How to Make a Wooden Mail Box
Mailboxes can be built out of wood, with styles from ornate and decorative boxes to simple boxes that are made just to get the job done. Building a decorative mailbox takes quite a bit of woodworking skill, including carving. Making a basic mailbox is considerably simpler and can be done even by someone with very little woodworking experience. Once your basic box is finished, you can always add decorative details. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 2-by-4 foot piece of wood Tape measure 1 inch wood screws Screwdriver 2 -- 2 1/2--inch hinges Saw Clamp Fine grain sandpaper Paint or wood stain
Instructions
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1
Draw all of the mailbox pieces onto the piece of wood and cut them out. The following pieces should be cut:
1 front -- 12 1/8 inches by 6 ½ inches by 5/8 inch
1 back - 12 1/8 inches by 7 3/4 inches by 5/8 inch
2 sides -- 5 inches by 7 ¾ inches by 5/8 inch
1 top -- 14 inches by 6 inches by 5/8 inch
1 bottom -- 12 1/8 inches x 4 inches by ½ inch -
2
Glue the front, back, side and bottom pieces together. The edges of the bottom piece should be inside the front, back and side pieces. Add two wood screws to each side about an inch from each corner to attach it to the bottom more securely. Add three screws on both the front and the back, one at each corner and one in the middle.
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3
Lay the top piece on top of the box you just made. Since the front is made shorter than the back, the top piece will slope down toward the front. Move the top piece back so that the upper edge of the top piece is even with the back of the box. This will leave the lower edge of the top piece hanging over the back of the box. Have someone hold the piece in place for you or use a clamp to hold the piece in place. Using fine grain sandpaper, sand the edge of the top piece until it becomes angled and lines up evenly with the back piece. This will allow your mailbox to open freely.
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4
Attach the top to the rest of the box. Screw the hinges to the back edge of the top piece that you just sanded down and attach the other side of each hinge to the back of the mailbox.
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5
Sand the entire box. There will be rough edges left from the cutting. Sanding will eliminate these. Once the box feels smooth to the touch, the box can be painted or stained.
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