For our annual Halloween party last year, I wanted a full sized coffin for a room centerpiece. I wanted it to look realistic, and to be able to use it year after year in a variety of ways. This need sent me on a journey through all the stores, web sites, and articles I could find looking for the right coffin for my needs. What I found were either made of cheap cardboard, too small, or too expensive. So I decided to build my own. Total cost for the project was about $300.00 and here is how I did it:

Required Lumber:
Ponderosa Pine boards - two 1"x 4"x 8', two 1"x 6"x 8', one 1"x 8"x 8'
Cheap pine boards - four 1"x 12"x 8' (some knot holes are okay)
ACX Plywood - one 4'x 8'x 1/4"
Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) sheet-one 4'x 8'x 3/4"
Crown molding (Homebase #PPR609) two 12' length
Casing molding (Homebase #PFJ428) one 10' and one 7' or equivalent
3/4" pine duck molding (custom molding shop)

Required Hardware:
2" dry-wall screws

1" wood screws (silver)

1" finish nails (not silver)

Wood glue

Black upholstery tacks

5" and 1" furniture foam,
Polyester lining material

220 and 100 grit sand paper

Stain or paint (your choice of color)
48" piano hinge (Homebase)

6 coffin handles (AEON).

Required Tools:
Table saw, miter saw, circular saw, drill & bits, 4-5 bar clamps, nail set, hammer, router with bits, stapler, tape measure, hot glue gun.

First cut the base, or bottom of the coffin out of 3/4" fiberboard (MDF). It will measure 17" at the head, 14" at the foot, 28" across at the widest point. This "widest point is 21" from the head, and 53 ½" from the foot. (see fig 2). The fiberboard is very strong and you will need a sharp blade to cut it. I found that a circular saw with a rip blade works best. Use a strait edge to guide the saw and cut slowly. Use a rasp to smooth up the edge after it is cut.

The sides of the coffin will be built a little long and then cut to size. The sides will be assembled with wood glue and with a plywood back to strengthen the relief panel. For each of the two upper side sections, cut two pieces of 1"x 4" and two pieces of 1"x 6" to 22 1/2" long and two pieces of 1"x 8" to 4 1/2" long. A miter saw will give you the best edge. Put the pieces together like a frame. One 1"x 4" on top, the two 1"x 8"s on the ends and 1"x 6" on the bottom. Don't worry about the ends being perfectly even, you will cut them to size later. Glue and clamp the assembly using two bar clamps. (see fig. 1) Each of the lower side sections consist of two 1"x 4"s and two of 1"x 6"s, 55" long and two 1"x 8"s cut to 4 1/2" long. Assemble them the same as the upper sides. You now have two frames measuring 22 1/2" wide by 17" tall, and two frames 55" wide by 17" tall.

The foot and headpieces each consist of two 1"x 12" boards 20" long glued and clamped together side-by-side. After the glue dries cut both to a total height of 17". Use the joint of the two boards as a centerline and rip the foot piece down to an overall width of 14 1/2". Do the same with the headpiece to 17 ½" wide.

Now for miter cutting the ends of the side pieces. Set your table saw blade to the correct height for cutting 3/4" stock at a 45-degree angle, since you are ripping an edge, you need to use your miter fence. Both ends of the foot and head pieces are cut at a 45-degree angle, as are the side pieces that meet the foot and head. The ends where the upper and lower side pieces meet are cut at a 15-degree angle. (see fig. 2). Cut the 45-degree ends first, trimming off only enough to make a uniform edge. Set your pieces on top of the fiberboard base one-by-one and mark them as to where they will go. Be sure that the 1"x 4" is on top. Measure each length (remember, measure twice, cut once). After you are satisfied with the measurement, miter each piece to length. At this point, you will be glad that we made all the pieces a little long. All the pieces should be a uniform height of approximately 17" and fit snugly at each joint. If you need to shim any of the sides to match the height, then now is the time to do it.

With all the sides, head and foot mitered to length, attach them to the base. Pre-drill two holes from under the base up into the upper sides with a 1/8" bit (see fig. 3). And use 2" dry-wall screws and wood glue to secure them in place. Pre-drill three holes for the lower sides and two for the foot and head ends and secure them the same way. To secure the edges together, glue the joints and reinforce them with thin metal brackets. These can be made from tin that is 2" wide by 14" long (see fig.4). With one-inch screws, attach the tin joint brackets in place on the inside of the coffin. Nail the outside of the joints with finish nails on both sides, then set and putty the nails. (A biscuit joiner would be a handy alternative here).

To reinforce the side frames, add 1/4" plywood backing. Measure the inside height of your box. Set the table saw blade back to 90 degrees and rip the ACX plywood to fit. Cut the plywood to length, it will take four sections, two for the upper sides, and two for the lower. Now, lay the casket box on its side and put glue on the pine side-frames and laminate the plywood sides to the pine (see fig. 5 & 8). To hold this firmly, screw the plywood to the frame with 1" wood screws making sure you don't miss the pine frame. This plywood will show when the coffin is finished, so be sure the good side of the plywood faces out. To hide the 3/4" fiberboard edge at the bottom, add a base of crown molding around the bottom of the box. Cut the molding to fit then glue and nail it in place.

Now is a good time to sand all the sides and clean up any rough edges that will show in the finished product. The box of the coffin is mostly completed now. The frame of pine you
made with the plywood backing has made a relief panel in the side of the coffin. The molding for the bottom will cover the ugly joint where the fiberboard and pine frame meet. Fit the molding all the way around the inside of the frame, mitering the duck molding at 45-degree angles making a picture frame. (see fig. 6). The molding will also cover any nasty edges you might have (I love molding!) Nail the molding in place (into the frame, not the plywood) and set the nails.

For the lid, cut three 1"x 12" boards to 73" long and rip them down to approximately 8 3/4" wide. Use the fence on your table saw and set it to trim off the extra 2 3/4" (you will use these strips later on the inside of your lid). Glue the boards side-by-side and bar-clamp them together alternating the clamps one on bottom, one on top, one on bottom, etc. After the glue has dried, set the assembled boards on top of the assembled box. Line the joints in the board as straight as possible with the box below, and mark the perimeter of the box. Measure 1" in from this mark all the way around, and cut the lid on this mark. (see fig. 7) If you did this correctly, the lid would fall down into the box (do not try this, because you will never get it out).

Now, with a 3/4" rounding over bit set deep, (or whichever bit you prefer), router around the outside of the lid for a decorative edge. Using the scrap from the lid boards, make a frame that follows the underside edge of the lid (see fig. 5). This is used to attach a perimeter of crown molding to. Attach the frame with glue and screws to the underside of the lid and let it set. While the lid and frame are setting, you can cut and dry fit the crown molding. The crown molding will attach to scrap frame just under the routed lid edge. When the glue from the frame is dry, attach the molding using glue and finish nails. The molding has a lip at the top that conceals the nails, but you should still set them. Use a miter clamp to glue and clamp the corners where the molding meets, for a tight joint. Again, the molding I used was primed for painting, so I had to strip the primer off.

For padding inside the coffin, use 5" thick foam for the bottom, and 1" thick for the sides. I lined my coffin with polyester cloth that looks like black silk. With black upholstery tacks from an upholstery warehouse (these look like big thumbtacks), I gave the interior a tuck-n-roll look. Cut to fit the 5" foam in the bottom and don't worry about gaps against the side, the 1" foam will cover them. Then cut to fit the 1" foam to the sides using the strait edges for the top. Cut the polyester to fit the bottom by wrapping it around the 5" foam; tuck it in good and deep so that it will stay. Cut the material for the sides in two long pieces allowing extra material for wrapping around the foam and for the head and foot ends. Tuck the material around the 1" foam and hot glue to the wood behind the foam and at the foot and head ends. The glue will seep through the material and hold the foam as well. Decide where you want the tacks to go, drive them through the material and foam to the wood underneath. The easiest way I found to do this is push the tack in to the foam then just whack it with the hammer and hope it sets in the wood, if you bend the tack just get a new tack.

Lay the lid on the floor and cut 1" foam pieces to fit between the 3" frame. Hot-glue the foam in place, to hold it while you decoratively "tack" the lid. Lay the polyester material on the lid and set the tacks working from one side to the other. You must do this before you attach the liner to the lid, because this stuff doesn't stretch! When you have all the tacks in place, cut the material to shape with 2" of extra fabric all the way around. Fold the extra under, and staple the cloth around the edge in to the lid frame. To cover the staples, use 1/4" thick strips of wood ripped from of some of the 1"x stock. Cut these to fit around the inside edge and hot-glue them in place.

Sand the whole thing and stain or paint it as desired. I did not put a topcoat on mine because I wanted an old look. The knotholes in the lid contribute to this effect. After I stained mine, I sanded it lightly and gave the edges a worn look. The hardware for this thing is a 48" piano hinge for the lid, a chain from the local home center, and six coffin handles from AEON in Harbor City, Ca. The phone number for AEON is (310) 534-0720. They have several different styles to choose from. I told them that I needed handles for a "toe pincher" coffin, and they were very helpful. The handles I used were the #3079 in silver, ($1.91 each plus S&H), there is a minimum purchase of $15.00 and if you ask, they will send you a picture of the handles and a price list. I was happy with the way they looked. I attached them with the 1/2" silver wood screws, which looked good with the handles. Attach the hinge with the screws provided along the top edge lower side of the box. Then line up the lid and secure it with more screws. The lid is heavy, so it may take two people to do this.

Once finished, this coffin is large enough for a hefty six-foot tall person to fit in. The coffin is heavy so do not plan on lugging this thing around by your self. People have told me that it is too realistic looking (just what I wanted!) My crown molding has shrunk a bit but it adds to the old worn look that I wanted. Now I can't wait until Halloween to try it out!

Scott Nicholson is a Halloween enthusiast from Southern California. His woodworking hobby comes in handy for yard decorations, house haunting for Halloween parties and as co-director of his son's annual booster club haunted house. He can be reached via email at: nasrudd@QNET.COM