How to Build a Log Mailbox Post

The United States Postal Service has specific regulations for the installation of boxes for mail delivery. Mailboxes can be purchased at many hardware stores or department stores. Mailbox styles easiest to install fit on the top of a wooden post. Log post installations are only moderately difficult, providing the homeowner has the proper tools. Consult with your local post office and check any city or other local governmental requirements before beginning the process.

Check Regulations

• 1

  Your local post office will provide you with regulations concerning how far your mailbox should sit back from the road, whether you need to provide pull-off space for the mail carrier's vehicle, the correct height of the mailbox, and preferred location (such as on which side of the road to place the box.)

• 2

  Call local utility companies before you dig. Even if you are in a remote area, buried utility lines and pipes can turn up in the strangest places. If any of those are near where you wish to place your mailbox, the utility company will dispatch a worker to spray paint along the location of the wires or pipes to help ensure safety.

• 3

  Be sure to not place your box in a spot that will block a neighbor's drive access or access to their mailbox or other services.

Selection and Preparation

• 1

  Select the post carefully. It should be large enough to support the mailbox without wobbling or breaking, and the wood must be able to withstand variable weather conditions and last for several years. If you are using a natural wood, oak or cedar are recommended. If you are buying your post, landscaping logs or pressure-treated 4-by-4-inch boards are good choices. An old railroad tie can be used as a base for a large mailbox.

• 2

  Cut the post to regulation height and leave enough additional length that one-third of it can be in the ground. If the regulation height for the box is between 41 and 45 inches, add about 15 inches to the length of the post, making it between 56 and 60 inches long.

• 3

  Sharpen the bottom of the post so it comes to a point. This can be done with a saw (if using milled lumber). Mark the center point on one side of an end of the board. Measure up about 10 inches and draw a line across the board. Draw a line from the ends of the upper mark to the bottom center point. Use a circular saw to cut along the slanted lines. The result will be a chisel point. If your post is a natural log, trim the sides to a point using a hatchet or a large wood chisel.

Placing the Post

• 1

  Mark the spot where you want your mailbox. Stab the spot firmly with the pointed end of a large wrecking bar. Push the bar away from you, pull it toward you, then move it from side to side. Repeat this motion as many times as needed to begin to displace the dirt.

• 2
  This handy tool is good for making post holes. post hole digger image by Joann Cooper from Fotolia.com

  Use a manual post hole digger to help remove earth and expose obstructions such as tree roots. Poise the digger over the hole started with the wrecking bar. Plunge it down firmly in the open position so the blades bite into the sides of the hole. Push the handles apart to close the jaws of the digger on a quantity of dirt. Lift the dirt plug out and set it to one side.

• 3

  Repeat steps one and two as often as necessary to create a hole at least 15 inches deep. Place the sharpened post in the hole, and drive it down using the post hammer or maul until the required amount of post is above ground.

• 4

  Fill in the hole using small stones and rocks followed by the dirt. Concrete also can be used. Mound up the filler around the post in a cone or hill shape so water will run away from the post hole and not into it.

• 5

  Place the back end of the surface board on the post, positioning it so the front end will be toward the road. Use large wood screws or lag bolts to attach the board to the post to provide a surface for mounting the mailbox.