Custom Small Plywood Mailbox
My house needed a new mailbox so I decided to design and fabricate my own custom small plywood mailbox.
When it comes to plywood models, of which this small mailbox is one, the design process is pretty straight forward, but plywood does have some natural warping in it and as such, just to be on the safe side with this sheet, I decided to CNC laser cut it without using the nose code that directs air downwards onto the model so it didn’t get snagged.
Laser cutting without a nose cone produces a lot more smoke and flame on the material because there isn’t any pressure shooting downwards and away from the material.
If you wanted a project made out of something a little harder and stronger, CNCROi.com also has extensive live edge and solid lumber at it’s disposal along with other equipment for optimal production.
What I really like about this plywood is that it has two different colors and textures depending on which side is used, it also has a wonderful texture on it though it’s a little on the thin side veneer wise.
As such, I knew I couldn’t sand this plywood at all if anything got onto it from the laser cutting process, as such, I masked both sides and it did a wonderful job of protecting both surfaces from smoke and fire damage especially as I didn’t use a nose cone to cut this plywood mailbox out.
Having extensive design experience, especially when it comes to producing plywood models, really comes in handy for CNCROi.com‘s customers as rapid prototyping of designs using more expensive and harder to work with materials can be done.
CNCROi.com can also mix and match different materials and processes to produce a finished piece for a wide variety of uses, from custom corporate awards to wedding or party favors.
You’ll notice while CNC laser cutting the custom small plywood mailbox that lots of little holes are being made seemingly in random fashion, these are all the slots that will allow this mailbox to interlock together, requiring no use of glue to be held together.
When I do assemble it though, I used glue just because I’m so use to it, I feel the model is missing something and at the same time, it does a bit more strength and rigidity to the overall custom small plywood mailbox.
After all the inner parts of the plywood mailbox are cut out, it’s time to cust the outline of the mailbox part out from the quarter inch 6 mm plywood, doing it the other way around, outside then inside, may produce a non-perfect fit as it may move slightly.
Wood in general is a wonderful material, it’s easy to work with and on the machinery.
When it comes to making sure the model is as close physically as it was virtually, it’s important to make sure nothing moves during the cutting process, especially when there are lots of tight tolerances with interlocking holes and related tabs to contend with.
The virtual 3D design process that CNCROi.com uses for it’s model production allows all the prototyping to be made virtually without wasting materials that would have been done otherwise doing test fits and model refinements.
The masking can be clearly seen in the image below, this is easily peeled off and most importantly, doesn’t leave any sticky residue once removed from the small plywood mailbox pieces.
There are endless ways to make a custom plywood mailbox, what I’ll do after this one is make another bigger one because I want something that can also hold a newpaper and other items that won’t fit comfortably into this custom plywood mailbox – this size is perfect for letters.
CNCROi.com is also capable of mixing processes and materials that traditionally you don’t see together, such as mixing metal and wood, plastics and wood or anything else with literally anything you can think of including concrete.
After the masking is removed, you can really appreciate the beauty of this plywood, it has a wonderful cedar look to it and a strong horizontal simulated grain and really makes this plywood mailbox pop.
You can see how the back locks everything else into place, a bit of glue and some screws and this custom small plywood mailbox will be ready for use a few hours after final assembly.
The wonderful thing about CNC laser cutting is that it builds a wonderful contrasting edge, it really never gets old and really improves the overall esthetics of the model.
CNCROi.com has designed through fabricated tons of items, we can be as creative and imaginative as you wish.
First bit of mail at CNCROi.com is the sign, fits perfectly, but I think I need to make another one but a little bigger, this is good for most mail but more internal volume is required so I’ll use this one for a unit I own.
This custom plywood mailbox is lightweight and incredibly strong considering how little material actually makes it up.
If you are looking for a company to custom design through make whatever you need, CNCROi.com is here to make it happen for you on budget and with the materials that work best for your given application.
Contact us today with your ideas and we’ll help make them a reality.