:53:00 PM
BTW: Very slick web site, with the windows opening and then closing properly, I am impressed.
It's a very simple java script that I had a friend hook me up with in exchange for a jewelry box that I had made from a maple burl.
I think it adds a professional aspect to my site, makes me look bigger than I really am, and people tend to like that.
SD