Build Your Own Motion-Activated Coffin for Halloween

The ultimate in Halloween decoration that is guaranteed to be remembered for years by visitors to your home is a motion activated coffin on your front porch. This article explains how to make such an item yourself. Even if you are not a "handy" person this is not a particularly difficult project. The project can be a great family event that your children will remember for years. It also could be the trigger that leads some bright young mind to decide to be an engineer. The first step is to decide on the space that you have to work with. A real coffin is not something most people have laying around the home. That is okay because the top half section of a casket is so heavy that arranging for it to move in a safe manner is a bit beyond the scope of this project. For our purposes of this project we will make a pine box about 1/2 scale to the size of a real person. The shape of the box should be like a trapezoid such as you most likely have seen in old western movies.

Here are the various items you will need to complete this project.

Enough pine or other old wood to make a wood box coffin that is four feet long and just under two feet wide.

Three substantial metal hinges. At least two eye hooks to attach pulling lines.

An old set of clothes for the "dead" person in the coffin. The clothes stuffed with old leaves in plastic bags.

Enough old leaves stuffed in four plastic grocery sacks for stuffing the clothing of the dead scare crow figures.

One motion activated solar power ball light, available for under twenty five dollars at a hardware store.

One photovoltaic switch from electronic store. To be activated by the light from the motion activated ball light.

Two low geared, motion limiting motors that slowly raise the lid on the coffin and raise part of the body as well.

Sufficient fishing line on plastic spools to connect motors, the coffin lid and dead scarecrow to effect motion.

The steps for construction are as follows.

Construction of the coffin. The portion of the top of the pine box casket that will open is affixed by three substantial hinges.