Turn Your Old Computer Tower Into a Uber Cool Mailbox.

We recycled a Mac G3/4 computer tower into a durable, ultra cool mailbox. **We used a Mac tower as it has a hinged side door and pull tab. This will work with any computer that opens in this manner.

You can easily create a rock solid mail box that is cool looking, holds tons of mail including magazines, small packages, etc no matter the weight! This is our public building mailbox so you can imagine it gets lots of wear and tear and is virtually indestructible! We mean UPS, USPS, Fedex, etc really put it to use daily and it has absolutely no signs of wear!

This is a great DIY project that inspires people to build one themselves. You could easily mount this, from the bottom, onto a fence post for outside use.

We use the internal spare parts such as fans, motors, etc. for robotics and electronics classes and the circuit boards, gears, etc for art projects. You can recycle the metal scrap for a few extra bucks as well!

It's also a great way to teach yourself the internal workings of a computer by taking it completely apart with out worry of how to put it back together. It's amazing to see just what it takes to make computer!

**(this would work with many types of towers presuming they have a hinge type of opening. If they don't you could probably modify it with a few extra steps. If you find you can't use your old tower for a mailbox, what else could you use it for? Perhaps a fish tank enclosure? Perhaps a contained plant grow room? Perhaps you can use the spare metal frames for shelving like we do in our other instructable titled: 'Turn Old Computer Tower Frames into Heavy Duty Shelving!" https://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-Old-Computer...

Step 1: Drag That Old Mac Tower Out of the Moth Balls...what You Will Need:

1. A Mac G3/G4 that has a pull tab on the side

2. Phillips, flathead and star shaped screwdrivers

3. Pair of gloves (sometimes the insides of computers are a bit jagged/sharp)

4. Basic pair of pliers

5. Basic pair of wire cutters

6. Coarse Thread #8 Drywall Screws (or appropriate hardware for your desired placement)

7. 1" x 6" board for extra support and to attach to wall. **We highly recommend a proper backing as this mailbox will need to stand up to repeated opening and closing.

Step 2: Remove All Components and Insides of Computer Entirely...

Unscrew, rip out, tear out, pry out, or hammer out all of the components inside of the computer tower. We recommend leaving the outer plastic shell as it adds color, extra protection, and eliminates sharp jagged edges for you or the postman to encounter

SAVE A CAPACITOR to use as a handle on the outside of your mailbox (see step 5)

Something to notice is how the interior supports make great shelving for you letters so we left a shelf for our letters.

Step 3: Add Your Support...

Depending on what you are attaching the mailbox to, we recommend support.

We cut a 1" x 6" board to size to fit our needs and attached it to the wall in the studs. This gives us great support for the everyday use it will receive.

Step 4: Attach Your Mailbox....

There are plenty of holes already drilled in your computer tower shell so no need to drill screw holes. Simply attach your fasteners into the wall through these holes.

Make sure you connect with the support you installed in the last step. If not using support as suggested, try to find studs to drill into for extra support.

Step 5: Enjoy Your New Mailbox!

We put labels on top for "OUT GOING MAIL" and on the side for "MAIL SLOTS"

Add THE CAPACITOR that you removed from the inside (STEP 2) of the computer for a handle for the mail slot. You can screw it in (see picture) from the other side or glue it on with super glue.

We also painted the apple red, just for fun.