How to Make a Pet Coffin
Losing a pet is like losing a family member; it hurts and you will grieve. Some families opt for burial at a pet cemetery for their pets. There are plenty of commercially available caskets for use in pet funerals, but these options may not be personal enough to bury your beloved pet. Creating your own pet casket can be an outlet for those who need to keep themselves busy as they grieve, and making a pet coffin at home allows you to customize your pet's final resting place.
- Building the Coffin
- Approximate the size of your pet
- Measure your pine boards
- Cut the pine boards
- Cut the two-by-four boards
- Screw each two-by-four by-four
- Fill any holes or kinks or
- Apply a coat of stain
- Apply a polyurethane
- Screw the hinges to the base of the coffin
- Making the Pillow
- Measure the interior of your coffin
- Cut two rectangles
- Hold the satin rectangles together
- Turn the pouch
- Fold the edges
1 Building the Coffin
2 Approximate the size of your pet
Approximate the size of your pet. If you feel you can, measure your pet's width and length for a more exact measurement. Record these measurements for reference.
3 Measure your pine boards
Measure your pine boards and mark the length and width of your pet. Create a rectangle shape with a carpenter's pencil on the boards, or draw a classic coffin shape.
4 Cut the pine boards
Cut the pine boards using your circular saw on the outlines you produced.
5 Cut the two-by-four boards
Cut the two-by-four boards to match the measurements of each side of your cut pine boards. For example, rectangular boards measuring 12 by eight would require four two-by-fours, two 8-inch two-by-fours and two 12-inch two-by-fours. A classic coffin shape will require you to use a two-by-four for each angle.
6 Screw each two-by-four by-four
Screw each two-by-four to one of the pine boards. Screw the two-by-fours together once they are in place to secure the sides of the coffin.
7 Fill any holes or kinks or
Fill any holes or kinks on the surface of the wood with wood filler.
8 Apply a coat of stain
Apply a coat of stain to the exterior of the coffin. Allow the stain to dry for the period of time recommended by the manufacturer. For a darker color, apply a second coat of stain after the first has dried.
9 Apply a polyurethane
Apply a polyurethane based sealant to the exterior of the coffin. Allow the sealant to dry for the period of time recommended by the manufacturer.
10 Screw the hinges to the base of the coffin
Screw the hinges to the base of the coffin. Screw them to the lid so that it easily opens and closes.
11 Making the Pillow
12 Measure the interior of your coffin
Measure the interior of your coffin. Note these measurements for later use.
13 Cut two rectangles
Cut two rectangles of satin approximately one inch larger on all sides than the interior measurements of your coffin.
14 Hold the satin rectangles together
Hold the satin rectangles together. Sew three edges shut to form a pouch.
15 Turn the pouch
Turn the pouch "inside out" so that no seams are visible. Stuff the pouch with polyester filling.
16 Fold the edges
Fold the edges of the unsewn side of the pouch toward the inside. Use a needle and thread to secure the edge of the pillow shut with tiny stitches. Place the pillow inside your pet's coffin.
- 1 "Do-It-Yourself Coffins: For Pets and People (Schiffer Book for Woodworkers);" Dale Power, Jeffrey B. Snyder; 1997
- 2 "Woodworking for Dummies;" Jeff Strong; 2003
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