How much are these funeral boxes?

The price ranges from $982 to a little over $2,000. It depends on what you want.

What’s the advantage of having a service with ashes instead of the whole body?

The biggest advantage is time, there is no rush to have a service. Having the funeral several months after the death is pretty common.

You get do your preliminary grieving and get over the first shock. When you do have the service that final good-by is usually sweet and heartfelt.

You can have your service any time and any place you want. Relatives and friends have plenty of time to make travel plans.

Who puts the ashes in?

You can put the ashes in or we can do it. You can also have this done by a funeral director or a friend. It is straight forward and easy to do.

Some people leave the ashes in the plastic bag and some pour them into the box.

What are the ashes like?

Human ‘cremains’ are like a light sand, heavier than flour but not as heavy as sand. The texture is kind of sharp, like rough sandpaper. Although they are gritty they are super clean.

After the fire the calcium (this is what the cremains really are) is into a special machine called a pulverizer. This crunches all the pieces so they are an even size. The settings on this machine determines how fine the resulting cremains are.

The cremains are then carefully put into a heavy plastic bag and sealed. This bag goes into a box of plastic or cardboard and is labeled.

Do most people bury their funeral box or keep it at home?

Most people bury the box. Some people are pleased to keep their box at home.

Can I scatter the ashes or do they have to stay in the box?

Yes. The seal on every box is easy to remove with a regular screw driver. You can turn any box over and take off the plate to remove the ashes.

If you have decided to keep the ashes in the bag your box will be built differently and is easy to open.

What is a ‘scattering box’?

That is usually a funeral box with a flip open top, like a big pepper container. When it’s time to scatter the ashes you just open it up and pour the ashes out. That is an option we can do.

Can I split up the ashes?

Yes. Some people like to split the ashes up and give some to different family members. Some people want to be scattered in different parts of the world and this is a cool way to do that.

You will want to order smaller containers for that.

How do you know how big to make the box?

The accepted way to figure out the size of an urn for human remains is surprisingly easy.

One pound of a living guy = one cubic inch of cremains.

Examples:

An urn for a 100 pound man would contain 100 cubic inches, makes about a 4 ¾ inch cube.

An urn for a 200 pound man would contain 200 cubic inches, makes about a 5 ¾ inch cube.

An urn for a 200 pound man would contain 300 cubic inches, makes about a 6 ¾ inch cube.

Do you have a standard box?

Sort of. See below.

Do you have some boxes already built?

Actually we do have a few boxes on the shelf. These are ready to be customized or they can be used just as they are.

Will these boxes fit into a military plot?

Yes, however military niches (the opening for a funeral box) are not uniform across the country. For example a niche in Arlington National cemetery is 13H x 10W x 18D. In another publication the military columbarium niche size 10 ½H x 15W x 20D. If you are having a military burial you will need to check with the exact cemetery to find out the size we have to work with. We make sure your box will fit comfortably.

What if I’m going to put the box into a columbarium niche?

The standard size for a columbarium niche in inches is 9H x 9W x 9D. However, this is not true across the country. It will be important to check with the exact cemetery for their exact size. We will make sure your box fits comfortably.

Can I paint my box or have the grand kids help out?

You sure can. You can paint it with any colors or designs you’d like.

You will probably want a fairly plain box if you’re going to have the kids do it. They will cover it with lots of colors and plenty of details.

What kind of wood do you have on hand?

We’ve got plenty of oak, flamed and quilted maple, pine, basswood (this is excellent for fine carved details), cherry, and cedar.

We very fortunate have a supply of a very unusual wood that is certified to be 50,000 years old. It is called Ancient Kauri and it is from New Zealand. You can see it here: ancientwood.com

What about the wood?

Wood so much a part of our lives it is almost invisible to us. Most of us have grown up inside buildings whose main structural components are wood. All our lives we have been surrounded with wood trim, wood doors, wood tables, wood chairs, wood bed frames, wood floors, wood picture frames, wood boxes, wood handled tools and more. We handle objects made of wood without thinking about it.

How does wood project ‘attitude’?

Occasionally we enter rich and formal rooms that are totally clad in wood. The walls are usually high and panels of wood have rich surrounds and may even have some carved details. These rooms might be places of worship, legal and political seats of power, or corporate offices. They are carefully designed to project an attitude power and seriousness.

You have probably enjoyed a cup of coffee and a good conversation with a friend in their kitchen. The attitude of these rooms is usually warm, casual, light and inviting. Very different from the judges chambers.

Although often subtle, wood has had an influence on all of us. How you design your funeral box and the woods you choose will project an attitude.

Like stones and gems, some people say different woods carry specific attributes or energies. Although not popular these days, centuries ago these were serious considerations.

The Secret Compartment

You might have something you want to send along with your loved one. It could be a gift or a note. Maybe a ring, a bit of cloth, a small toy, a symbol, coins, a gem or stone. It could also be a note of thanks, a prayer, a poem, a picture, a reminder, good wishes, your last words to them, or anything else you wish to say.

A special feature for your box can be a secret compartment where you can slip in small items for your loved one to take with him. Nothing in the compartment actually touches the ashes, it is a separate chamber built right into the box.

The compartment is easy to open but it is not obvious, you will see it if you know where to look.

To see our Viking Funeral Ships that Burn and Sink

Please visit our other sister site: vikingfuneralships.com

Thanks for checking us out.