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Planter box
There are 142 million Mailboxes in the US. Today, I am sharing how to make a few popular designs from a simple 4x4 using only the miter saw.
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First off, they need to be bigger than these. Standard Mailboxes are 41-45 inches from the ground to the bottom of the mailbox.
Since Mailboxes are available in three classifications, if you google the sizing, you will become overwhelmed with dimensional photos all telling you different lengths. a standard mailbox is 19 inches long.
this smaller back piece is for looks only, it can be whatever length you wish, the posts you would buy at the big box store are 9 inches past the post.
if you are planning to put your mailbox post in the ground, call Julie, and plan to dig a hole no more than 24" deep. this reason is up for debate. Ive read its because underground utilities are buried more than 24", and also because if a vehicle strikes the post, the anchor will fail and prevent the vehicle from wrapping around it.
they also make hardware you pound into the ground to save your back a little pain. be sure you know which route you plan to travel so your post height is correct.
pressure treated or cedar posts are ideal for outdoor use. you can paint the pressure treated post once it has time to dry in the sun. this depends on how wet the lumber was when you purchased it.
our little mailbox will be going on a journey across the mailboxes, as we build each one.
the first is a simple post in the ground. mounting hardware exists so you dont have to have the fancy bells and whistles. for this, you cut your post to size at 90 degrees. and youre done
next is a 18" horizontal piece attached to the post by cutting in a dado. i cut my board down to size last so my hand toes are farther from the blade. find the limiting screw on your miter saw that stops the blade from going all the way through your board. tighten until the blade reaches half your material thickness.
add a 2x4 to the fence so your post is farther away from the fence. since your blade is a circle, it will not cut all the way through your post with a little extra room.
cut your dado to be the width of your post. creep up on the final slice so its not too big. you want this joint to be snug.
and walla. you've made a dado. this version only needs one on the horizontal
use deck screws or GRKs to secure the pieces together. do not use construction screws or drywall screws. pressure treated lumber has special chemicals which sill corrode metals not sutied to for pressure treated lumber.
those are the basic mailbox posts, the following will require a dado on the post, and horizontal pieces. these are essentially the same, with different profiles for the ends, and you can mix and match if you choose.
lets talk first about the profiles, one is a 45 degree, created by cutting a, guess what, 45 degree angle on the top post, and front of the horizontal piece. for these, double check your dado placement before cutting them.
next is a less aggressive 45 degree cut. this is aligned at one quarter of the distance of the width. so you have a square in the center.
if you measured to half the total width, you would have a point.
you can delete the back horizontal piece by cutting your dado at the end of the board, rather than a few inches in.
to add this decorative arm, you would cut a piece at 45 degrees on both ends. and mount it underneath using deck screws or GRKs.
another pinkies out thing you can do is cut a line around the post, this is done by setting your saw blade to go only 1/4" into the board, and make a pass once or twice around the vertical post.
my mailbox post is going into my post planter box for a customer, the measurements and updated sales photos are provided as always.
big stuff coming as we approach the 50,000 subscriber mark. new cabinets, clamp holders, and a few in depth vidsos to upgrade your shops dust collection on a budget.
im going to go get some lunch.