A mailbox from the lining. Making a mailbox with your own hands. Types of mailboxes

Everyone can make a mailbox with their own hands. And the advantages of such a design will be much more than that of the standard blue boxes, which abound in private sectors in cities and suburban villages. First, they will stylistically match the overall design of the site. Secondly, it is also a way of self-expression, manifestation of the owner's individuality. And thirdly, they are more practical, since the volume is calculated based on the amount of correspondence received by the owners.

How to make a mailbox with your own hands

The mailbox can be located both at the front door and near your gate.

To begin with, they are determined with the location, the required capacity and realistically assess their capabilities - the costly part for materials and manual skills.

Depending on these parameters, the type of product is chosen. Mailboxes for a private house are:

  • standardized;
  • European;
  • American;
  • exclusive.

If it is not possible to completely independently make a box for mail, they acquire it and, having fantasized about the decor, remake it into an exclusive masterpiece. The classic is a rectangular box that you can make yourself. You will need a sheet of metal or wooden beams, fasteners or a welding machine. The opening for correspondence is usually made from above and covered with a visor. Take out mail from the lower tier or the front or back wall.


Europeans give this element of the exterior a significant role. They have beautiful mailboxes, they are usually painted in the most colorful shades - from strict to bright. Sometimes the boxes look like a reduced copy of a private house and are built of bricks.


American mailboxes are well recognizable, placed horizontally on a wooden or metal post.

Americans are constantly trying to diversify the look of their mailbox with the help of various decorative figures. The peculiarity of their design is in a semicircular lid, side doors and a flag signaling the presence of mail.


A do-it-yourself mailbox from scrap materials can amaze with its originality.

When choosing a material, the main thing is practicality and stylization. The correspondence should not get wet, and the external form should fit into the overall design.

Wooden mailboxes

Cardboard allows you to practice your craft, which is determined by its low cost. But the mailbox made of wood is stronger and more durable. You will need a bar (100 * 7.5 * 5 cm), thick plywood (65 * 45 cm), a thin plywood cut (65 * 65 cm), a piano hinge (13 cm) made of stainless steel for the door, a lock. And the arsenal of any owner will always find screws or nails for fasteners, but you may have to buy sandpaper for cleaning the edges, a jigsaw and wood glue that improves the sealing of the seams. Experienced craftsmen advise using additional corners for fastening to make it easier to repair the product during multi-season operation.

Getting started, it is advisable to complete a layout drawing. This will eliminate the likelihood of errors in the dimensions of the walls. The roof of the box can be made even, slightly raised, with a bend in the center - it all depends on the skills of the owner.


Example of a drawing of a mailbox

The tree is susceptible to moisture causing rotting. Therefore, before fastening together the entire structure, it is necessary to process each element with special means.

You can decorate with decoupage napkins with coating (varnish). This will give the spirit of antiquity. And if the prevailing note in the design is a gentle feminine style, then the design should be supplemented with all kinds of ruffles, images of animals and people, which create the impression of aristocratic pretentiousness.

Tin mailbox

This is a rather complex structure, which can only be performed by someone who has the skills to work with metal (welding). A set of tools is required (grinder, drill). You will need directly sheets of metal and rivets-fasteners. But this design will last much longer and looks very presentable.

As in the previous model, you need to equip the front wall with a handle and a lock. Additionally, before decorating, it is advisable to walk with a primer in several layers along the outer perimeter.

Such a homemade mailbox can be made in both the classic and American style. It is mounted both as a free-standing structure and on a fence.

Plastic pipe mailbox

Unwanted leftovers from the refurbishment can also be used to create an original mailbox. Sewer plastic pipes, half a meter long and at least 20 cm in diameter, will be an excellent alternative to labor-intensive options with wood and metal. In general, the box is almost ready. All that remains is to cut out the right circles for the front and back walls. To do this, a horizontal blank is made from less long residues, cutting one side of the work. This makes it easier to size.

Bolts or ropes can be used as fasteners for the front door wall. The back is fixed with glue or heat treatment. Decorating will help to give a neat appearance. The general stylistic atmosphere of the site will tell you how to decorate the mailbox. If natural colors and textures prevail, then you can paint it under a tree. At the same time, the streaks will resemble the natural color of wooden decks. Paint with a further coating of the surface with varnish can also imitate stone, brick.

Without a suitable piece of pipe, use any other plastic object of a suitable volume. When wondering how to make a letterbox from a plastic bottle, they focus on a model with a sewer pipe. It should be noted that such a structure will not withstand a large amount of correspondence.

The advantage of the plastic alternatives is the low cost of the material and ease of installation. You can fix the box both on a post at the front entrance and on the fence of the site.

Do-it-yourself mailbox is easy to do. And the very process of its creation is fascinating in its essence. As a result, the owner will acquire another important decorative element that serves as the final chord in the design.

Often, boxes for receiving letters and newspapers do not stand out with particular originality. Metal boxes of standard sizes, painted in any color, are possible and satisfy the unpretentious tastes of the owners, however, creative people will definitely consider in such a box the basis for an original exterior item.

Ideas on how to make a mailbox with your own hands can be adopted from neighbors, whose fences were decorated with original and convenient correspondence receivers, or you can take into account the options proposed in this article.

Types of mailboxes

Classical mailbox - a small rectangular box with a slot for receiving correspondence. It is made mainly of metal or wood. Such boxes are most often found on the streets of a post-Soviet city. The main advantage of a standard mailbox is its simplicity in the manufacturing and use process.

English mailbox - a metal box built into the wall of the building, or made in the form of a table or a curbstone.

American mailbox- mounted on a separate support (metal or wood rod). The box itself often has a special flag that must be raised in order to signal the postman about the presence of letters to send.

Regardless of the style in which your mailbox will be designed, it must necessarily comply with the following standards:

  • Be durable.
  • Convenient to use.
  • Protected from moisture.

Making a standard wooden mailbox with your own hands

You will need:

  • a piece of plywood not less than 5 mm thick;
  • wooden bars 15 * 15 mm;
  • hinges for furniture;
  • small sheet of tin;
  • jigsaw or file;
  • a set of nails and screws or screws.

Getting started

  1. Cut 2 pieces 350 * 350 mm and 350 * 370 mm from a sheet of plywood. These are the future walls of our box and sides. For the bottom, you need to cut out a workpiece 250 * 70 mm. From this point on, we started to create a mailbox. Anyone can make it with their own hands.
  2. In the upper part, a slot with a width of at least 20 mm is needed, so that letters and other correspondence can freely enter there. In view of this need, we make the blank 250 * 50 mm, place the opening for letters near the edge of the upper part. We make the lower bar with dimensions 250 * 70 mm.
  3. We cut off 4 bars of 350 and 220 mm in length. They will be positioned at the corners of the box to reinforce the structure.
  4. For greater durability, before assembling the box, we treat the parts with solutions from insects, fungus and rot.

We collect the mailbox

    We remove burrs and small irregularities on all parts with emery. We collect the bars in the shape of a rectangle, and on top of them we lay the front wall. The sides of the bars should be aligned with the ends of the plywood blank, then we fix everything with nails or self-tapping screws. So that the joints are more durable, you can glue them first, and then knock them down with nails.

    We also connect the back wall with the bars. Important! Do not forget to mount the box to the wall of the building or to the fence. To this end, screw 2 ears to the upper part of the rear wall.

    Place the front and back walls on the ends in turn, fasten them with the side strips (350 * 70). We attach the upper part of the box, consisting of 2 parts (250 * 25), first with glue, and then with nails, but be sure to leave a gap of at least 20 mm.

    We make the bottom of the box openable so that you can get the incoming mail. To this end, we fasten 2 furniture hinges to the long edge of the plank, and a small corner hinge for the lock to the back side. After that, we fasten the hinges for furniture to the back wall, close the bottom and at the level of the first bracket for the lock, mount the second to the front side.

    To avoid moisture getting into the mailbox, we cut out the tin and then mount the protective visor to the mailbox. Its edges need to be rounded.

After assembly, we process it again with emery and paint.

Anyone could make a mailbox with their own hands. It is only important to objectively assess your skills and abilities in creating such things and choose such a model, the manufacture of which will be within the power of the master. Do-it-yourself mailboxes can be done according to simple schemes, even beginners can do it. But more complex forms require sufficient experience and knowledge from the manufacturer.

The easiest way will be to make a mailbox from wood or plywood, the main thing is not to forget to soak the parts with an antiseptic.

What is important to consider when starting to create a mailbox

For those who have not yet chosen what the future mailbox will look like, it is important to determine the fundamental parameters even before creating it:

  1. What material it will be made of.
  2. What will be its dimensions.
  3. What design to choose for him.

After the choice is made, you can proceed to the drawings, the acquisition of the necessary materials and the creation of the product directly.

Wood mailbox - manufacturing

For beginners, the easiest way is to make a mailbox according to a very light scheme from an affordable and easy-to-handle material - wood. The manufacturing process for this type of mailbox is described below.

A homemade wood mailbox will require the following materials and tools:

  • a wooden bar made of inexpensive wood (pine, for example) with a length of at least 30 cm;
  • dense plywood sheet with good moisture resistance;
  • substances for the protective treatment of wood;
  • self-tapping screws for wooden products;
  • two hinges for the door;
  • locking door lock and hinge;
  • metal sheet 30 cm long;
  • screwdriver;
  • hacksaw or jigsaw.

From a wooden bar, you need to prepare four guide rails, the thickness of which will be 1 cm, width - 2 cm and length - 30 cm. Then you should make plywood blanks for the walls of the future mailbox. The dimensions of the front and back walls will be 30 cm long and 25 cm wide. The panels are side, there should be only two of them - they will have the following dimensions: length 30 cm, width 6 cm. The dimensions of the top and bottom panels should be 25 cm wide and 6 cm long.

Since all these parts are wooden, even before assembling the mailbox, they should be treated with substances that will protect the finished product from rain, snow and insects for a long time. This will allow for a very long time to use the future mailbox for a private house.

After all the main parts are ready and processed, you can start assembling the product. All four guide rails must be connected to the rear panel, bottom and side panels. For this, it is best to use prepared screws and a screwdriver.

Although there is another option - you can put all the parts on glue, in this case it will be better if you use good wood glue.

The top panel of the wooden mailbox should contain a slot into which the postman can drop letters, newspapers and other correspondence. A skilled craftsman can easily make the desired gap in the middle one centimeter wide. There is also an easier recipe for beginners. The remaining plywood panel 25 cm long and 6 cm wide can be cut with a jigsaw (or a hacksaw) and made of it two panels 25 cm long and 2.5 cm wide.Thus, the craftsman will be able to make a 1 cm wide slot by attaching these two thin panels to the finished frame from above. This simple trick will make it easier to make a homemade mailbox.

Since the press slot is located at the top of the structure, it is prudent to envisage strengthening a visor above it, which would protect all newspapers and letters from possible precipitation. Such a cover plate can be made from a metal plate. Here it is important to adjust its dimensions well to the size of the mailbox itself, and then attach the metal cornice to the upper part of the product on the hinges. It is important to take into account that the cornice itself does not interfere with the postman from throwing mail into the slot.

The front wall is fixed last, since it will serve as the mailbox door. With its help, the owner will be able to take all correspondence from him. To do this, use prepared hinges and a lock. The hinges should be small and not bulky. At the same time, it is necessary that they be very strong and provide a calm and reliable movement of the door itself. The hinges for the padlock are mounted on the opposite side, one on the door and the other on the side panel.

You can improve the finished product by installing an alarm that will notify the owners of the receipt of mail. To do this, you need to make another lower plywood strip and attach it at the bottom, forming a double bottom. The second plywood is attached to the springs. Between these springs should be placed contact plates from the telephone switch. The connecting wires from the box must be laid into the house to the battery and the lamp, the latter will light up every time the correspondence gets inside. This simple mechanism will always notify the owners of the arrival of mail.

Homemade mailbox models

Mailboxes come in a wide variety of shapes and designs. These products can differ in shape and cost, they are made from all kinds of materials, and the design can be limited only by the imagination and skill of the person who creates them.

Wood mailbox. This is a very simple and affordable mailbox option. Depending on the skills of the master, such boxes can be very simple to execute, or they can be carved and show the pinnacle of skill, if they are made by professionals who have been working with wood for a long time.

You can build a simple mailbox from a plastic bottle and two metal staples.

A mailbox made from a plastic bottle. This is a small and compact option, large bags with correspondence will not fit here, but it will always look original. Moreover, it is very easy to make such mailboxes from a plastic bottle with your own hands. To do this, a plastic container is placed in a metal or plastic pipe of the appropriate size and fixed in a place accessible to the postman.

Metal mailbox. To make such a device, you need to be able to work with metal, use more complex tools - a drill, welding, grinder, etc. However, such a box will last for a long time, so the time and effort spent on it will be worth it.

Plexiglass or plastic mailbox. It is not always easy to make it, because the plastic parts will have to be sealed with glue or sealant. It is important to choose a good adhesive here, otherwise the master will have to tinker with such a model for a long time.

Mailbox from the clock. For this option, you will need an old cuckoo clock. The movement should be disassembled, and the front of the former clock should be fixed on a wooden box. In this case, the hole from which the cuckoo used to jump out should coincide with the hole in the wooden box-base. This will be the slot into which the postman will be able to lower the mail. At the same time, do not forget about the door through which the owners will be able to pick up the press and letters.

Log mailbox. First of all, you need to pick up a good and thick log. Wood should be cut out of it and a pre-prepared metal box should be inserted into the resulting hole. The mail door should be on the front of the box.

The door itself can be trimmed with wood bark so that it does not "fall out" of the overall design of the mailbox.

Mail box installation

After the wooden mailbox is ready, it still needs to be installed in a place that will be convenient and accessible for both the postman and the owners who are waiting for mail. There are different options for installing mailboxes, they can be attached to different surfaces:

  • to the fence - the product is attached to clamps;
  • to the wall of the house - the product is attached to dowels or anchors (their size depends on the wall itself);
  • to another solid surface, for example, to a wooden or metal gate;
  • to a separate rack (American mounting option).

Here is such a simple recipe will help in the question of how to make a mailbox quickly and easily, using simple and affordable tools and materials.

Usually, the need for a mailbox is present not only in a country house, but even for a summer cottage. After all, it, like the house, has its own address. That is why any building with a postal address must be equipped with a post office box.

There are many options for the shape, color and material in the manufacture of a mailbox, It can be cardboard and wood, and metal and plastic. All of them can differ from each other not only in material, but also in model, design and price. It is not difficult to make a mailbox, there would be a desire.

Most of the mailbox models can be made by yourself. This applies to simpler mailbox options. As for more complex structures, then for their manufacture, you will need certain skills... In this case, it is better to buy a ready-made mailbox.

Types of mailboxes

As noted earlier, all boxes are subdivided into several types. Which option should be given preference when making a mailbox, you will have to choose on your own, the main thing is that the production of the chosen option is within the power.

In addition, giving preference to a certain type of construction, one should take into account the general style of the house, the necessary spaciousness and place for its installation. It is very important to consider the purpose of the mailbox. If it is planned to use it, only for its intended purpose, to receive correspondence, then the type variant can be of a simpler form. But if, in addition to this, a mailbox should perform a decorative role, then its design should be original in accordance with the interior of the house.

Several styles can be used in making letterbox designs. Today there are only three of them.

Mailbox styles

This could be the style:

  • Standard execution, traditional letterbox style;
  • American style of performance;
  • English;
  • Original style.

The traditional mailbox is the usual, standard type of mailbox design with a slot for correspondence. This is the easiest way to make a letterbox, which can be made from any material.


American style
in their appearance and decorativeness can be different. Such boxes are installed only in a horizontal position, which requires enclosed correspondence; postmen have to roll up them in a tube beforehand.

A distinctive feature of the American-style mailbox is a specially placed checkbox. With its help, the postman can easily determine if there is any correspondence to be sent. Indeed, in this case, the sender inserts letters to be sent and accordingly raises the checkbox.
Such a box is installed only on a separately installed support in the form of a pipe, or the support can be made in the form of some figure.


English style
postage looks like a pedestal column. Usually this look is done using bricks and durable metal. Such a structure is installed near the entrance of the courtyard to the house. This type of design is more like a miniature house, made taking into account the peculiarities of the structure of the house, than a letterbox. The capacity of this type of mailbox is very large, which allows the received correspondence to be put into the box without much difficulty.

But there is also an original type of mailboxes. This type includes boxes, made in accordance with the interior, using design ideas in the form of fabulous reincarnation of various objects into a letter box.

To make a mailbox in the original style, you can use for this and wood materials and bricks and metals. But it should be borne in mind that for the manufacture of metal metal, in addition to the material itself, you will need both the skills of a welder and a welding machine.

Whatever you choose, no matter what version and style of mailbox you choose, do not forget that a mailbox near your home should not violate harmony and should fit perfectly into the overall interior.

Designing and making a box house for newspapers and letters is as easy as shelling pears. It is possible to do this with your own hands. But before you get started, you should use some tips and tricks for making a high-quality mailbox design:

  • When making a structure using a wooden material, all its elements must be interlocked with the help of corners. Thus, the product will gain increased strength and in the future will facilitate repair work;
  • If the intended slot for the tabs of newspapers and magazines is located in its upper part, then to prevent water from entering in rainy weather, a special visor should be installed above the slot - protection. Thus, you will protect received letters and newspapers from exposure to drops of rain and snow;
  • The door for removing correspondence should be located at the bottom of the box. Better if it is done in a folding version;
  • When placing the newspaper collection door on the front of the letterbox, everything needs to be carefully calculated to prevent gaps between the drawer panel and the door.
  • To protect your mail from unwanted readers, it is better to provide a device for locking it in the mailbox design. It can be either a hinged lock or an internal one, which is installed on the inside of the door and drawer;

In addition, you can show originality. For example, an alarm can be built into the mailbox for sound notification of the receipt of correspondence, which is very convenient, especially on days when the weather is bad. But this will require special skills and abilities.

How to make a mailbox on your own?

In order to design to make a box using a material made of wood, for example, from plywood, you should:
prepare the following materials:

  • veneer sheet or plywood sheet (630 * 630 mm);
  • plywood must be at least 10 millimeters thick;
  • wooden beam within the size 1000 * 75 * 50 mm;
  • hinge made of brass or stainless steel (120 mm);
  • sandpaper sheet;
  • internal or padlock;
  • padlock screws and brackets;
  • adhesive composition for gluing wooden surfaces;
  • colloidal silica;
  • two-component epoxy adhesive.

The whole process of making a box is carried out in several stages:

  1. The prepared wooden bar must be divided into three equal-sized pieces and cut. Three lines are drawn on one sawn off part of the bar. Among which, one is the center line. The remaining two are transverse lines, while the distance between them should not exceed 300 mm. After that, the main curve is drawn and with the help of a hacksaw the bend for the edge is cut and cleaned.
  2. A similar work should be done with the remaining, two pieces of bars, observing, while exactly in relation to the work done on the first piece of the bar.
  3. The finished bars are glued together.
  4. Plywood is cut into pieces according to size.
  5. Cut plywood sheets should be at least 8 pieces of 320 * 160 mm each. After that, all the workpieces must be laid on the concave section of the block, and treated with epoxy glue. Next, the first layer on the main unit is to lay a paper sheet, and then a plywood sheet. In order to avoid mistakes, before gluing, it is necessary to first place the veneer sheets in accordance with the design. Thus, you will carry out a check in relation to the coincidence of all the details, which in turn will show whether everything was done correctly and whether there were cracks in the mailbox.
  6. As soon as the glue dries, the manufactured cover can be sanded and adjusted to the dimensions of the back and front of the mailbox.
  7. On the front, it is necessary to cut out a slot for placing mail and a special opening for retrieving mail from the box.
  8. A piano hinge is cut along the width of the door, which is attached with screws.
  9. A mortise lock is installed in the door.
  10. A lid is attached to the box.
  11. After installing the door, the product is sanded with sandpaper.
  12. If you wish, the finished mailbox can be opened with varnish or painted with paint.

Making an American mailbox

In order to make the simplest model of such a box, you can use sheets of metal in its manufacture. It is from them that workpieces are cut in accordance with the dimensions and in accordance with the shape according to the project for the manufacture of a mailbox. The two main components are rectangular in shape with different sizes, and the third part should be slightly larger in the form of a semicircle for the roof. The side sheets should be cut to the same size.

The structure is fastened both using welding and using nuts and bolts. The door and the handle for it are also attached.

If the American type of box is made of wood, then it can be made in the form of a small house with a door through which mail can be put into the house.

Metal mailbox

This type of mailbox manufacturing is the most complex and time consuming type of manufacturing among all types. First of all, that for its manufacture one cannot do without special devices. First of all, this is a grinder, a drill, a welding machine. But there is no impossible, having a desire, any difficulties are within the power. But, and if you consider that the metal mailbox is much stronger than all the others, then the game is worth the candle.

The process for making a metal box is almost the same as making a box out of wood. The only difference between them is in the material and method of attachment.

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The finished version of the product is treated with a primer and painted, while it can be painted in one color or painted with different patterns, the main thing is that everything is done with taste.

Creating an English-style mailbox

In this case, there can be no limit to imagination; for a house under the post office, you can use all the available material that does not get wet and does not deteriorate under the sultry rays of the sun. The main thing in this business is originality. In general, plastic bottles and pipes can be used as a container for placing mail.

You can also construct a mailbox from an old wooden clock, a children's school bag, an old system unit, a tape recorder, in general, from anything you want.

A piece of log can serve as an original mailbox. A core is taken out of it, a small door is screwed on and fixed in any direction, horizontally, vertically or even in an oblique direction, but the main thing is so that the mail hole is not directly exposed to precipitation, and everything else is the result of your imagination.

Mailbox setup method

Mailbox can be installed different ways and in different positions... If we talk about the American type of mailboxes, then this type is installed on a special support, the English type of mailboxes is installed on a built-in monolithic structure.

Today, simpler and more standard methods of setting up mailboxes are used.

Here are some examples:

  • a mailbox is installed on the fence. This can be done using special fasteners or by screwing the box to the fence using bolts and nuts.
  • mailboxes are attached to the gates, which can be either wood or metal. Depending on what the gate is made of, such a fastening is used, it can be either clamps for fastening or nuts with bolts.
  • A very common mailbox mount is to mount it on the wall at home. This can be done using dowels and anchors.

In general, as you can see, if you have the desire and time, you can not only design an original house for placing postal correspondence, but also, thereby, give your country estate an original style, where a mailbox can act as a visiting card of your property and your taste.

Mailbox- this is an important part of the decor of both a private and an apartment building. An attractive and unusual box can improve the overall appearance of the local area, highlight important accents and ensure the safety of received letters and newspapers. It is best and more enjoyable to create a mailbox with your own hands.

Work space

Anyone can create such a household item. To do this, you just need to clearly define the model and materials for construction, find the right tools and set aside some time.

With your own efforts, you can create both simpler designs and make whole works of art. In this case, the material and size of the structure can be absolutely any. The main thing is to foresee them in advance. The size of the box should be sufficient to store mail of different sizes. Boxes for private houses are best made from stronger and more protected materials.

The main types of designs

Boxes can vary in shape, model and size. The more common are American, English, and also the classical style.:

  1. The classic ones look like a small rectangular box with a special slot for newspapers and advertisements. Most often, these boxes are attached to the walls of houses or fences. You can find them on the territory of the post-Soviet space, but they are created from wood or metal.
  2. English style - a small metal box that is attached to the wall or created as a separate block.
  3. American. This type can be mounted on a separate support, it has a special flag that notifies the sending of mail.

Unusual boxes are allowed to be made of different materials: paper, bottles, cardboard or interior items.

Choosing the best option

All types of boxes are mass-produced, each can be bought ready-to-assemble. The models do not differ in their special structure or appearance. In this case, there is no need to talk about design features. If you want to get some original box, then make it yourself.

The best option in this case would be a do-it-yourself wood mailbox - thick cardboard or plywood.

To buy you need follow some advice:

  1. Determine the maximum number of letters that arrive at you in a certain period of time. If a large number of newspapers, other correspondence and mailings often come to your mailing address, then it is best to create standard models of boxes, American ones in this case will be small, and newspapers for them will have to be folded into a roll.
  2. If you want to design an American box, it is imperative to evaluate whether the postman can recognize the destination of the letter and get to it. In some situations, you should talk about this with the local postman in advance so that there are no difficulties.
  3. The location of the mail should be determined in advance. If you live in a private house, which is fenced off by a fence, then you can use the classic version, which will be attached to the fence, or the English model, on which you need to enter the postal designation in advance. American models are also used, pre-designating them for the postman with the appropriate signatures.

In Russia, postmen rarely collect all the recipients' letters on their own, so the items should still be taken to the places of assembly - to central installations in public places or to special departments.

Metal mail box

DIY metal mailboxes are more difficult to create. In this case, in addition to the idea, you also need to have minimal skills in working with metal material.

For construction you will need:

  • tin sheets;
  • rivets;
  • drill;
  • special grinder.

The process of creating an American box is quite complicated:

  1. Cut two rectangular sheets of metal. One will be the bottom, the size of the sheet is determined according to the desired size. The second is a semicircular roof, which should completely coincide with the total width of the bottom, but be longer.
  2. You need to cut out two identical semicircular parts that will serve as the side walls of the product. Their width should fully correspond to the width of the side of the bottom on which they will be installed, and the height of the circle should be equal to the semicircular roof.
  3. Installation is carried out with a special welding tool. One of the semicircular sides must be hinged, and also equipped with a handle and a special lock.
  4. The finished model can be primed with 2-3 coats of primer and beautifully decorated at your discretion.

Traditional wooden letterbox

To create such a box, you will need:

  • plywood sheet with a total thickness of at least five millimeters;
  • wooden bars 15 * 15 mm;
  • hammer;
  • small tin plate;
  • special fasteners (nails and screws);
  • jigsaw and hacksaw for wood;
  • furniture hinges.

When creating a mailbox, you should choose a size that will fit a standard A4 sheet of paper.

Start construction of the box

Two blanks with a general format of 150 * 250 mm and 350 * 870 mm need to be cut out of plywood. This will be the front, back, and sides. For the lower part, you need to cut out a workpiece with a total size of 250 * 70 mm. It is with this that you need to start designing the box. Any owner can create such a product with his own hands.

The top of the box should have an opening of about 20 millimeters to accept mail. That is why such a blank is created with a size of 250 * 50 mm, in this case the slot will be near the edge of the upper part of the mailbox. It will also be possible to cut out two pieces of 250 * 25 mm, in this case the hole for receiving the newspaper must be made in the middle. The bottom bar should be 250 * 70 mm in size.

Four bars of 350 mm and 220 mm are cut off. They will be located in the corners of the box and provide the product with increased strength.

For a longer service life, all parts should be treated with special solutions before assembly, which will scare off pests, and also prevent the decay process.

Receiver design

With the help of emery paper, excess burrs are removed from all blanks and small bumps are smoothed out. A rectangle is made from the bars. The front wall (350 * 250 mm) is placed on it. The sides of the bars should be aligned with the ends of the plywood blank, and then they are fastened with screws and nails. If you use glue together with nails, this will help to ensure special strength of the connection and increase the tightness. The glue should be applied to the side of the bar and to the edge of the plywood structure. Then they are aligned and fastened with nails.

In the same way, the back wall and the bars are combined. At the same time, it is very important to remember about fixing the box to the fence or wall of the house. For this, several lugs are screwed to the upper part of the rear wall.

The back and front walls are located on the end edges and are alternately aligned with the side strips. The top of the box will have two strips. They are fastened with nails and glue, the gap between them should be up to 20 mm.

The bottom of the box must be made of a folding type so that the owner can easily get all the mail. To do this, several loops are screwed to the long edge of the plank, and a small corner loop is attached to the other side of the plank for the lock on the drawer. After the furniture hinges are aligned with the back wall, the bottom is closed, and at the level of the hinge for the lock, another eyelet is attached to the front wall.

So that rain and snow from above do not penetrate into the slot of the box, a special protection plate is cut out and attached from the metal sheet. It should have rounded edges, slightly smaller than the top of the box. The plate should be hinged; it is attached to the back wall with small furniture hinges.

There is also a model mailbox with an opening front wall. In this case, the assembly of the box is carried out in the same way, only the front side is attached to special hinges.

At the end of the assembly, the box is carefully processed with special emery paper, painting and decorative finishing of the box are carried out.

Recently, decoupage finishes have become widely used. This is cutting various beautiful images from magazines or paper. The cut pictures must be glued to the surface and covered with several layers of varnish at once. Pictures can be combined with the decoration of the house and the surrounding area. This is how you can get a beautiful and graceful mailbox.

Product with signal flag

Such a box will be located behind the fence. Most often, it is American boxes that are supplied with a signal flag. Also, for such a design, you need to create a special rack with a bevel. The box is created from a profile pipe 50 * 25 mm.

The main walls of the box must be cut out of special plywood with a thickness of at least 10 millimeters and a diameter of 400 * 400 mm, the surface is properly primed and then painted.

When the paint is completely dry, the base is mounted to the rack with self-tapping screws. Such a platform will be installed to the fence and well secured.

Creative details

From the outside of the fence, from the opposite platform, a special compartment is cut out for receiving newspapers. Its size should correspond to 250 * 20 mm. On both sides of the slot, you need to make special plates. From the outside of the fence, to the upper part of the lining, a damper is attached using a bolted connection.

The screw and nut should not be fully tightened; the valve must be allowed to move to the right and left. So that when using the box, such a connection does not begin to loosen, and the nut does not come off the screw, a special lock nut is tightened from above. Hand-made mailboxes will not only delight the eyes of others, but also bring joy to home owners.

The signal flagpole will consist of two plates located at an angle of ninety degrees relative to each other, and will also be fastened with a special steel rod. The signal device should be positioned so that the raised plate is opposite the gap in the fence and the other is on the platform. A newspaper or mailing list pushed into the slot will put the plate down, and the signal plate will go up. In the absence of correspondence, the device will be in working position; for this, a special canopy in the form of a small load is attached to the upper edge of the signal plate.

A special rod with plates is attached to the platform using special carbon hinges. In this case, the fasteners are screwed to the platform with special self-tapping screws, which are placed as close to the plate as possible. This will prevent the rod from falling out of the hinges.

It is necessary to sheathe the box depending on the style in which it will be performed. It can be a dollhouse, a village hut or a warehouse lined with iron sheets, a do-it-yourself mailbox from a plastic bottle.

To simulate a hut, it is best to use special trims of the lining board. A dollhouse can be created from fiberboard (fibreboard) with napkins glued on in the form of drawings and images. The warehouse room is finished with pieces of galvanized sheet metal. You can give a finished look to the box with the help of a signal plate, which can be cut out in the form of some fairy-tale hero.