Funeral urn for pets

[Chuck Beland]

OK after spending a few hrs researching funeral urns & pet funeral urns. Most of the ones I have seen have a domed top I really don't like that type I want to make one with a type of finial not a large one but to make the urn stand out the piece of wood is Bubinga about 6" square & 9" long. The top will be a false top & the base will have the hole to put the ashes in then I will glue the base on to seal it permanently.

I want to make a classic style urn but am in need of help with designing the top & finial.

Any advice?

Chuck

 

[Ken Grunke]

Chuck, if you need some help previsualizing a shape, try 3D software. The simplest program is Microlathe, available for download at
http://www.marshallarts.co.za/technical.htm

Before I got into computers, my favorite method was drawing curves on graph paper and using a mirror on edge to look for that "ideal shape".

 

[KurtB]

Pet Urn

Chuck,
Although I didn't turn this as an urn, it could be used as one. Particularly a display type urn, not a burial urn. I suggest that since the opening will be sealed after the ashes are inside, why not go ahead and make a lid on the top, where there is a lot more room? Overall size is 18"x5"Diam. Hope this helps.🙂

 

[Chuck Beland]

Thanks Ken,
How easy is it to use?


Kurt,
I wanted to make more of a classic design I want to display it in the living room on the entertainment center & make it wide & have a stable base. Also if it falls over that it not break I plan on making it maybe 5/16" thick so even if dropped from say 4' not to much of a chance to break.

Thanks for the help though.

Chuck

 

[Ken Grunke]

Thanks Ken,
How easy is it to use?

Chuck

Chuck, very easy. To start with, no install necessary, but before unzipping Microlathe.zip put it in a folder as there are several loose files. They aren't necessary to run the program, just example files and a README. The program itself is called LATHE.EXE , you can run it from your Desktop or anywhere on your computer for that matter.
Double-click it and draw a curve for your profile--the center is aligned horizontally like a real lathe. Just click in the window to add a point to your curve, the closer together your points are the smoother the curve will look.
You can edit the position of the points during and anytime after creating the curve by putting the cursor over the point until a little circle appears, and dragging the point where you want.

To see a 3D rendition, just choose "3D" under the View menu. You can toggle back and forth between Lathe mode and 3D render mode with Alt-3 & Alt-L.
In the Control Panel, 8 radial slices is default but I always change it to 60 for smooth rendering. You can rotate the horizontal "turning" to vertical with either of the diagonal arrow buttons. Attatched are a couple of turned shapes I created with the program today for possible inspiration.

 

[Turnedoutright]

SketchUp

I use Sketchup and its free!
You can get a book on using it for this purpose from my site.
If you want I will show you how easy it is send me a sketch of what you want at:

donny@turnedoutright.com
don_kleinschnitz@hotmail.com

 

[Chuck Beland]

Donny,
I'm not sure of the basic shape I know I'm leaning more to a classic style.


Ken,
That does look very easy thanks I'll try it.

Again thanks for all of your help

Chuck

 

[Joe Greiner]

For a boatload of classical reference shapes, buy or borrow "The Styles of Ornament" by Alexander Speltz. All illustrations are copyright-free, and it should be available in local libraries or by inter-library loan. Most booksellers can source it. Or use Google to search.

Joe

 

[Ken Grunke]

You can view it online here:
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/DLDecArts.StyOrnSpeltz

 

[Chuck Beland]

Gentleman,
Thank you very much for all of your help

Chuck

 

[Wyatt Holm]

Mike Mahoney Video

Mike Mahoney has a great video on hollow forms and urns.
You could also look at his website, he has pictures. www.bowlmakerinc.com
Wyatt