Q: I enjoy woodworking and doing finish carpentry. My father is very ill. When he dies, can I make a casket for him or do I have to buy one from the funeral home?

Q: I enjoy woodworking and doing finish carpentry. My father is very ill. When he dies, can I make a casket for him or do I have to buy one from the funeral home?

A: There are many ways people can participate in caring for a loved one and in showing their love and admiration. Constructing a casket for your father can be a wonderful, personal statement and way to express your love.

Yes, you may make a casket for your father. By law, funeral homes cannot prevent a person from supplying their own casket and cannot refuse accepting a casket purchased from another funeral home or from a retail casket store.

The name "casket" comes from the Old French words "cassette" or "casse," describing a chest or box to hold jewels or anything intended to hold something highly prized or of great value. From your question, it seems this definition represents your feelings about your father. Prior to constructing the casket, here are some things you need to consider:

•Check with the cemetery where your father will be buried or entombed about any requirements or minimum/maximum standards concerning the length, width and depth of the casket.

•Construct the casket in proportion to the size of your father. Casket manufacturers have determined that 96 percent of the human race will fit into a casket with interior dimensions of 6 feet, 7 inches long by 2 feet high by 2 feet wide. If your father’s size requires larger dimensions, discuss it with the cemetery and funeral home in advance.

•Visit your local funeral home to familiarize yourself with caskets. Ask to see them and for permission to photograph one or two of them. Carry along a tape measure to record dimensions.

•Bear in mind that all caskets serve a utilitarian function to hold the body of a dead person. Being a carpenter, you probably plan to construct the casket from wood. The casket must be structurally sound and capable of supporting both the weight of the wood and the weight of your father. Commercial wood caskets weigh between 200 and 400 pounds empty, depending on the species of wood (walnut, mahogany, cherry, maple, oak, birch, pine). If, for instance, your father weighs 200 pounds, the bottom, sides and corners must be reinforced and able to support the total weight.

•For practical purposes, the casket should have handles attached to both sides and both ends. For strength, the handles should be bolted through to a metal plate attached to the interior of the casket and for safety, they should be sanded and finished to avoid causing splinters to those carrying it.

•Caskets made of hardwood can be highly polished or stained. If the wood is unfinished, it can be covered with an exterior fabric, such as flannel, that is glued to the exterior.

•If the casket is made in advance, you must consider where it will be stored until it is needed. It must be protected from moisture and such things as termites. Any interior lining of the casket (velvet, linen, crepe, etc.) should also be protected from deterioration and moths.

•The casket must be constructed so as to easily permit the top of the casket to be removed or fully opened with hinges to allow placement of the body into it.

If you are making the casket for purely financial reasons, you may be surprised to learn that you can buy a casket for several hundred dollars from most funeral homes. However, if you are doing this out of love, respect and a sense of personal involvement, you must be commended.

As a resource, I am sure your local funeral home will be interested in assisting you with this project. Thank you for an excellent question.

Kubasak is a licensed funeral director, embalmer and certified crematory operator. A consultant and lecturer, he can be reached by calling (702) 345-3212..