Home made mailbox

[Ozziespur]

Hey guys,

I've made a timber frame for our mailbox and added the metal mailbox in the middle. I have the mailbox sitting on a flat piece of redwood timber but the problem I have is in securing the top of the mailbox. I have screwed 2 L brackets on the timber frame but am having trouble securing the brackets to the top of the mailbox. Sorry don't have any photos so I hope you can get the (vague) picture. My thought was to drill into the top of the mailbiox and use a nut & bolt to secure it but I can't drill a hole in the thin tin. I tried punching a hole in the top but have only dented the top of the mailbox.

I'm thinking of a couple of options but am open to any ideas.
1. Find another way to drill a hole in the top of the mailbox & utilise the nut/bolt option.
2. Can I solder the metal bracket to the top of the mailbox ?

or can I burn a hole or soften the metal with the soldering iron to punch the bolt through the tin mailbox top ?

Many thanks in advance for any suggestions !! :2tsup:

[Stustoys]

Get two piece of scrap wood, drill the hole size you want in one, clamp that piece where you want the hole, the other piece underneath it, drill through.
If I am understanding what you are trying to do :)
Stuart

[Ozziespur]

The problem I have is the mailbox is in the front yard (and post-creted into the ground) ! The mailbox is of a shape that I can't clamp anything to it either. Basically it's a wall type mailbox with the slot at the top. I have considered wedging some scrap timber inside the box & trying to drill through the top but fitting the timber snug enough inside the mailbox is proving a problem.

Any other ideas ? :U

[kraits]

not entirely with you, do a basic drawing on paint and attach it.

[pipeclay]

Can you sharpen twist drills.

[Sterob]

Can you sharpen twist drills.

Yep, make sure your drills are sharp, drill small pilot hole first and then the final hole should not be too hard.

Sterob

[Ozziespur]

Yep, make sure your drills are sharp, drill small pilot hole first and then the final hole should not be too hard.

Sterob

Stupid question but I am new to this woodworking caper. How do I sharpen drill bits ? Is there a device that does this, if so how much do they generally retail for ?

Thanks

[pipeclay]

If you could sharpen your own by hand you could of sharpened it to cut thin steel,eg your letter box.

[Ozziespur]

If you could sharpen your own by hand you could of sharpened it to cut thin steel,eg your letter box.

I'll use my sharpening stone for my chisels to sharpen the drill bit & try it again.

Cheers.

[Sterob]

Its a bit of an art sharpening twist drills. Not something that can really be explained here....its something that needs to be demonstrated and explained and then practiced.
You can buy machines to do it but I can't vouch for how effective they are.They might be worth a shot....

[pipeclay]

If the appearance of the internal of the letter box is of concern you could try the drills they use for removing spot welds from car panels etc,another allternative could be to drill a smaller hole and the use a step drill or even a holesaw of the correct size.

Some of these allternatives will require cutting into the timber under you letter box a bit.

With drilling thin section you need the outer edges of the drill you are using to start to cut before the tip of the drill passes through,other wise you will get severe chatter and not a round hole,the sheetmetal drill virtually has the point and the outer edges of the drill all touching/cutting at the same time,after drilling with this you virtually end up with a slug similar to the slug from using a hole saw.

[Ozziespur]

Its a bit of an art sharpening twist drills. Not something that can really be explained here....its something that needs to be demonstrated and explained and then practiced.
You can buy machines to do it but I can't vouch for how effective they are.They might be worth a shot....

Bloody hell ! I googled sharpening drill bits and you're right. There is an artform to it and it takes a looooong time to become competant it seems.

Ok another option ... can I glue metal to metal well ? Any glues in particular work best ?

[pipeclay]

What size hole do you want to put in it?

[Ozziespur]

What size hole do you want to put in it?

Small enough for a 3 - 4 mm bolt to fit through. I've screwed 2 small L brackets into the top timber and I though if I could drill a small hole into the top of the rectangle mailbox I could use 2 small nuts & bolts to secure in place.

[pipeclay]

Are these holes going into the Top or Bottom of the Box?
Can you explain why you were having trouble trying to drill the box.
For holes of the size you mentioned it should be quite easy to drill even with the material being thin.

[Ozziespur]

See image attached .... if it works ......

174824

Didn't work. I'll try it from home.

[pipeclay]

You can either buy a Twist drill of the correct size to give clearance for your bolt or use the Drills they use for Pop rivits.
You would need to cut a piece of wood or similar to fit inside the box with the lid closed to give support to the metal while drilling.
If its a domed roof on the box put a bit of wood under the dome to give the same result.
You may have to put a pop mark in the Top where you wish to drill to stop the drill running off,either use a centre punch or nail.

[Ozziespur]

Got it !! Centre punch then a 1/16 drill bit followed by bigger bit and finally 2 x small nut & bolts to secure.

Many thanks to all !! :2tsup: