Personal Mailbox for the Students
by
William
A few years ago, my daughter and granddaughter lived with me after my daughter divorced. One Friday morning in October I noticed my granddaughter had a plastic grocery bag along with her backpack. I asked her whats in the bag. She said the jewelry box you made for me. I asked her why was she taking it to school? She said for show and tell. I gasped. I looked at my daughter and she shrugged her shoulders with a smile. I thought to myself, it wasn't that great of a box and she needed something to keep her tween jewelry in. The following Monday, my daughter said the Vice Principal needed to talk to her and if I could come along. When we got to the school the Vice Principal greeted us and took us into her office. She started to praise my granddaughter for her jewelry box presentation and how the class enjoyed it. But she said it was what was inside the box that really impressed her. My granddaughter had photos of some of my projects that she passed around the class. The Vice Principal proceeded to ask if I would consider building a mailbox for the school the students could use to "mail" Christmas cards to each other. They used a cardboard box covered with Christmas wrapping paper. I kind of was caught off guard and told her sure.
I went online looking for mailbox dimensions. I found that mailboxes come in a variety of colors, but blue is reserved only for the Post Office. Once I got the dimensions, I got to work.
I scoured through my panels and buckets of wood scraps. I save every piece of wood I can. I used plywood for the sides and 2x2's for the frame. Casters on the legs so it can be moved easily.
I used 1/8" hardboard for the arch and back because its flexible. I found the out the mail drop door is actually longer on the inside of the mailbox so it closes by gravity. The front and access door are plywood.
Painted the mailbox blue with paint I had. Added a small knob on the access door and a screen latch to hold the door closed. A handle on the mail slot door. I didn't put any logos on the mailbox because I figured they could use it for other occasions, not just Christmas. When I delivered it to the school, the kids stopped in their tracks. The Vice Principal was amazed on how good it looked. She offered to pay me for it, but I told her it was for the kids. Anyway, I really enjoyed building it.
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3 of 41 comments
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Oh my goodness this is such a fantastic story and wonderfully made mailbox, thanks for sharing it!
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William this is so cool. What a great thoughtful project for kids.
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