The designer has his very own set of ‘Shelves for Life’ and will send you a free personal design if you send him your measurements. According to Warren, these bookshelves will “store all your knowledge and prized possessions.” The designer admitted that there have been critics who did not enjoy his work: “I offered the design to a Japanese company when I first made it but they really didn’t like the reminder of death. Since then, some squeal and some smile.” Starting with the lid, fasten together the long boards that make up the lid with 2-inch ribs and glue. Use 4 ribs to assemble the lid placing one rib 1-inch from the head and toe ends of the lid and the remaining 2 ribs evenly spaced in between. Use glue and screws to secure the ribs. If preferred, you can remove the screws from the ribs after the glue dries--let the glue cure for 24 hours before removing the screws.

Cut head angle at ~10 degrees and toe angle at ~6 degrees. Measure 24 inches from top and mark widest points; then trace lines to head and toe. It is possible to build this entire coffin with only basic hand tools including a mallet or hammer, hand saw, tape measure, square, and a screw driver. A few power tools such as a skill saw and drill will make the job go a little faster. Of course, if you have access to a shop with table saw, joiner-planer, and power sanders the job will move along much faster.Notice that on the inside of the casket, the rope tightly wraps around the side ribs and corner ribs. As you lace the rope, pull it as tight as you can--the long handles will have plenty of stretch for a nice comfortable grip on the casket. When you get to the final handle, tie a tight knot again to keep the rope from slipping out. When finished, there should be 3 long handles along both sides of the coffin, 1 handle on the Head, and 1 very short handle on the Foot for a total of 8 rope handles. 8) Finishing Touches You can personalize your coffin with stain, paint, or other decorations. Be creative. You can decorate your coffin in any way you choose. Try to use the same board for both lower head andtoe boards and upper head andtoe boards on side panels so that the same board widths and wood grain match at the elbow where the coffin bends. You should now have all the boards cut and ready to make six side panels including a head panel (16x18), a toe panel (12x18), two long (toe) side panels (56.375x18), and two short (head) side panels (24.375x18). We will attach a 1x2 to the bottom edge of all size side panels. This member will serve as the floor support for the casket transferring the weight on the floor to the sides of the casket in a shear plane (vs. a tension joint) adding strength of the coffin. These rails need not extend all the way to the outside edges of each side panel--each rail should be 1-2 inches short at each end to leave clearance room for the vertical ribs on the adjacent side panel.Particularly at the middle joint between the head (short) and toe (long) panels you will want to leave at least 2 inches to make room for the 4-inch joiner rib. 5) Assemble the Side Panels andLid

In addition to lumber, you need to equip yourself with some Elmer's wood glue, screws (or nails), or other wood fastener system. These instructions use a traditional rib design with glue and screws for easy construction and superior holding strength of the wood joinery (see figure 3). This design also accommodates removal of the wood screws after the glue dries (about 24 hours) to meet the 100% biodegradablerequirements of several natural burial and conservation cemeteries. In a similar fashion, assemble the 6 panels that make up the sides, head, and foot of the coffin using ribs, glue, and screws. The following are some tips to follow while constructing the side panels. Cut outside ends of toe panel at 6 degrees from vertical. The narrowest (outside) length should be 12 inches. The eco-friendly shelves were first launched during the 2005 London Design Festival at the British Library and have made waves on the internet ever since.Warren revealed to Bored Panda that he’s still busy working away as a designer. Among his recent projects, he designed all the furniture and interiors in a new children’s hospital in Edinburgh and new gates for Kew Gardens in London. “I’m also teaching design at several universities and developing other music and video projects.” Last, find a good space to work. A sturdy, flat table or workbench will make for a nice comfortable working environment to measure, cut, prepare, and assemble your coffin. In the photos you will see we are using a torsion box table in our workshop. Set yourself up on a table or picnic table outside if you don't have adequate garage space or access to a workshop. 3) Prepare the Cut List Warren told the Financial Times that coffins are some of the most expensive pieces of furniture that people will ever buy while having the worst quality. “I’m happy for as many people to have mine as possible,” he said.

He added that “it will be a visible part of your life and will get coffee stains and burns on it. So it will mean more when you use it as shelves and it will mean more when you are buried in it.”

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Warren runs a furniture and product design consultancy, is a Senior Lecturer at London Metropolitan University, and also lectures at three other universities and colleges. His design philosophy is all about creating emotional experiences, making us think about our belongings, and his designs often feature humorous conceptual twists. Start with a ~30-inch 1x4 and rip the 10- and 6-degree angles (see Figure X) and then cut a pair of at 14 inches in length. Are you considering taking on the task of building a coffin yourself? Whether you take the opportunity to work by yourself or together with friends and family, crafting a coffin for a loved one can be memorable and therapeutic. When I built my first coffin for my Grandfather with the help of my father, bother, and sister, we found the experience of working together to be comforting and satisfying. We built a coffin for Grandpa that was inexpensive, sturdy, and beautiful in a traditional coffin design that expressed my Grandfather's affection for the Old West. Floor panel consists of a series of boards cut to length at 24 inches or less. Start with a 24 inch board for the widest part of the floor and cut top corners at 10 degrees and bottom corners at 6 degrees.