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View Full Version : What shape is a typical "Urn"



keith53
13th June 2006, 10:24 PM
G'day all,

The wife of an old friend of mine was cremated today after passing away following a long battle with cancer. He's an avid woodworker and has asked me to turn a Urn to hold the ashes.

Trouble is, I don't know what shape a typical urn is. The first shape that sprang to mind was something like a fat goblet with a lid. Is there an accepted shape? I'd appreciate your thoughts (& hopefully some pics).

Thanks in advance,

Keith

bitingmidge
13th June 2006, 10:44 PM
Keith,

Send a PM to MathewA (Toolin' around), he used to turn them for a living so has heaps of pics.

He's just moved house though, so has limited access to the web and may not see this thread.

Cheers,

P:cool:

keith53
13th June 2006, 11:06 PM
Done.

Thanks Peter.

Toolin Around
14th June 2006, 12:21 AM
Hi Keith

The information I give relates to what I did in Canada, so it may be different here. To be a legal urn it needs a volume of 200 cubic inches (3.3Litres). Generally the crematorium preferred urns that were accessed from the bottom. Usually I made the bottom hatch from 1/4 plywood and anchored it with 2 small screws so it could be easily removed by the crematorium. The access hole was 2 inches.

If your friend plans to place his wife in a crypt you will need to find out what the dimensions of it are. I only made that mistake once:o

As for shape... the sky's the limit. From what I can remember, the catalogues I used to thumb through had every conceivable shape and style possible.

I've attached two pics of the more popular ones I used to make. The Grace is aprox 10 - 11 inches tall and the Royal Oak a bit taller. Without hook tools combined with a deep hollowing setup and a fairly sturdy lathe they could be a bit difficult to make.

I'd be glad to help - just let me know.