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Letterbox modification

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could offer a novice diy'er some advice. My letterbox was removed when our front door was painted; the bolt receptor then got threaded while refitting it. The only letterbox I could buy to replace it has *slightly* different dimensions, i.e.

1) The bolts are further apart.

2) The flap is a little bit too big for the old hole, and the spring mechanism is larger.

Anyway, I'll need to resize the rectangular hole a few mm all round. My questions are:

1) What is the best way to make this hole a little bigger? Should I use a chisel or a padsaw (I own neither so will have to buy one)?

2) Should I remove the door from its frame while I work on it? If so, any tips?

3) If I can't get away with using the same bolt holes, I am planning to glue some dowel into them, sand them down and then drill new holes a few mm away. Will I need a particular type of wood glue for this? Anything else I should bear in mind?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Best regards,

Hamish

Reply to
Hamish
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File with a coarse round file or an hacksaw blade out to the new size and use largish washers on the inside of the door.

Use the hacksaw blade or file again to cut up into the door about 1/4" or so (is what it usually is) and buy a cheap 1 1/2" chisel to pare out to these cuts. You don't really need to cut it square out just enough to supply access but do it as square as you can. You had best practice on a block of wood in a vice first.

No need. How would removing it make it easier?

There is no need as the flap will be held as long as you can get suitable washers. Any ugly mess you may make can be hidden with a draught excluder on the inside. If you really mess up, just cut it out and fit a block of wood to patch it.

The trick is not to mess-up in the first place. It does rather sound as though you might though. Perhaps a good idea would be for you to enroll in an evening class for woodwork this coming Autumn?

Reply to
Michael Mcneil

Not sure what you mean by "got threaded". I assumed that they needed to be threaded for the bolts to screw in?!

Assuming that you mean that the threads got damaged, can't you re-tap them and use larger bolts?

If you really want to make the opening larger, the best way would be with a router - but you probably don't want to buy one for a one-off job. Another way is to use a spiral saw - which is like a drill bit with cutting edges all down its length - which you use in an electric drill. They can be a bit vicious though, so practise on a scrap bit of wood first.

You can do it easily enough with the door in situ but - if you *do* use a router it woild be easier to take the door off and lie it down flat.

You don't really need to fill the old bolt holes. The outside will be hidden by the new letterbox. If the inside shows, bung a bit of pollyfilla in the holes.

Reply to
Set Square

If they were bolts, get some threaded rod and nuts from B&Q etc, Superglue the threaded rod into the old boss and use nuts to fix to door.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Seal it up. Letterboxes allow draughts in. Eco doors do not have them. Fix a key mailbox on the wall outside. They also look better.

Reply to
IMM

Letterboxes do not have to let draughts in. Some have properly formed gaskets round the door, and seal tightly until opened manually.

Reply to
Ian Stirling

You get an old decent sized house with a vestibule. Not only does it insulate heat wise, it cuts down noise.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Eco doors are fully insulated. The letterbox is a large cold bridge, also it is difficult to make air tight. Best get rid and fill the hole.

Reply to
IMM

Thanks for the replies. Just to clarify:

The front plate of the letterbox has 2 receptors which accept the bolts. The thread inside one of these receptors has completely disintegrated, taking part of its casing with it, so it can't be rethreaded.

The reason why I suspect I may have to refill the bolt holes is because they are *very* close to the rectangular hole and I fear that enlarging the rectangular hole may cause it to 'merge' with the bolt holes.

A tale of woe, I know! Perhaps I will get myself onto an evening course in order to learn how to do these things properly, but I need to sort this letterbox out ASAP - it's a shambles at the moment.

Thanks again for the responses.

Cheers,

Hamish

Reply to
Hamish

How about: Knock off the rest of the broken casing and fit a standard hex nut of the correct size and thread in its place with epoxy or car body filler.

Would probably not matter if they did...

Reply to
John Rumm

You could probably re-build it with epoxy resin. It doesn't have to be wonderfully strong. Alternatively, drill and countersink from the front and put long countersunk bolts all the way through. The boltheads will show, of course, but you may find ones which match the letterbox fairly well. What is the external finish?

So what! All the better if you get rid of the original bolt holes when enlarging the rectangle. It will all be covered (on the outside, at any rate) by the new letterbox, anyway.

I can't help feeling that you're turning a minor problem into a calamity!

Reply to
Set Square

get yourself some liquid metal ( something like that) epoxy glue from the car accessories place and build the metal up again with it. Either rethread with care, or glue some threaded rod in there and put the nut on the inside of the door. You can ercess the wood where nuts go, and fill with woodfiller after fitting, then theres nothing to see internally.

Alternatively you could drill and thread smaller holes in the flap frame, and fix in with a few smaller bolts. Or glue the thing in place....and so on.

The metalwork can be painted afterwards to disappear any filled in with glue bits.

Regards, NT

Reply to
N. Thornton

"Hamish" wrote | I fear that enlarging the rectangular hole may cause it to 'merge' | with the bolt holes.

I surmise that the reason you have to enlarge the rectangular hole is because you are using a sprung push-inwards exterior letter plate. If you use a lift-flap exterior letter plate you probably won't have to do anything about the hole inside.

Screwfix have quite a wide selection of letter plates under Ironmongery - Door Furniture, including some lift-flap designs.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

The letterboxes heat loss is utterly trivial.

Reply to
Ian Stirling

It all adds up. The draught are what is the problem. It is virtually impossible to make one 100% air tight and as time goes on its gets worse.

Reply to
IMM

It's almost trivial to make it 100% airtight. All I did on mine was to disassemble, grease flap, run a bead of silicone round the inside, and then close. Draft free, certainly smaller than the amount going round the edges.

Reply to
Ian Stirling

I suppose that it's one way of avoiding the junk mail from double glazing and insulation companies.

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

Reply to
Andy Hall

..and Tory party propaganda leaflets telling us they represent the interests of normal people.

Reply to
IMM

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