-Osoyoos man began crafting wooden urns following request from friend-

OSOYOOS TIMES-August 6, 2008-

By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times

A universal building material, wood is used to construct all sorts of items, from houses and furniture to musical instruments and . . . urns?
During his 15 years of woodworking, Osoyoosite Mel James has built mostly picture frames.
But in February of this year he began making wooden urns in his garage-based workshop at his home on Lombardy Lane.
James said his unique hobby began when he learned his friend's daughter and brother were gravely ill.
(My friend) asked me if I'd build him a couple of urns, James said.
He said his friend wanted just a couple of plain wooden boxes.
I said, 'If you're going to do it, you've got to put a little love into it,' James said.
The urns he produces bear detailing and designs that give them the appearance of an item somewhere between a music box and an ornate kitchen canister.
They're for people that like wood and the wood grain, he said. To me, wood has more feeling than rock or metal urns.
Look at the grain, look at the texture.
After building the urns for his friend, James soon had another request.
Then some friends from Manitoba were here and asked if I'd build them a couple of urns, he said.
Using the small arsenal of carpentry tools and saws he keeps in his garage, the retiree fashions the vessels from oak and knotty pine.
I prefer the knotty pine because of the grain, James said, adding that the urns contain no nails but that their pieces are glued and sealed together.
But I'll use any wood if people want to order it.
Of course, the vessels also require some special measurements.
It's one cubic inch per pound of body weight, James said.
To date, he has built 11 urns and sold six of them.
James sells each urn for roughly $200.
Besides the four he built for friends, James said he sold two to an undertaker in Edson, Alta.
He said he has contacted undertakers in the Okanagan Valley, but added that most funeral homes are managed by corporations which have corporate contracts for buying urns.
They're buying big volumes out of the States, James said. They don't buy locally.
Still, he said he knows of an urn-maker in Edmonton who has a healthy business building containers for independent undertakers.
I'm hoping that will happen here, he said.
James said, to his knowledge, he is the only carpenter in the Okanagan Valley building the items.
And so, when his own time comes, will James end up inside one of his own creations?
I would think so, he said. Why not?
Anyone interested in having a wooden urn created for them can call James at 250-495-2829.
[email protected]