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How to Design a Cantilevered Post

A cantilever is a type of beam that is anchored at one end. The beam can be secured to a wall or post to support a weight. An example of a cantilevered post that you can design is to mount a mailbox that will sit along the edge of the road. To do this you can use a 4-by-4 lumber post and a 2-by-4 board. A design can be drawn up on a piece of paper to show the size and dimensions.

Things You'll Need

Graph paper

Instructions

- 1
  Draw a column on the graph paper that is three boxes wide and 4 inches high. Draw a horizontal line at the 1-inch location to represent the ground.
- 2
  Label the column that is below the horizontal line ̶0;36 inches.̶1; Label the column that extends above the horizontal line ̶0;42 inches.̶1;
- 3
  Make a note for ̶0;12 inches̶1; at the lower portion of the column that is below the ground. This indicates the width of the hole for the 4-by-4 post.
- 4
  Draw the representation of a 2-by-4 that is one block high across the top of the column. There needs to be 1 1/2 inches on the left side and 3 inches on the right.
- 5
  Make a note above the column for four 3-inch screws. These will be used to secure the 2-by-4 board to the 4-by-4 lumber post.

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