![Image](http://www.chrispitude.net/cache/house/mailbox/IMG_2060__scaled_512.jpg)
Well, she actually decided this a few years ago but I only recently got around to getting it done...
I came up with the design myself. It was pretty simple and didn't really require much Shopsmith'ing, other than making some 45degree cuts in a 2x4, and cutting two 4x4 pieces to length. Here's a picture of the mailbox:
![Image](http://www.chrispitude.net/cache/house/mailbox/IMG_2058__scaled_512.jpg)
The vertical post is a full 8' length of pressure-treated 4x4, sunk into the ground about 30" with a liberal amount of concrete to set it. The 30" hole was dug with a 2-man power auger, which is a story in itself...
![Image](http://www.chrispitude.net/cache/house/mailbox/IMG_2055__scaled_512.jpg)
I actually set the 4x4 post in a vinyl 4x4 sleeve, then poured the concrete around that. This way, if this post gets damaged by an errant side view window or a wall of snow thrown by a snowplow, I can pull it out and slide a new one in. I filled the hole with about an inch of sand first, then snugged the sleeve down onto the sand. This ensures that any water inside the sleeve has a drainage path downward, and is not sealed up by concrete.
The horizontal cross-piece is a 23" length of 4x4, snugged into a 1" notch cut into the vertical post. I made this notch with repeated runs of a circular saw, then chiseled out the bottom. This was the first time I've done that, and the notch came out smoother than I expected!
![Image](http://www.chrispitude.net/cache/house/mailbox/IMG_2217__scaled_512.jpg)
I used a 36" Irwin Quick-Grip clamp to hold the horizontal piece tightly into the offset, made sure it was square, then used 3.5" coated deck screws from the backside to attach it. I drilled the holes through the vertical post slightly oversize to ensure that the deck screw threads didn't grip that piece well, and pulled the horizontal piece into the notch instead.
...continued...