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Do-it-yourself mailbox for a private home, how to make a do-it-yourself mailbox
The summer cottage is often located on a suburban territory or in a cottage village, which means that the site has a dedicated address and must be equipped with a mailbox to receive correspondence.
There are many options for making mailboxes. They differ in form, design, material used and price. Most models are easy to make on their own, using inexpensive materials, and for the manufacture of some, you will need special skills, patience and the purchase of more expensive components.
Content
- Types of mailboxes: choose the best option video
- Tips for making mailboxes for summer cottages
- How to make a do-it-yourself mailbox
- Ways to Install Mailboxes
Types of mailboxes: choose the best option
When choosing a mailbox, one should take into account the general style of the house and the suburban area, the required capacity (the number of newspapers, magazines and free advertising mailing out) and the place for installation. It is important to decide: the mailbox will be used only for its intended purpose or serve as a decorative element, attracting the attention of passers-by and guests of a private house or summer house.
According to the execution style, mailboxes can be conditionally divided into the following types:
- traditional (standard);
- american
- english
- original ones.
Traditional (standard) mailboxes with a slot for letters, newspapers and other correspondence. Such boxes are most common in post-Soviet countries and are made of various materials.
Today, traditional boxes are decorated with original elements and have a very attractive appearance. Standard boxes are installed on the gate or fence. Standard boxes are easy to manufacture and convenient to use.
American mailboxes similar in structure, but very diverse in decorative design. The postman leaves the mail in a horizontal position (if the newspaper or magazine is too voluminous, they will have to be folded).
All American mailboxes have a checkbox. If the box is checked, it means that there are letters in the box that need to be sent. The American postman takes out letters and sends them by mail independently. In principle, such a scheme of work is acceptable in our country, but by prior arrangement with the postman.
American mailboxes are always mounted on a separate support (wooden, metal support or decorative figure).
It should be noted that the traditional version of the mail box is usually more capacious than its American counterpart. Therefore, before you opt for an American mailbox, you need to correctly evaluate the volume of received correspondence.
English inbox It is a stationary pedestal-column, laid out of brick or made of durable metal. A box is installed on the ground, a few meters before entering the site.
Outwardly, it resembles a house in miniature and harmoniously complements the main building of the estate. English-type mailboxes are very roomy and very durable.
TO original mailboxes You can attribute interesting design decisions or unusual transformations of various household items.
For the manufacture of mailboxes using various materials: wood, plastic, metal and brick. It is easiest to make a wooden box or a plastic one yourself. To create a mailbox from sheets of metal, you will need an additional tool and welding skills.
The most durable, reliable and durable mailboxes are considered to be made of metal or brick (English style). When choosing the material, it is necessary to take into account the general exterior of the suburban area.
If the house is fenced with an artificial stone fence, then a mailbox designed in the same style will look beautiful. It is advisable to adhere to a single color scheme, this will create a harmonious ensemble.
If the summer cottage is located in a small village and is surrounded by lush green trees, and the fence is made of wood, then it will be appropriate to make the mailbox made of wood in a country style.
Forged a large fence of a private house, you need to install a forged mail box, the patterns of which repeat the pattern of the gate or complement the main theme of the exterior.
A small summer cottage can be supplemented with an original, designer mailbox made from improvised means.
Tips for making mailboxes for summer cottages
To make a durable and beautiful mailbox with your own hands is quite realistic. Here are some practical recommendations for creating a quality mailbox for correspondence:
- when creating a wooden structure, it is better to fasten all the elements of the mailbox with the help of corners, this will provide additional strength, and, if necessary, will facilitate repair (just unscrew the nuts and screws);
- if the slot for placing newspapers and letters is located in the upper part of the box, then a protective visor must be installed above it to prevent the ingress of rain and snow;
- it is more convenient to place the door for the extraction of letters from below, it is desirable that the entire lower part of the drawer be hinged;
- if the door for the recess is located on the front panel of the drawer, then it is necessary to extremely accurately calculate the dimensions and fit the details so that no cracks form;
- for the safety of correspondence, especially during the absence of the owners of the house or in the country, a lock should be installed on the mailbox door;
- so that the mailbox is not clogged with advertising information, you can place a wooden pedestal for paper advertising nearby.
To notify you of letters or newspapers, you can set an alarm in the box. In an ordinary box, an additional bottom is made of thin sheet plastic or plywood. The lower edge is attached to the box, and the upper one is supported by springs, between which there are contact plates from the telephone switch or the old magnetic relay.
As soon as the letter is lowered into the mailbox, the contacts are closed and the light goes on along the circuit, which consists of the batteries installed in the house, the light bulb and the connecting wires.
How to make a do-it-yourself mailbox
instructions for making a mailbox made of wood and plywood
To create a wooden mailbox with your own hands, you need to prepare the following materials:
- veneer sheet or thin plywood (650 * 650 mm);
- plywood about 9 mm thick (650 * 435 mm);
- pine timber with a size of 1000 * 75 * 50 mm;
- piano hinge made of brass or stainless steel (130 mm);
- sandpaper;
- mortise lock;
- screws;
- glue for wood;
- colloidal silica;
- two-component epoxy adhesive.
Work Stages:
- Pine timber must be cut into three pieces, each 330 mm. On one of the bars it is necessary to draw three lines: one central, two transverse (the distance between them is 300 mm). Draw a smooth curve using the pattern. Cut a bend with a hacksaw and strip the edge. Using the same principle, process the remaining two bars.
- The prepared bars must be glued together.
- Plywood, 9 mm wide, cut into pieces (dimensions are shown on the diagram).
- Eight sheets (320 * 160 mm) must be cut from thin plywood or veneer. These sheets must be laid alternately on the concave section of the block, coating each layer with epoxy glue. A sheet of newsprint is laid with the first layer on a pine block, and then sheets of thin plywood. In order not to make a mistake, before gluing it is necessary to place veneer sheets (plywood) and check whether all the details match and if cracks form.
- After the glue has dried, the prepared cover must be sanded and adjusted to the dimensions of the front and back walls of the mailbox.
- On the front wall with a hacksaw, a slot must be cut out to accommodate letters and an opening for the door.
- The width of the door must cut the piano loop and attach it with screws.
- In the door you need to choose a place for the slot for the lock. Cut the keyhole and insert the lock.
- On the box you need to attach (you can glue with glue with the addition of colloidal silica) cover.
- Install the door and sand the mailbox with sandpaper.
- If desired, the finished product can be opened with varnish or decorated with bright colors.
do-it-yourself american mailbox
To create the simplest model of an American mailbox, you can use metal sheets from which blanks of the required shape are cut. Two components in the form of rectangles of different sizes (one smaller bottom of the box, the second a larger semicircular roof). The sides are cut in the same shape.
The structure can be fastened by welding (cold welding is also suitable for soft metals). A door is mounted on which a latch and a handle are attached for convenient use.
An American mailbox can also be made from a tree in the form of a house. The entrance to the house is covered by a door, which the postman can easily open and leave all the correspondence transmitted.
manufacturing a metal mailbox
The metal standard mailbox is perhaps the most difficult to manufacture. To create it, you will need a grinder, a drill, welding, rivets and metal working skills. However, with great desire, as a result of painstaking work, a more reliable box can be obtained than from wood.
Another advantage of the metal box is the ability to apply any, even the most complex and intricate pattern to its surface. To do this, the finished product must be primed in two layers (protect the material from the weather) and decorate the mail box to your liking with acrylic paints. Using a stencil, you can write the address in calligraphic letters.
we create an original mailbox for a private house or summer house
The designer mail box will look interesting and unusual on a suburban area. You can make an original mailbox with your own hands, using old, unnecessary things and improvised means. Let's consider some options of mailboxes for giving and a private house.
A mailbox made of a plastic bottle and pipe is suitable for those who do not write a lot of press, since it is very compact and putting a couple of thick magazines into it will be problematic. But such an original box-tube is easy to make and install on your own. Both plastic and metal pipes can be used.
From an old cuckoo clock, you can also make a mailbox. It is enough to disassemble the old watch, and attach the front side to a small wooden box. The place where the cuckoo popped up will be used as a slot for the press.
A broken system unit can be given new life, and build a mailbox for giving. It is only necessary to install the unit on a wooden beam or other support. It is advisable to somehow indicate that this is a mailbox, since not everyone can understand the purpose of an unusual mailbox.
A beautiful American-style mailbox is obtained from a thick log. In the wood, the inside is cut out and a metal box (bulb) with a door is inserted. The outer side of the metal door is finished with a thick layer of wood bark.
Ways to Install Mailboxes
As already mentioned, American mailboxes are installed on a stand-alone support, and English have a stationary monolithic design. Therefore, consider installation methods for traditional (standard) mailboxes.
The following installation methods are most common:
- Installation on the fence. For installation in a box on the reverse side, two cuts must be made through which metal clamps are threaded and secured to horizontal fence carriers. The mailbox is aligned by tightening the clamps.
- Mounting on a hard surface. You can often see mailboxes placed on wooden or metal gates. For such an installation, several holes must be prepared in advance on the rear panel of the drawer and on the gate. The product is fixed to the surface with nuts and bolts.
- Installation on the wall. To mount the box on the wall of the house or another room, you also need to drill two holes in the box and the wall. Fastening should be done on small anchors or dowels depending on the thickness and surface of the wall.
As you can see, if you want and have free time, you can create an unusual, designer or more classic mailbox yourself. A self-made letter box for letters will become the original business card of a frequent house or summer cottage.
