The Final Project

(with apologies to Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes creator who penned the story “The Final Solution.”)

It seems, as they say, I have reached the age where life stops giving you things and starts taking them away. As such, I am determined to revisit an idea I had several years ago. I want to build my own coffin.

Now, before you start thinking I am being macabre, think about it for a minute. What better way to cap off a lifetime of woodworking, starting in my teens as a cabinetmaker’s apprentice?

And, no this is NOT my final project, per se. I still have lots of ideas and plans. For example, I really want to make built-in bookshelves in the office. I have thoughts on building a custom desk in the office, too.  And, there are always other projects people ask me to build. But, I think I want to start planning a nice wooden coffin for myself.

Not just a pine box, like you see in cowboy movies. And, nothing too elaborate. Just a simple, elegant wood coffin. Depending on the wood I choose, I think I have most, if not all, of the tools I would need.

It seems like a natural progression.

The only problem I foresee is to keep it in a somewhat climate-controlled place, so the wood doesn’t dry out and split or, God forbid, rot.