Funeral Service Merchandising Chapters 1-3 Flashcards
A case or receptacle for dead human remains which is anthropoid in shape.
- Name derived from the Greek word kophinos (basket).
- Term came into use around 1525
- Generally resembles the form of a human being (narrow at the feet and wider at the top)
- 6 or 8 sides
Coffin
In much of the world outside of the United States and Canada, this is still the standard, or preferred form of burial container.
- Cultural or religious tradition, practice and preference.
Six Sided Coffin
Generally the preferred style of burial container in North America.
Casket
A rigid container which is designed for the encasement of human remains and which is usually constructed of wood, metal, or like material, and ornamented and lined with fabric.
Casket (FTC definition)
A case or receptacle in which human remains are placed for protection, practical utility, and a suitable memory picture; any box or container of one or more parts in cremation which may or may not be permanently interred, entombed, or cremated with the dead human remains.
Casket (ABFSE definition)
A small box for jewels, implies that the contents therein are a prectious and valuable nature.
Alternative Definition for Casket
- Not uncommon for dead to be buried with no casket at all.
- Efforts were made for survival, not making caskets (even though there were many skilled cabinet makers).
- As general welfare increased- use of coffins because more common
- First among the well-to-do
Early Colonial America
Buried in coffins made by their families or friends, as there were no professional coffin builders (persisted well into the 20th century in more isolated areas).
- Coffins made on an “as needed” basis
- Constructed from locally available materials
- Lined with white or black cloth
- Either a roughhewn or finely finished appearance depending on the skill of the builder.
- Many painted or covered in cloth to conceal surface or finishing flaws.
Settlers in Rural Areas
Coffins were more frequently provided by professional cabinetmakers.
- By the early 1800’s specialized in the production of coffins or even offered “undertaking” as a supplemental sideline to their already established business.
- Something of a status statement (materials varied)
- Regardless of financial status of the deceased, coffins were generally simple and relatively unadorned containers of practical utility.
Settlers in Urban Areas
Emphasis of the basic functionality of the coffin gave way to an increasing interest in the coffin’s aesthetics, or “eye appeal.”
- Prosperity and availability of materials- coffins no longer exclusively wooden.
- 1836- James Gray’s “metallic coffin”
- Clay cement, stone, rubber, paper-mache, glass
- Trapezoidal, mummiform, cruciform
- Offered protection from resurrectionists
- Short-term body preservation
Mid 1800’s
- Fisk Metalliac Burial Case and Stein Patent Burial Casket- patented caskets
- Smaller casket-making proprietorships waned
- Cabinet makers turned undertakers began to specialize in providing funeral services, purchasing ready-made caskets wholesale and reselling them to their own customers.
Large Industry and Mass Production
A new ear had dawned, dramatically changing both the casket’s appearance and the manner in which it would be constructed, marketed, distributed, and subsequently sold to the consuming public.
End of the 19th Century
- Wood
- Metal
- Polymer plastics
- Fiberglass
Casket Shell Materials
Wood and metal account for nearly 98% of all adult caskets sold in America.
Two Dominant Materials Used in Casketmaking (modern)
No two caskets made of this material are identical. Made up of hollow cells formed from tiny cellulose fibers, and it is estimated that over three million of these fibers can be found in a one inch square block of this material. The more densely packed together these cells are, the harder this material is. These fibers and the cells they form are held together by tenacious, naturally waterproof but flexible glue-like substance known as lignin.
Wood
Two kinds of wood found in any given species of wood.
Hartwood and Sapwood
The tree’s best quality of wood, that wood which is in the center of the tree.
- Cells (though they may store sugar) ar eno longer actively participating in the day to day life functions of the tree.
- Cells are saturated with resins that make the wood slightly darker in color and make the wood more decay-resistant.
- The preferred wood of casket construction
Heartwood
A term that refers collectively to the layers of wood found between the heartwood and the bark of the tree.
- Usually lighter in color than heartwood
- Cells of this wood are the tree’s vascular system, engaged in the ongoing life functions of the tree, circulating water and nutrients.
Sapwood
Key to understanding the different species of wood.
- These terms do not refer to the actual reative hardness of the wood
Softwood and Hardwood
Coniferous (cone-bearing) trees with needles or scale-like foliage, like pines or cedars.
Softwood Species (Gymnosperms)
Board-leaved deciduous trees (annually lose their leaves) like oaks and maples.
- Account for about 40% of trees in the United States
Hardwood Species (Angiosperms)
- Birtch
- Cherry
- Mahogany
- Maple
- Oak
- Poplar
- Walnut
- Pine
- Select Hardwood
Woods Commonly Used Today
- Hardwood
- Found primarily in the eastern US
- Typically reaches a height between 60 and 70 feet.
- Strong, dense, and hard
- Fine, straight-to-wavy grain similar to maple
- Sapwood is white
- Heartwood is reddish brown
- Commonly used in furniture, doors, cabinetry
Birtch (Betula Genus)
- Hardwood
- Common in eastern and midwestern US
- Height 60 to 80 feet
- Wood is relatively strong
- Very fine, straight grain and definite growth rings
- Sapwood is very white
- Red or reddish-brown heartwood
- Frequently finished in reddish stain
- Does well with a high gloss finish
- Easily recognized by general public
- Commonly used in fine furniture, cabinetry, veneers, and architechural moldings.
Cherry (Prunus genus)
- Hardwood
- Three types commonly used today: South American (Swietenia), Philippine (Shorea), and African (Khaya).
- Some species can grow to over 140 feet
- Strong wood
- Reddish brown
- Fine, even grain, some (especially African) can show “ribbon” graining and demands a premium price.
- Medium to heavy weight
- Frequently used in furniture, boats and musical instruments.
- Relatively expensive raw material
- Considered by many to be the ultimate hardwood used in casket manufacture.
Mahogany (Swietenia genus, Shorea genus, and Khaya genus)
- Hardwood
- Most found in eastern US
- Grow from 60 to 120 feet in height
- Very strong
- Fine grain- frequently exhibits curious grain patterns known as bird’s-eye, fiddleback, and curly.
- Varies from medium-hard to very hard
- Sapwood ranges from creamy white with a reddish-brown tint to grayish white
- Heartwood is light to very dark reddish-brown
- Public is generally familiar to this material
- Frequently used in flooring, kitchen cabinets, cutting blocks, and architectural milwork.
Maple (Acer genus)
- Hardwood
- Eastern United States
- Red and white varieties
- Most widespread and abundant species of hardwood in the region
- Height ranges from 60-80 feet
- Grain is pronounced and relatively straight, with a somewhat coarse texture
- Strong wood, hard and heavy
- Sapwood can be white to light brown
- Light to dark reddish brown heartwood
- Singly most easily recognized hardwood
- Used in pews and other church furnishings, flooring, furniture, and paneling.
Oak (Quercus genus)
- Hardwood
- Found throughout eastern United States
- Extremely fast growers- commonly reaching heights of 150 feet.
- Many species used in casket construction: yellow/tulip tree (Liriodendron), cottonwood (Populus deltoids), salix and willow (salicaceae)
- All species share common grain- straight and medium fine in texture.
- Sapwood is usually white
- Heartwood is greenish in color
- Relatively strong, but somewhat soft
- Widely available
- Exterior siding and trim, doors, and millwork
Poplar (Populus genus)
- Hardwood
- Commonly growing eastern US- primary commercial souce is country’s central region
- Average height between 100-150 feet
- Grain is typically straight, but occasionally shows a curly or wavy patterning.
- Sapwood is usually creamy white, is sometimes steamed to a darker coloration.
- Heartwood ranges from a light brown to a deep chocolate brown
- Strong and heavy
- Rarely used today
- Black is the most costly new materia used in casket production.
Walnut (Juglans genus)
- Softwood
- Ubiquitous pine (conferious evergreen) found throughout North America
- Often exceeds 100 feet in height
- Fine grain that is typically straight- often has presence of knots (makes for either very attractive or very unattractive wood)
- Ranges in color from creamy white to pink to yellow or light brown
- Medium strength, light in weight
- Depending on species, can range from very hard (longleaf pines) to very soft (white pine)
Pine (Pinus genus)
Describes a hardwood casket that has been constructed from a variety of hardwood species, including poplar, willow, or cottonwood. The component parts of a single casket will not necessarily be constructed of the same species of wood.
Select Hardwood (Salix) (various species)
- Hardwoods
- Extremely heavy, dense and strong
- Production requires the use of specially hardened tools.
Hickory and Pecan
- Softwood
- One time widely used in the commercial production of cloth-covered caskets
- Occasionally used today in casket manufacture
- Abundance of knots
- Unique coloration
- Finished casket is rather unusual
Cedar
- Softwood
- Extremely resistant to decay
- Soft and weak
Redwood
Most wood caskets are constructed of this, utilizing planks betwen 1” and 4” in thickness.
Solid Wood
The production of a good quality wood casket will require this range of board-feet of lumbar, with some units incorporating up to 300 board feet.
130-150 Board Feet
A unit of dimensional measurement, equal to a piece of lumber 12” square and 1” thick.
Board Foot
- Extremely labor-intensive, hands on task
- Inherent variability and instability
- Must be properly air and kiln-dried to the proper moisture content (around 5%)
- Careful attention to detail must be paid at every stage of casket construction, particularily in areas of aligning the grain of adjacent plants, joint-fitting and finishing.
Production of Wood Caskets
- Laminates
- Wood vaneer
Other Materials Used in Wood Casket Construction
Made by uniting superimposed layers of different materials.
- Upper layer is finer quality (typically) than layers underneath.
- Can be artificial- A photo-reproduction of a finished wood grain is transferred to a vinyl=like material; then it is applied to an inexpensive wood or composition board base material. Finished product resembles a solid wood casket, but is a fraction of the price.
Laminates
Created by gluing a thin layer of wood of superior value or excellent grain to an inferior wood.
Wood Vaneer
- Composition board
- Corrugated fiberboard
- Cardboard
- Plywood
Wood By-Products
Composed of particles of wood bonded together with waterproof glue, together with heat and pressure. The different types are distinguished by the size and shape of the particles of wood used. Several types:
- Particle board
- Hardboard
- Fiberboard
- Oriented-stand board (OSB)
- Medium density fiberboard (MDF)
- Pressed board
Composition Board
Thin sheets of wood glued together so that the grains are at right angles to one another; an odd number of sheets will always be used so that the grain on the front and back will always run in the same direction.
- Like a laminate of many wood vaneers.
- Relatively strong
- Has a tendency to shrink, swell, and warp is much less than that of a solid piece of wood.
Plywood
