I've got a mailbox that's covered by a little house. The roof has started
to rot out, and I'm looking at my options to replace it. The plywood below
the roof is intact, so replacing the wood strips should be all I need to
do.

Would cedar from a cedar fence board be a good choice of material?

Most cedar shingles are tapered, so the thin side can slide under the
previous course. I could do this with the table saw, but is there an easy
way to prevent constant readjustment of the blade? I'd take a slice at 10-
15 degrees, then the next one would be 0, then back to 10-15 again.

Is it worth putting felt paper down?

Puckdropper
--
"The potential difference between the top and bottom of a tree is the
reason why all trees have to be grounded..." -- Bored Borg on
rec.woodworking

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

On May 27, 10:47*am, Puckdropper puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote:
I've got a mailbox that's covered by a little house. *The roof has started
to rot out, and I'm looking at my options to replace it. *The plywood below
the roof is intact, so replacing the wood strips should be all I need to
do.

Would cedar from a cedar fence board be a good choice of material?

Most cedar shingles are tapered, so the thin side can slide under the
previous course. *I could do this with the table saw, but is there an easy
way to prevent constant readjustment of the blade? *I'd take a slice at 10-
15 degrees, then the next one would be 0, then back to 10-15 again.

Is it worth putting felt paper down?

Sure, build it as a regular little roof. You could cut up the cedar
or you could use cedar undercourse shingles (I always have a bundle on
hand for shims) if you don't want to invest in Perfections.

Another option would be to just roof it with copper, either one piece,
two with a ridge cover, or even cut shingles out of the copper and
make fish scales. Whack the copper with a hammer to give it some
texture.

R

"Puckdropper" told us this tale

I've got a mailbox that's covered by a little house. The roof has started
to rot out, and I'm looking at my options to replace it. The plywood
below
the roof is intact, so replacing the wood strips should be all I need to
do.

I can't help myself.

A little house, eh? Sounds like a setup line to me.

How small is the house??

The house is so small, I tried to park the car in the garage and knocked the
house over.

The house is so small, the rats moved out because there wasn't enough room.

The house is so small, that two gerbil families are fighting over it.

The house is so small, the mail carrier condemned it.

The house is so small, that google doesn't include it in google maps.

The house is so small, the termites turned it down. Not enough food.

The house is so small, nobody can get in the front door. The best that you
can do is to stand around outside of the house.

The house is so small, I had a barbecue and ended up using the house for
extra charcol.

The house is so small, I planted a sunflower plant for shade.

The house is so small, the house numbers covered the entire west wall.

The house is so small, that illegal aliens will not live in it.

The house is so small, the building inspector was unable to find it.

The house is so small, Swingman couldn't fit any cabinets into it.

The house is so small, that Sketchup rejected the drawings as too simple. We
had to use a crayon.

The house is so small, we had a house warming, and somebody stole the house.

I better stop before somebody shoots me.

Seriously though, unless this is a highly detailed miniature, just slap
something on there. Anything will do.. This ain't art or anything.

On May 27, 11:23*am, "Lee Michaels"
wrote:

Seriously though, unless this is a highly detailed miniature, just slap
something on there. Anything will do.. *This ain't art or anything.

Everything in life is art.

R

"Puckdropper" puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote in message
...
I've got a mailbox that's covered by a little house. The roof has started
to rot out, and I'm looking at my options to replace it. The plywood
below
the roof is intact, so replacing the wood strips should be all I need to
do.

Would cedar from a cedar fence board be a good choice of material?

Most cedar shingles are tapered, so the thin side can slide under the
previous course. I could do this with the table saw, but is there an easy
way to prevent constant readjustment of the blade? I'd take a slice at
10-
15 degrees, then the next one would be 0, then back to 10-15 again.

Is it worth putting felt paper down?

Puckdropper
--
"The potential difference between the top and bottom of a tree is the
reason why all trees have to be grounded..." -- Bored Borg on
rec.woodworking

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

Try these:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,250,43217

--
Dave in Houston
Have Nikon, Will Travel
http://www.pbase.com/speedracer

RicodJour wrote:
On May 27, 11:23 am, "Lee Michaels"
wrote:

Seriously though, unless this is a highly detailed miniature, just
slap something on there. Anything will do.. This ain't art or
anything.

Everything in life is art.


But what's art without suffering?

I tried painting as a way to "find myself." I explained my goal to a
passer-by and he said: "You're right over there by that bad painting."

More suffering.

I would think the easiest method would be to lay felt and use the
solid fence boards (without cutting them into small individual
shingles). Pencil-in lines outlining a shingle look and carve the
lines, lightly, to resemble shingles. Cedar fence boards are soft,
hence easy carving.
Sonny

Lee Michaels wrote:

The house is so small, we had a house warming, and somebody stole the house.

I better stop before somebody shoots me.

Seriously though, unless this is a highly detailed miniature, just slap
something on there. Anything will do.. This ain't art or anything.


The guy is channeling Johnny Carson!!
erk,
j4

I would think the easiest method would be to lay felt and use the
solid fence boards (without cutting them into small individual
shingles). Pencil-in lines outlining a shingle look and carve the
lines, lightly, to resemble shingles. Cedar fence boards are soft,
hence easy carving.
Sonny

How about this: Take your RAS saw or table saw, stick on a wide Dado
blade, and tilt the blade 15 degrees. Then make a series of very
shallow vertical cuts such that the edge of one cut meets the end of
the other. Then take a regular blade, and make thin shallow cuts
horizontally every inch or so. This should give a shingle-like effect
without any shingles.


John

In article ,
Puckdropper puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote:
Would cedar from a cedar fence board be a good choice of material?

I've never made shingles or shakes myself, nor worked with them much, so
I can't give any reasonable advice on materials. A chunk of cedar post
(or anything cedar) would, at least to my unstudied mind, seem perfect
for making cedar things in a general sense.

Most cedar shingles are tapered, so the thin side can slide under the
previous course. I could do this with the table saw, but is there an easy
way to prevent constant readjustment of the blade? I'd take a slice at 10-
15 degrees, then the next one would be 0, then back to 10-15 again.

Couldn't you just set the crosscut guide (preferably with some simple
L-shaped jig attached) at 5-7 degrees or so and then, after ripping each
shake, flip the stock block end for end? The blade would, of course,
stay vertical in this setup.

--
Andrew Erickson

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot
lose." -- Jim Elliot

Sonny wrote in news:b711ff3a-49b3-4dae-aafe-
:

I would think the easiest method would be to lay felt and use the
solid fence boards (without cutting them into small individual
shingles). Pencil-in lines outlining a shingle look and carve the
lines, lightly, to resemble shingles. Cedar fence boards are soft,
hence easy carving.
Sonny

Individual shingles would be a bit much... considering it's a mail box
and not a model. (Although I noted a G gauge locomotive would likely fit
in the "portal" making it a good candidate for a covered bridge.)

So far I've cut the fence boards in to 1/8" strips, and have begun
beveling the edges with my only decent plane.

Puckdropper
--
"The potential difference between the top and bottom of a tree is the
reason why all trees have to be grounded..." -- Bored Borg on
rec.woodworking

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

--
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation
with the average voter. (Winston Churchill)

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar. org

Puckdropper wrote:
Sonny wrote in news:b711ff3a-49b3-4dae-aafe-
:


I would think the easiest method would be to lay felt and use the
solid fence boards (without cutting them into small individual
shingles). Pencil-in lines outlining a shingle look and carve the
lines, lightly, to resemble shingles. Cedar fence boards are soft,
hence easy carving.
Sonny


Individual shingles would be a bit much... considering it's a mail box
and not a model. (Although I noted a G gauge locomotive would likely fit
in the "portal" making it a good candidate for a covered bridge.)

So far I've cut the fence boards in to 1/8" strips, and have begun
beveling the edges with my only decent plane.

Puckdropper

If the grain orientation doesn't matter rip the bevel on a long strips
first (say 6' to 8' long) and then gang cross-cut the pieces to the size
desired.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

On May 27, 7:47*am, Puckdropper puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote:
I've got a mailbox that's covered by a little house. *The roof has started
to rot out, and I'm looking at my options to replace it. *The plywood below
the roof is intact
[ using cedar, from a fence board]
Is it worth putting felt paper down?

Cedar is good, felt paper (tarpaper/saturable felt) is a very good
preparation, because you don't want the damp roof material
in contact with the sheathing plywood, that will kill the plywood.

If you make random width boards from the cedar fence slat,
and rip to veneer thickness (1/8 inch or so) you can make a
very attractive small-scale cedar roof with a stapler, exactly
like a full cedar roof. That, or you could thatch it...

I'd recommend staining the cedar; it'll last longer. Real
cedar shakes have a lot of bulk, thinner sections will
not have comparable lifetime without chemical assistance.

On Thu, 28 May 2009 17:22:58 GMT, Nova wrote:

Puckdropper wrote:
Sonny wrote in news:b711ff3a-49b3-4dae-aafe-
:


I would think the easiest method would be to lay felt and use the
solid fence boards (without cutting them into small individual
shingles). Pencil-in lines outlining a shingle look and carve the
lines, lightly, to resemble shingles. Cedar fence boards are soft,
hence easy carving.
Sonny


Individual shingles would be a bit much... considering it's a mail box
and not a model. (Although I noted a G gauge locomotive would likely fit
in the "portal" making it a good candidate for a covered bridge.)

So far I've cut the fence boards in to 1/8" strips, and have begun
beveling the edges with my only decent plane.

Puckdropper

If the grain orientation doesn't matter rip the bevel on a long strips
first (say 6' to 8' long) and then gang cross-cut the pieces to the size
desired.


....that's how a buddy of mine did it and his mailbox is the stud of
the block...heck, *town!* What a beauty...I *think* he used cedar.

cg

Puckdropper wrote:
I've got a mailbox that's covered by a little house. The roof has started
to rot out, and I'm looking at my options to replace it. The plywood below
the roof is intact, so replacing the wood strips should be all I need to
do.

Would cedar from a cedar fence board be a good choice of material?

Most cedar shingles are tapered, so the thin side can slide under the
previous course. I could do this with the table saw, but is there an easy
way to prevent constant readjustment of the blade? I'd take a slice at 10-
15 degrees, then the next one would be 0, then back to 10-15 again.

Is it worth putting felt paper down?

Puckdropper

I don't build little mailbox houses any more. The first one was blown
up in the middle of the night near the 4th of July. The second one was
run over by a tractor trailer.

Fool me once...

On Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:29:36 -0700, scritch
wrote:

Puckdropper wrote:
I've got a mailbox that's covered by a little house. The roof has started
to rot out, and I'm looking at my options to replace it. The plywood below
the roof is intact, so replacing the wood strips should be all I need to
do.

Would cedar from a cedar fence board be a good choice of material?

Most cedar shingles are tapered, so the thin side can slide under the
previous course. I could do this with the table saw, but is there an easy
way to prevent constant readjustment of the blade? I'd take a slice at 10-
15 degrees, then the next one would be 0, then back to 10-15 again.

Is it worth putting felt paper down?

Puckdropper

I don't build little mailbox houses any more. The first one was blown
up in the middle of the night near the 4th of July. The second one was
run over by a tractor trailer.

Fool me once...


And my mailbox post was cracked by the teenager up the street first
learning to drive. The painted mailbox survived with a few scratches.
Anything built around a mailbox either rots or gets invaded by
insects. My vote goes for a plain painted mailbox with painted
numerals. The painted numerals last 10X longer than the stick on kind
and do not rust. Reflectors on a mailbox encourage target practice.

My wife has a mailbox in here garden area. She keeps hand tools
and small stuff for the roses and other plants.

Consider making a stylish one with a coper top or such and plant it
in the yard.

Martin

scritch wrote:
Puckdropper wrote:
I've got a mailbox that's covered by a little house. The roof has
started to rot out, and I'm looking at my options to replace it. The
plywood below the roof is intact, so replacing the wood strips should
be all I need to do.

Would cedar from a cedar fence board be a good choice of material?

Most cedar shingles are tapered, so the thin side can slide under the
previous course. I could do this with the table saw, but is there an
easy way to prevent constant readjustment of the blade? I'd take a
slice at 10-
15 degrees, then the next one would be 0, then back to 10-15 again.

Is it worth putting felt paper down?

Puckdropper

I don't build little mailbox houses any more. The first one was blown
up in the middle of the night near the 4th of July. The second one was
run over by a tractor trailer.

Fool me once...

Around here, the State owns the mail boxes. A truck takes out the
stand of 1-5 boxes and the state comes out and puts in another free.

Naturally the person if caught pays big time.

Martin

Phisherman wrote:
On Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:29:36 -0700, scritch
wrote:

Puckdropper wrote:
I've got a mailbox that's covered by a little house. The roof has started
to rot out, and I'm looking at my options to replace it. The plywood below
the roof is intact, so replacing the wood strips should be all I need to
do.

Would cedar from a cedar fence board be a good choice of material?

Most cedar shingles are tapered, so the thin side can slide under the
previous course. I could do this with the table saw, but is there an easy
way to prevent constant readjustment of the blade? I'd take a slice at 10-
15 degrees, then the next one would be 0, then back to 10-15 again.

Is it worth putting felt paper down?

Puckdropper
I don't build little mailbox houses any more. The first one was blown
up in the middle of the night near the 4th of July. The second one was
run over by a tractor trailer.

Fool me once...


And my mailbox post was cracked by the teenager up the street first
learning to drive. The painted mailbox survived with a few scratches.
Anything built around a mailbox either rots or gets invaded by
insects. My vote goes for a plain painted mailbox with painted
numerals. The painted numerals last 10X longer than the stick on kind
and do not rust. Reflectors on a mailbox encourage target practice.