Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 28

Thread: Pope's casket

  1. #1

    Pope's casket

    Just wondering if anyone noticed the Pope's wood casket? The large dovetail joinery on the end caught my eye. Looks like its maybe pine w/clear finish?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Tampa, FL
    Posts
    937
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Falkenbach
    Just wondering if anyone noticed the Pope's wood casket? The large dovetail joinery on the end caught my eye. Looks like its maybe pine w/clear finish?
    Apparently it's cypress.

    http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky...d/11328040.htm
    ---------------------------------------
    James Krenov says that "the craftsman lives in a
    condition where the size of his public is almost in
    inverse proportion to the quality of his work."
    (James Krenov, A Cabinetmaker's Notebook, 1976.)

    I guess my public must be pretty huge then.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    End of the Oregon Trail in Oregon City, Oregon
    Posts
    317
    I asked about the pope's casket on the Neanderthal side before I saw this post. Yes, I noticed the nice through dovetail joinery on the casket, which I heard is made of cypress. Plainly elegant!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Meridianville, AL
    Posts
    345
    It is one of three coffins that the Pope will be buried in. The first is made from Cypress to represent the humility of the Pope. This coffin is then sealed with wax and then placed inside a zinc coffin that is hermeticaly sealed. Then it is placed in an oak coffin that is then placed in the ground under St. Peters and sealed with a massive marble lid.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Jack Wood; 04-08-2005 at 5:16 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    sebastopol, ca
    Posts
    108
    Hi,

    It was cypress. I also noticed that the lid seemed to have one or two checks.

    Craig

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
    Posts
    28,504
    Those dovetails caught my eye too!
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,680
    Yes, it definitely caught my eyes this morning on GMA...giving Dr. SWMBO a chuckle. Otherwise, it was back to dozing before getting the birdies up for their morning routine and so I could make my morning latté...

    Outstanding workmanship, from what I could see. I'm hoping that someone in the woodworking media will pick up on that and do a little research on the maker, etc.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    San Jose, CA
    Posts
    149

    Here is Pope John Paul II 's Casket

    here is a picture of the casket, since I had not seen one before. Very nice details for a simple casket.

    Jon
    Attached Images Attached Images

  9. #9
    I have always been amazed at the thousands folks pay for fancy caskets. Do you think this will change peoples values/purchases? I figure if a plain wood box is good enough for the pope ...

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Meridianville, AL
    Posts
    345

    handmade coffins

    In regard to making your own coffin in most states there is no law against that. You might run into some resistance from the funeral home/cemetary people who want to sell you a casket at inflated prices, but if you stand your ground you can have your way. I know of a guy who had terminal cancer and was in the middle of an advanced cabinetry making course and for his final project made his own mahogany, teak rosewood inlay casket that was beautiful. He was buried in it just a few months later. So you might want to give it some thought in regard to your "final arrangements".

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Harrisburg, NC
    Posts
    2,255
    No biscuits or pocket screws?

    Richard

  12. What struck me was the simplicity...

    and I am sure that is the way this man wanted it. I am not a Catholic but I know that he wanted to be buried like an ordinary man. This casket was very simple. Even I could have made such a box. God love him. I did not agree with him about everything but he was a sincere human being. And his casket was a beautiful expression of his life.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Northern Arizona
    Posts
    80
    Its good to know I'm not the only one that noticed the dovetails. Anyone know what the inlays on the top represented?

  14. #14
    I saw the first one, but not the last Oak casket. Fascinating watching history being made. I was struck by the beautiful simplicity the casket represented and it really fit him well. Wild that the sun shone just as he was moved outside...much like it did when he visited other lands.

  15. On one of the caskets there is a skull and crossbones

    It is to remind all of the mortality of all men. Also, on one of the caskets there is the identity and important dates such as birth, ordination dates, etc.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •