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Sail To Get Your Mail?!
by
Suzette
(IC: homeowner)
4 Materials
$200
3 Days
Medium
Here in Florida, it's not uncommon to see fun and whimsical mailboxes. I just finished this custom Pirate Ship Mailbox and it's sailing all the way to Homestead, Fl. !!
This was a fun project! Because I was making this for someone else, and was on a schedule, I forgot to take all the pictures along the way, but will give you what I have. First I started out by using a standard metal mailbox, 1/2" Severe weather, pressure treated plywood, 5/8" Oak dowels, Two 3/8" flanges, 3/16" clothes line, 2" x 1" lumber, Copper sheets, stain, wood glue, poly seal, and a whole lot of imagination.
I traced out the general ship design and cut it out with my jigsaw. I made two panels.
Then I cut out the back panel and Deck and attached them using wood glue and screws. I also used L brackets for better stability. I marked where the holes in the mailbox lined up with the bottom of the boat and drilled the holes so later it could attach to the mailbox post.
For the door, I used two pieces of wood I had left over from the center of a wood spool. It was curved and worked perfect. I attached the wood from the inside of the mailbox door. I cut my trim from the 2x1 lumber then stained the boat and all my pieces. To get different shades of gray on the trim, I just put on the stain and wiped it off after a few seconds.
Next I decided where I wanted the dowels to go and used the flanges to hold my dowels. I cut the dowels to resemble a cross, drilled a hole through the intersection of the cross, and used a bolt and nut to join them. . I stood on either side of the flange to put my weight on the dowels to screw them in. The sheets of copper were already the size I needed. I drilled holes in each corner and screwed them to the dowels.
I cut out my railing from a piece of leftover spool wood, drilled holes and used old foam paint brush handles for the dowels. (I save everything) I know nothing about rigging a boat. ( I was hoping the recipient didn't either)! So I looked and looked at pictures, but they made me go cross eyed, so I just took the general idea and did my own thing.
The sail on the front is hanging on the clothes line. The bow sprite is just two dowels cut on an angle and screwed together, then wrapped in clothes line. Last, I cut out my flags, painted and drilled holes in the top of the dowels to put in place.
So there you have it! A fun and whimsical way to get your mail! This ended up being rather large. 38" L x 14" W x 38" H. Sorry I didn't get better "during" pictures, but I had a deadline to meet. Thanks for lookin' :)
I forgot to add this photo, sorry for any confusion it may have caused!
This is the 3rd custom pirate ship mailbox I've made.
This one was for a stuntman /Actor is Los Angeles!!
Enjoyed the project?
Suggested materials:
- Mailbox (Lowe's)
- 1/2" Plywood, 2"x1" lumber, 5/8" Oak Dowels (Lowe's)
- Copper Sheets (Ace Hardware)
- 3/16 white Clothesline (CVS)
Published November 10th, 2016 11:57 PM
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3 of 97 comments
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Joanie Pacheco on Mar 31, 2018
I love it
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Jean McNally LeBlanc on Dec 14, 2020
I already have but use artificial materials and I love how it looks. This is my 2nd year decorating my mailbox. It really makes the neighborhood look festive. I got the idea from another neighbor. Thanks for all your ideas.
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Would u have instructions for a stage coach.
Will you build one of these for me, pleeeeeeZzzzzz