My mailbox

[AFanNotAFighter]

Nice. I see you took pride in that. I’m sure a Louisville slugger wielding teen will cherish the moment they ride down your street in anticipation.

Back in my day we just filled the mailbox with shaving cream or broken eggs.

 

[mjmj]

Good lord. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you wasted an incredible amount of time there. Within a few months to a year, depending on your weather there, all of those cracks you filled and sanded are going to be opened right back up. Plus you'll have the putty cracking too, so it'll look worse than just the wood cracks. Wood isn't a stable material, it has massive changes in dimensions from environmental changes. And there's nothing that can be done to change that. If you're in a dry area, hopefully you can get a year or so before it starts cracking. It won't ruin it, just that all the extra work will be wasted.

 

[HUGHPHUG]

Good lord. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you wasted an incredible amount of time there. Within a few months to a year, depending on your weather there, all of those cracks you filled and sanded are going to be opened right back up. Plus you'll have the putty cracking too, so it'll look worse than just the wood cracks. Wood isn't a stable material, it has massive changes in dimensions from environmental changes. And there's nothing that can be done to change that. If you're in a dry area, hopefully you can get a year or so before it starts cracking. It won't ruin it, just that all the extra work will be wasted.

Hey look, it's that guy

 

[Crazy Source]

Back in my day we just filled the mailbox with shaving cream or broken eggs.

Friend of mine packed a person's mailbox with cow shit one time.

 

[mjmj]

Hey look, it's that guy

 

[ssBaldy]

Poured cement on top of the rocks, then I put more pebbles on top of the cement base.
View attachment 1120503
Before I inserted the post I wrapped the base with 3 layers of Frogtape pro-grade flashing tape to protect from moisture and to add some padding, these cedar posts are deceptively machined thinner than a standard pine 4x4 so there was a bit of play that I had to counteract. Therefore I also broke off a piece of a wooden paint stir-stick and sanded it into a wedge that I hammered into the space between the back of the post and the brace to stiffen the fitment.

After that I fastened the post to the brace with stainless steel machine screws.
View attachment 1120501

Applied the front numbers and some 3M diamond grade reflective tape for school buses on the back lateral spot of the vertical beam.
View attachment 1120500

But then I noticed the post was meant to be buried, not set on a post, and it was standing too tall at 6’2”, way beyond municipal regulations.
View attachment 1120502
It also felt a bit wiggly in part because of so much leverage and figured I should have used 2 bags of cement.

So I had to unscrew it, saw off about 7 inches, re-prime, re-paint, and re-seal the bare wood on the freshly cut bottom (as well as feather it all in.)
On top of that re-seal with flashing tape.
View attachment 1120499
View attachment 1120498

I took out the top pebble layer and poured another bag of cement to reinforce the base, added the final top layer of drainage rocks.


Finally I applied the vinyl numbers on the front, another set of reflective tape on the front side of the arm, and sprayed a ceramic wax coating on the post and mailbox that I polished them with to add a sacrificial layer that prevents staining and adds further protection from the elements. Set some black rocks around the base as the final detail.
View attachment 1120493
View attachment 1120494

You americans live in houses with cardboard walls, yet make mailboxes that can survive a nuclear war.

 

[chill doggie]

You americans live in houses with cardboard walls, yet make mailboxes that can survive a nuclear war.

This house is made of bricks, not the interior separating walls but the exterior cladding is all Mexican bricks. One time I shot a gun by accident in my living room and it barely made a dent on the wall it hit.

I agree though, when I lived in Mexico all the houses were made with bricks/cement and your house could catch fire and the material structure would be fine.

 

[Thepaintbucket]

I can respect a guy who spends hours perfecting his mailbox.

 

[Noveltymortar]

Nice job! Fix your lawn next!

 

[Kardashians]

Respect for your hands on skills, bro.

In 10 years most men won't even know how to use a drill or tape measure

In ten years? Bruh, this is already happening.

Sad.

Anyways, I enjoyed this thread. Thank you OP.

 

[chill doggie]

Looks like an absolute ton of work. Are termites or other bugs gonna eat it? Are you a pro or making it up as you go? Why not a big locked mailbox?

It’s even more work than it looks like from this post.

This wood naturally repels bugs, the oils are toxic to them.

Nah I’m not a pro, this is my first time working with wood, I just liked to be thorough with this job to get it right the first time. I hate dealing with locks, my neighborhood is quite safe.

Hey look, it's that guy

He’s wrong but I don’t have all the time in the world to explain it fully.

Aromatic cedar naturally resists warping, shrinking, swelling, etc… it’s at the cellular level due to density and shit, has oils that resist water absorption.

Not only that but it’s sealed with an almost ridiculous amount of primer, paint, and urethane coatings. Applied properly thin between each passings and 100% cured.

 

[Gene Tunney]

You could pay the bills with those types of skills.

 

[GSP_37]

Didn't know about wood that is toxic to bugs and web searched and one site said it's also hazardous to humans via inhaling and skin contact.

 

[Long Dark Blues]

That's sweet! Good job, brah

 

[DougieJones]

heh heh u said wood