Free Mailbox Plans
How To Build A Mailbox


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Free Mailbox Installation Plan

Check Out The Plans Below!

Install the Mailbox on the Platform and Post, as shown on the right, with just a few tools, a post, and some scraps laying around your shop!


Click on image for larger view

Building a support platform for a mailbox can be a creative, practical project.   This simple, but sturdy mailbox post and platform will provide years of service.  You can build it for a small investment and with a few materials laying around your workshop; I used a railroad tie, one 2 x 6 left over from a building project, plus a small piece of a 2 x 10. 

 

Material List:

(1) Store-bought metal mailbox, 8" wide x 21" long.

(1) Seven foot Railroad tie or treated 6x6 for the post.

(1) Piece of treated 2 x 10, 19 1/2" long for the box base.

(1) Piece of treated 2 x 6, four feet long for the angled support.

(1) Piece of 1/2" Plywood, 4" x 4" for inside the box screw block.

(1) Piece of 1x4, eight feet long for the temporary support boards.

(1/4 pound each of galvanized woodscrews) 1", 2 1/2",  and 3 1/2".

One gallon of tar, one tube of exterior caulk, large bucket of gravel, and one bag of Quickcrete.

Step 1, Set the Post -  Contact your local post office and obtain regulations to determine the mailbox placement; ensure there are no buried cables or gas lines.  Dig a hole 36" deep; wide enough to accept your post.  One foot from the bottom, widen the hole by an additional six inches for the bottom 12" of the hole.  Add 6" of gravel into the hole.

Select the Railroad tie or a treated 6 x 6 x 7' treated post; using a brush, apply tar to the bottom 30" of the post.  Using a level, set the post plumb into place.  Using some 1 x 4's as two sets of braces, secure the post into position, as shown above.

Select the bag of Quickcrete; following the directions, pour the cement into the hole and allow it to set overnight.

The next day, fill in the hole with the displaced soil and tamp it in solid.

Step 2, Cut and Assemble the Base - Select the 2 x 10; Rip it to 8" (or to the size of your mailbox); crosscut it to 19 1/2" (adjust to your mailbox as necessary).

Select the 2x6; crosscut two pieces to 23" with the miter saw set at 45 degrees, as shown above.  Using 2 1/2" screws, sister the two pieces together, as shown above.

Assemble the top board to the angled support brace as shown above, using four 2 1/2" screws; center the 2x6's on the 2x8" piece; ensure the left edges are aligned as these edges will contact the post.

Step 3, Attach the Mailbox to the Base - Select the mailbox and set it into position on the assembled base piece; with 1" screws, secure it to the 2 x 8" x 19 1/2" board as shown in the first picture above.

Step 4, Produce the Nailing Block - Select a 1/2" piece of wood; cut it to a 4" x 4" square; position the square to the exterior end of the mailbox and with a 1/8" bit, drill four holes through the wood square and the metal end of the box.  Move the wood square to the interior of the box so the holes line up, and start four 2 1/2" screws, as shown above.

Step 5, Attach the Mailbox Assembly to the Post - According to the postal directions, measure up from the ground to the base of the box, 42", make a mark, center the box assembly in place, and screw in the four screws on the interior of the box; pre-drill two holes at the bottom of the angled support and attach it to the post with 3 1/2" screws, as shown above.

Use an exterior caulk to fill all the screw holes, seams, the top of the post, and all cracks in the post.  Prime and paint/stain to suit.  You are ready to receive snail mail.

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Free Mailbox Building Plans by:  WayneOfTheWoods@yahoo.com