Our homeowner enters sweepstakes and contests with the result that he receives a tremendous volume of paper mail and catalogs -- but his mailbox cannot accommodate the load. The overflow ends up in a cardboard box on the porch outside his front door. He decides to build a bigger wall-mounted mailbox of redwood to handle the volume and the physical dimensions of his incoming mail. Along the way, he constructs a series of auxiliary tools for his table saw to make the job easier and his cuts more precise.

To complete this project, you will need:

Tools:

• Table saw
• Homemade cradle and fences
• Pneumatic nail gun
• Clamps
• Orbital sander
• Plane
• Level
• Power drill and assorted wood and masonry bits
• Hammer
• Paintbrush
•  

Materials:

• Redwood
• Plywood and scraps
• Waterproof glue
• Nails
• Piano hinge
• Tile house numbers
• Plastic anchors
• Paint
• Pan-head screws
•  

Plan the size and shape of the mailbox and purchase necessary materials. This do-it-yourself project will use solid redwood for the frame and for the hinged bin that opens and closes. The joinery is simple -- glue and nail construction with screws to attach the hinge and handle -- but the cuts of the component pieces must be accurate. Consequently, we will build several home-made accessories to ensure precision.

Start by cutting two strips of scrap wood/runners the same dimensions as the grooves in the top of the table saw and a piece of plywood that matches the top of the table saw. (These are for a wooden cradle to hold the redwood in position for a variety of cuts.)

Stick several pieces of double-sided carpet tape on one face of the runners and apply glue between the tape pieces. Set the runners into the grooves on the table saw, glue and tape side up and flush with the edges.

Take the panel of plywood and set it carefully on top of the runners, insuring that its front edge aligns flush with the edges, particularly the front edge of the table saw. The plywood sticks to the carpet tape on the runners in the exact position required.

Lift up the panel and runners as a unit, and turn it over. Be careful not to dislodge the runners. Nail the runners in place on the plywood with a pneumatic nail gun. The glue will help secure them, too.

Flip over the plywood so that the rails are down and engaged in the grooves on the table saw. The plywood should be flush with the edges of the table saw.

Raise the blade on the table saw and cut through the center of the constructed cradle. Stop the cut a few inches from the end.

Cut and apply glue to the edge of a one-by-three as long as the cradle is wide. You will attach it and another identical piece as fences. Set the one-by-three glue-edge down on the rear edge of the plywood cradle, using a framing square to ensure that it is perpendicular to the saw blade. Clamp it, turn it over, and secure the fence with finish nails.

Continue by making another fence, this time attaching it to the front edge of the cradle.

The cradle is now ready, and slides with the platform of the table saw. Its rear fence will enable very accurate straight cuts.

Make a stop block as an attachment to clamp anywhere along the rear fence and serve as a cutting-length guide. It is essentially a 3-foot piece of wood notched along its length while leaving an uncut block on one end. The end of the redwood lumber will butt against the block wherever you clamp it into position to ensure consistent lengths for cuts. Reposition the stop block as necessary, clamp it, and use it and the cradle to make all the straight cuts for the project.

Attach a small temporary piece of wood to the flat surface of the cradle at a 45 degree angle to the saw blade. You will use this auxiliary fence to make angled cuts on the framework side panels, essentially to remove the forward corners as a decorative touch. You will also use the fence to angle the tops of the bin's side panels as a transition between the shorter back and the taller front panel.

Note: Adjust the saw blade at a 45-degree angle to cut the narrow upper edges of the bin's front and back panels to flow in the same plane as the side panels.

Brush waterproof glue on the edge of one board as you construct the two-board L-shaped top of the mailbox frame. Butt the second piece against the glue, and attach it permanently with nails and a pneumatic nail gun. Repeat this step to form an identical structure for the bottom of the mailbox frame.

Attach the frame sides to the top and bottom you have just constructed. The sides are rectilinear boards cut to dimension, but with the forward corners cut off at a 45-degree angle. The back corner remains uncut. Glue and nail the joints.

Use an orbital sander to smooth the surfaces of the frame assembly that is now complete.

Cut and assemble the pieces for the bin. You will need a narrow bottom, two wide panels for the front and back, and two sides with their tops cut at a 45-degree angle to make the transition between the angled edges of the front and back panels. The back will need to be slightly shorter than the front to allow room for the bin to pivot forward as it opens on its hinge. Remember to angle the upper edges of the front and back at a 45-degree angle.

Use glue and nails to make the joints, clamping the structure together while it dries.

Attach a piano hinge secured with screws to the bottom edge of the bin's front -- the taller panel of the bin. Secure the other side of the hinge to the bottom of the frame along its front edge.

Plane the edges of the bin to ensure that it opens and closes smoothly.

Cut and attach a handle to the front of the bin. A scrap of redwood will serve. Clamp the handle in place and then drive in screws from the interior surface of the bin outward into the handle. It is a tight fit, so use a drill-bit extension to reach.

Install a frame on the front surface of the bin to hold tiles representing the house number. Fix the tiles in place with clear silicon adhesive.

Use a level to draw a horizontal line on the house at the elevation for the top of the mailbox.

Pre-drill the clearance holes in the mailbox for the bolts.

Transfer the location of the clearance holes in the mailbox to the house wall at the line drawn earlier. Hold the mailbox along the level line and pass a small masonry bit through the holes and into the house wall to mark their location on the stucco.

Enlarge the holes with a bigger masonry bit. Tap in plastic anchors to ensure a tight fit and hold the screws in the masonry.

Hold the mailbox in position and install pan-head screws through the redwood and into the anchors.

Apply a coat of exterior house paint, and you're finished.