Cardboard Coffins (DIYing Free)

In paying respect to the dead, to our loved ones, we often forget the cost of that respect. DIYing Free (http://diyingfree.weebly.com) is a website/project/intervention seeking to alleviate the economical and ecological costs of death through design and technology.

Through the following Instructable you'll be given the tools to construct a cardboard coffin for yourself or a loved one.

Why should I make/use a cardboard coffin

• Using lasers is cool.
• Cardboard is the prefect material for making coffins out of: often it is already headed towards a landfill after its initial use which also means that it can be acquired for free, it is biodegradable and it is very strong in relation to its weight.
• It prevents the unnecessary processing and disposal of raw materials: during 2008, in the United States alone, 1.8 million bodies were buried in coffins resulting in the approximate disposal of 1,632,932 kilograms of material not to mention the energy used in the fabrication of the materials for those coffins, shipping, labor, manufacturing, finishing, et cetera

• It's cheap: if every one of those coffins was the most economically priced coffin on the market at about $500/€350, that would still result in a total consumer cost of $859,064,350/€630,000,000…per year in the United States
• Cremations are bad: In the United States during 2008 there were 68,249 cremations performed equating to approximately 108,009,760,401.22 kilojoules of expended energy which does not include the amount of energy wasted that is stored of the deceased or accounting for the negative environmental impact caused by the emissions of each of those bodies into the atmosphere.
• Death of a loved one is a stressful situation: by assembling a coffin for a loved one you are able to channel your grief into a positive result and reduce stress in the process.

For building your coffin you'll need to get enough cardboard which can be cut down to 21 sheets measuring 61 x 96cm.

*Bike shops, appliance & electronics stores all are good sources of free cardboard which is pretty heavy-duty and comes in the sizes you're looking for.

You will also need:

• Several pieces of wood ( 2 x 2m long, 2 x 1m long and at least 3cm x 5cm) to create a base to carry the coffin on/lower it into the grave.
• Some sturdy rope or paracord for lowering the coffin into the grave.

Items which could be useful when assembling:

• Tape (packing would be most appropriate but duct would also work).
• A box-cutter/sharp knife.
• A drill and drill bit large enough to pass your sturdy rope through.

You can download the file here:

(right-click on the link you wish to use, left-click "save as" and choose the location where you want to save it on your computer)

For Adobe Illustrator (.AI): http://diyingfree.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/2/9/14298476/diying_free_v2-0.ai

For Corel Draw (.CDR): http://diyingfree.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/2/9/14298476/diying_free_v2.0.cdr

For Adobe Acrobat (.PDF): http://diyingfree.weebly.com/uploads/1/4/2/9/14298476/diying_free_coffin_v2-0.pdf

Here is a list of FabLabs where you can possibly get the file cut:
http://wiki.fablab.is/wiki/Portal:Labs

We'll begin by separating your pieces into those destined to be the lid and those for the coffin.

Lid Pieces will be numbered with the labels TS### and J###. Everything else is for the coffin.

Let's begin by constructing the lid.

Insert the TS001 through TS003 tabs into their corresponding slots; for example, the tab labeled TS001 slides into the slot labeled TS001 to assemble the main sheet for the coffin lid.

Insert the small tabs located on the top of the J### pieces into the large sheets making up the top of the coffin lid. The J### pieces give structure to the lid.

Slide the sides onto the J### pieces, matching the corresponding TS###s and J###s.

At the point the lid should be finished and you are probably ready to move on to assembling the coffin.

Begin constructing the base by connecting the end piece, which is marked with A/B/C/D/001, with the first two side pieces which are labeled A002&B002- A007&B007 and C002&D002- C007&D007.

Connect the rest of the side pieces, marked to A/B/C/D-022, to those you just put together. Remember to leave one side of the end piece (the one marked with 022) not connected, otherwise you would not be able to complete the next step.

Fold all of the joined side pieces in the middle down their long axis. The sides should fold down two score lines which run the length of the pieces.

Now you are able to connect the remaining open end-side to the other partially-connected side.

Fold the rectangular pieces marked 002 through 022 along their score lines into a triangular tube and insert them into the triangular holes in the side pieces of the sides.

Connect the remaining 4 pieces and place it in the coffin to adjust the angles of the walls to fit. Slide the tabs at the end of the floor pieces into the slots located at either end of the coffin.

The purpose of the carrying frame is to create a base for the coffin to sit on, allowing it to be carried by up to 8 individuals while not allowing the coffin to twist or slump.

Connect your 4 boards(atleast 2.5 x 5cm, 2x2m & 2x1m) together, as shown in the illustration, using a couple of nails or screws to hold together the sections of board which overlap.

Alternatively, you could use twigs woven and bound together in a lattice formation and trimmed to slightly larger dimensions than the coffin to prevent twisting/slumping in the coffin.

This is where your sturdy rope or paracord is necessary and

there are two ways I will suggest that you implement it…

• Going with Option A will mean that you will not get your rope/cord back but the ropes will definitely not slip off of the boards which would causing a terrible incident. Simply make a loop which fits snugly over each end of the boards, drill a hole at both ends of each board (if you were to imaging a square at the end of each board, drill the hole in the center of that square) and slide the rope through the board so that it locks the loop on the board.
• Option B is simpler but the rope does not lock onto the boards; just tie a loop snugly over the end of each board so that after the coffin has been lowered the rope can be slid off the end of the board.

Put the coffin into use.

Take note that the structural ability of the coffin is not meant for living bodies. Because dead bodies are rigid and have no mobility, it is necessary that others place them in the coffin and so their total weight is evenly distributed across the beams. Placing a large portion of weight on any beam will cause it to sag excessively and damage the integrity of the coffin.

Also, DIYing Free is an ongoing open source project so please feel free to comment with ideas or suggestions for future designs.