Wife complained I never do anything constructive with the lathe, so I used it to fix the mailbox

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MontanaLon

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Mailbox is standard black metal with a cheap tubular post and some metal contraption that never held the box rigidly. So I was tearing roof off the porch and a piece hit the mailbox and knocked it off the post. When I was done with the roof, I went to fix the mailbox mount using scrap that I already had on hand. What I found was an old piece of 1-1/2" galvanized iron pipe with a hex bushing and a 2" pipe coupler. Was a leftover from when I replumbed the house 16 years ago. As you can imagine, after some decades in use in the house the pieces were all rusted tight and the inner surfaces were heavily corroded but still with plenty of thickness to support a mailbox.

I hacked off a 6" length and then set to work. I parted off the 2" coupler. Found that a scrap rod in the drill chuck on the tail stock kept it under control when it came off.

Then I faced off the cut leaving the hex bushing with a nice flat surface. Cut was rough but that was OK. Drilled 3 holes through the flange for screws to go through later. I made a closet flange basically. But it was free and has the nice hex shape you just don't find in mass produced closet flanges.

Then I cut a piece of wood, boo hiss. I tried to channel ABOM79 and come up with a steel plate and use the shaper to cut it to size to fit under the mailbox, but was unsuccessful so settled on 1x6" pine. Which I trimmed to the size of the mailbox and affixed with 8 screws to the bottom. Then I attached the hex closet flange to the pine.

Pipe was slid into the mailbox post and some self drilling screw were used to affix it in place. It is very sturdy now.

Showed the wife, she was impressed. The fix is sturdy and will likely last until I can acquire a shaper, a TIG welder, a mill and a stock of metals. Clearly I need all of these.
 
After the neighborhood vandals knocked our mailbox off the post, I planted a length of 4" pipe. Some flat plate welded on top to support the box. The box has been unmolested for several decades but should the stock box again become a victim, my plan is to fashion a look alike from plate from an old water heater. Pretty much baseball bat proof.
 
MontanaLon said:
The fix is sturdy and will likely last until I can acquire a shaper, a TIG welder, a mill and a stock of metals. Clearly I need all of these.
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"Honey, just look at how much we spend on screws and bolts at the hardware store. At least five dollars every time! Now, let me show you this seven-thousand-dollar screw-cutting lathe..."
 
I am a born fixer. I hate throwing things away because of simple failures. I got into metal working precisely because I was frustrated by my inabilities. I never wanted to work as a machinist. I certainly never wanted to own a shop. I just wanted to be able to make/fix things. After 20+ years in the trade/business, I left with all the skills but without the tools. After another 20 years, I finally have the tools. It was a lifelong detour, but well worth it.

My wife appreciates my ability to fix things, even when she has been looking forward to getting a new one. Her first husband was completely inept, and the comparison makes me look like Superman. She also appreciates that the tools keep me out in the shop where I belong. It helps that our finances are not co-mingled. She neither sees nor cares how I spend my money.
 
I just ran into a neighbor at his place of business recently. He just got a big MIG welder and is having a blast with it. I know that his wife doesn't like that thing running all the time, but she always told us that it's better for him to have a constructive hobby than the alternative. Plus, he's super handy and is always fixing up the house and cars. I'm not quite sure what the alternative is, but I would tend to agree.
 
My wife was skeptical initially when I bought the Logan, but since then I've made a point of using it to make repairs
around the house or make something she wants. As a result, her outlook has improved quite a bit. She now refers
to anything that comes off the lathe as "jewelry".
 
My wife and MIL just finished caulking and painting the bead-board paneling I installed in our upstairs bathroom. I think she used my sander to get it just how she wanted:cool:

John
 
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