by Ashley Horne
A great prop to have at any Halloween party is a wooden coffin. There are so many things you can do with a coffin! You can put it on a table, open the lid, and serve all of your party snacks from within. You can put it on your porch and hop out of it to scare trick-or-treaters. You can set it in a corner and put a skeleton inside for a fun and spooky effect. You can even get a “coffin banger” which will open and close the lid — just add a fog machine and scary music to make a frightful prop. No matter what you do with your coffin, it’s an essential ingredient for Halloween fun.
Making a basic coffin is simple and not terribly expensive (though more complex designs and equipment can become much more costly so keep that in mind). The following is a simple plan and instructions for making a fabulously festive coffin.
Let’s start by gathering the following supplies:
- You will need to purchase three sheets of cheap plywood, knots are fine, that measure 1” x 4’ x 8’. You will most likely have some leftover when you are finished, but it will be better to have the extra than not enough.
- A bottle of wood glue
- A box of wood screws – 1” in length
- Two hinges and nails
- A drill and drill bits
- A circular saw
- A miter saw
- Sandpaper
- A sheet sander
- Safety glasses
- A paintbrush
- A can of wood stain or paint – the color is your choice (optional)
- An old rag to wipe the stain after application
- Rubber or latex gloves to prevent you from getting stain on your hands
- Any other decorative items you would like to use inside or outside of your coffin. This can include spider webbing, handles for the coffin, fabric lining for the inside, a cross, etc.
Next, in Part II, we’ll cut out the pieces we will need to complete our coffin.
