Simple Is As Simple Does

Unfortunately, simple tends not to be my strong smoot. Why do it simple when you can vastly complicate your life by making things more complex?

Such is the case with the mausoleum mailbox I'm making for my Secret Reaper victim. It could have been a simple box with a mail slot, but instead I chose to put the slot on the long side underneath a columned portico. That "simple" portico ended up costing me two days worth of time as I tried to figure out the correct angles to cut (and no, I never did find the answer).

Again, I could have left it at that, but then I chose to detail the structure with a stone facade and a sarcophagus within. Each of those details has taken time. While I'm liking the result very much (would it be rude not to send the mailbox at the end?) I know I'm going to be working right up until the shipping deadline this Saturday. I've started some of the finishing, but the large majority will actually be done tomorrow and even then I'm not sure it will be complete.

Because as I go along, I'm thinking of some extra details to add. I think a gothic-style window on either end would look real nice as would an ornate carved door entrance to the mausoleum. And naturally you'd need stone steps to reach the door.

As I said, why do things simply when complex is standing there staring you in the face?

The dreadful portico

The sarcophagus

The stonework

Dry-fitting the columns

Dead Letter File

Well, it's not like I haven't been doing anything since my last post. It's just that I haven't been doing Halloween stuff, or at least not completely.

I've been making decorations for the Alice in Wonderland-themed Sweet 16 party I mentioned previously (I've got two mushrooms made and I'm working on Absalom the caterpillar) while at the same time I'm building my Secret Reaper gift.

Since we're all friends here and I know you can keep a secret, I'm building my "victim" a mailbox. Some of you may remember that for the NJ Make & Take group last year I built my victim Karen (Black Cat on the Haunt Forum discussion boards) a mailbox based on the sarcophagus made by the Davis Graveyard.

I had considered doing that again, but quickly discarded the idea in favor of making a mausoleum mailbox. It will have gabled ends and a columned portico in front through which you place and retrieve the mail. At least that's the game plan. Figuring out the angles is a bear!

I've done some framing in my time, building garages, sheds, and various storage buildings, but I swear I must have roofing Alzheimer's because every time it comes to framing a roof I have to break out my reference books to figure out the angles. With this project, the angles are even more difficult because it's a compound cut I have to make on the portico. The addition I'll be adding is called a "California Valley," which explains a lot, but it's also known as a "blind valley." If anyone has done roofing and doesn't need to refer to books constantly to figure out the angles (or even if you do) and you can give me the quick and easy way to determine the angle, I'll love you forever.

Anyway, here are some progress pics. It's made out of MDF so it's pretty heavy and is joined together with biscuit joints. Shipping this thing ought to cost a small fortune as I'm thinking it's not going to fit into one of those flat-rate Postal Service boxes.

I'll actually be posting a vlog or two on the beginning of this project, but I decided time is too short and I have too many projects to do to fiddle around with a video camera right now. So I'll try to keep a regular camera on hand to snap some progress pics, but video will have to wait till I have more time.

Laying out the gables (no rise and run for me!)

Carcass pieces cut to size

Carcass glued together - nice mess!
(But see the lead picture of this blog post
for it all sanded smooth and clean)

Drying after a coat of spar varnish

Gluing up the mail slot door

Yes, it will have a sarcophagus too, inside the mailbox!

Dead Letter File

Here's what I've been working on to while away the hours in the dead of winter: a crypt mailbox.

It's based on a mailbox one of my fellow haunters at the NJ/PA Make & Take group made last year. Tinman's mailbox is awesome in its craftsmanship, as well as the overall effect of it being carried on the shoulder of a ghost. You can see the many stages involved in building his mailbox over at his Photobucket site.

After suppressing my initial desire to grab it and run off with it, I knew that I wanted to build one too. But I didn't want to just rip off his design completely, and began casting about for ideas on how to change it up. When I saw the Davis Graveyard's new crypt prop last year, however, I knew the direction I wanted to head in.

It took a good week to build, much longer than the baby block toy chest I posted previously. For both projects the main time killer is waiting for the glue to dry. I typically build with biscuit joints and glue and don't use too many nails. One thing I did realize after these projects -- I need to get more clamps!

Here are a few more angles of my crypt mailbox.