Bruce,

Google for this topic in R.C.M It comes up every few years and there
were some great suggestions (as well as legal warnings).

My favorite was the person who made a mailbox stand that was attached
to a burried cross of metal. When a car ran over the mailbox, it forced
one of the burried arms of metal up into the pan.

You can always just use wood cladding over whatever piece of metal you
use. For me, that would be a lot easier than doing a nice wood-grain
faux painting job.