Handmade wooden urns for ashes

The cherry urn in the photograph

That urn started as a cherry tree that came down in a storm at a customer's house. I went over, cut a big section of the trunk, milled it into slabs and boards, and let them dry. Two and a half to three years later the wood was ready, and it became this urn. Mill to urn, one tree, one pair of hands.

Because I do every step myself, an urn can come from a tree your family planted, climbed or sat under. How a piece from your own tree works.

What I make

• Full-size urns. Sized to hold an adult's ashes, about 200 cubic inches inside. The largest urn I have built is full adult size.
• Urns for pets. The urns I have made so far have both been for dogs: the full-size one, and a smaller one in maple for my sister's dog.
• Keepsake urns. Smaller pieces for a shelf, or to share a portion between family members.

The wood

Every urn starts with the wood, and I am glad to show you boards before anything is cut. Most of what I work comes from trees that had to come down for some reason. These are the woods I use most, and what each one does over time.

• Cherry starts pale pink and darkens to a deep red brown within the first year or two in the light. An urn that sits by a window will change the most.
• Walnut is dark chocolate brown from the start and mellows slightly lighter with age. A classic choice for a formal piece.
• White oak has a tight grain and stands up to moisture, which is why it was used for barrels and ships. Cut a certain way, it shows a ribbon pattern called ray fleck that no stain can copy.
• Red oak is more open grained and warmer in colour than white oak.
• Maple is pale, hard and smooth. Some boards carry a ripple called curl that catches the light.
• Ash is light coloured with a bold grain. The emerald ash borer has been killing ash trees across Maryland, so much of the ash I work comes from trees that had to come down.
• Elm and hickory, both strong and both with plenty of character in the grain.
• Pine is the traditional wood for a simple box: light, soft and honest about every knot.
• Spalted wood carries dark lines drawn by a natural fungus. Caught at the right moment and dried properly, it is some of the most striking wood there is.
• Reclaimed wood, from barns, old floors and storm-felled trees, carries nail holes and old marks. Most people choose it for exactly that.

How it is made

All wood, no metal. The corners are joined with dovetails or mortise and tenon, a peg cut on one piece that fits a hole cut in the other, so nothing needs a screw.

The ashes go in a bag inside the urn. Most of my urns close with a snug drop-down lid with no hinge; a hinged lid or a sliding panel is possible if you prefer. For a green burial, the bag has to be biodegradable rather than plastic.

Names, dates and personal touches

A name and dates can be carved by hand or laser engraved, set in a brass or bronze plaque, or branded into the wood with an iron. Tell me what you would like it to say.

How long it takes

Weeks rather than days for an urn from wood I already have dried. From your own tree it takes longer, because the wood has to dry first: at least two months from felling, using a kiln, and years if it air dries.

If you need an urn for a service in the next few days, the funeral home or crematory can provide a temporary container, and the ashes can be moved into a handmade urn later. Nothing is lost by waiting for the right piece.

Buying an urn from a maker rather than the funeral home

Under the Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule, a funeral home cannot refuse an urn you bought elsewhere and cannot charge you a fee for using it.What a funeral home must accept.