Tired of seeing over-the-top, ready-made post boxes? Want to make a simple, tailor-made postbox just for yourself? Well, with even the wood from an old pallet, you too can create a fashionable postbox for your humble abode!
If you’re wondering how, just follow this meticulous tutorial to turn your old pallet into a delightful little postbox!
Straighten the Edges of the Wood
Grab your wood, and start straightening the edges of the wood on the jointer. Make sure all the faces of the wood are perfectly flat and all edges are at a nice 90-degree angle. The jointer should also remove any defects (twists, wraps, etc.) in the wood.
Thickness the Wood
As soon as you’re done joining the wood, you need to bring the wood to an even and consistent thickness using the thickness planer. It’ll ensure all the wooden boards are trimmed to an equal thickness and are flat and smooth on either side.
Square the Ends
After the wood has been thickened evenly, use a table saw (remember to do it safely, with a cross-cut sled!) to make all the ends of the wood squared with the rest of the board, making it 90-degrees in all directions.
Form Angles Using Wood
Since your postbox will turn out to be angled (slightly), you’ll need to cut the wood accordingly. Mark the wood using a ruler and a pencil at an angle (below 45 degrees), and align the markings properly before activating the saw. Collect your pieces once the saw has done its work.
Cross Cut Pieces
To avoid making your postbox unsymmetric, you’ll need to cut the rest of the wood to an even length with your table saw. Feel free to use a crosscut sled as it is far safer than a rip fence, but ultimately either one will work.
Rip the Wood to an Even Width
Now that the wood has an even length, it must also have an even width. To do this, use the rip fence to rip the wood down to a consistent width. Additionally, you can also use an orbital sander, or any sander, to sand down the wood.
Cut and Attach Letters from Wood
To add lettering to your postbox and give it a personal touch (which is a must!), you’ll need a scroll saw to cut out alphabets from the wood. Mark the letters into the wood you’re cutting them from. When that’s complete, simply rotate the saw on the markings for each letter formation you desire, and repeat as many times as you want. Here we’ve decided the words ‘POST’ are best-suited for our postbox, and have already marked them using a pencil.
Once you’re done, use a ruler to symmetrically glue them to the wood for the front end of the postbox.
Screw Pieces Together
Lay the wooden piece flat, hold the bottom of the postbox to it, and then use a screw to drill it into position. Do the same with the sides of the postbox, piece by piece as shown, affixing them carefully. Proper alignment is a must, as you don’t want your postbox to turn out crooked!
Spray Clear Coat Finish
To make your postbox not only look nicer but to ensure its insides aren’t damaged, you’ll want to spray a clear coat finish onto the inside of the postbox thoroughly.
The insides of your postbox will look much better after you’re done applying this finish.
Mark and Mortise Placement for Hinges
To actually open your postbox, you’ll need to place a few hinges on it. But before that, you need to mark the places where you’ll need hinges, and their length as well. Use a pencil to mark out the hinges on the wood.
Once you’re done marking out where your hinges should go, use a chisel and mortise the marked places, place your hinges on top and screw them down tightly.
Add a Finish of Choice
Congratulations! At last, you’ve successfully created your own postbox. You can now add a finish of your choice (it could be oil, lacquer, polyurethane, etc.). A clean finish will not only give the postbox a brand-new look but also protect it from external damage caused by the weather.
Conclusion
Instead of buying a ready-made postbox, you can easily create a postbox to your liking, in short, simple steps. If you follow this guide attentively, you’ll add an artistic flair to your home you didn’t know was missing!
Good luck with your crafts!
To view more pallet wood projects or just crafts in general, check out the author of this video, they run a YouTube channel by the name of AndyElliot currently having 9,160 subscribers and a growing community you can engage with regarding all sorts of woodworking and crafts!
