Coffins tend to be made of wood, while caskets can contain a variety of materials, with wood and metal being the most common.

When it comes to funerals, two choices usually spring to mind. Most people will opt for either a traditional ground burial in a wooden coffin or a cremation, which turns a person's remains into ashes.

It’s what’s above ground that matters most to Marcus Daly. Though the coffins he makes at his Vashon Island workshop will be buried or entombed forever, along with their mortal contents, it’s the ...