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Materials:
- ¾", 2" and 3" exterior screws
- 1" x 8" pine or spruce
- 1" x 10" pine or spruce
- Slab wood with bark
- 3" heavy duty springs
Note:
Slab wood can be found in specialty wood supply houses or in lumber
mills. If the tree is cut in the fall the bark will stay attached.
Otherwise it may have to be glued on. The wood used in the show
is full dimension and can usually be found in lumberyards or specialty
wood shops. If it isn't available in your area, you may have to
use what is available locally and adjust the measurements to fit.
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Tools
- Book with birdhouse designs and plans - Building
Birdhouses For North American Birds by John Plewes, Veritas
Tools.
- Circular saw
- Hand saw
- Speed square
- Drill
- Drill bits
- Driver bits
- 3" hole saw
- Clamps
- Scrap piece of plywood to cut on
- Pencil
- Ear and eye protection
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Cut List:
- 1 - 1" x 8" x 8" floor piece
- 2 - 1" x 8" x 13 9/16 along one edge and 16" along the other
edge - sidepieces (See photo)
- 1- 1" x 10" x 16" back with a 15-degree angle
- 1 - Slab wood about 10" x 16" with a 15-degree angle
- 1 - oversized roof - more than the minimum of 10" x 10"
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Steps:
Adjust the depth of the saw blade to just cut into the surface
of a scrap piece of wood |
Cut along the measured line |
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Measure the two sidepieces to 13 9/16" along one edge and
16" along the other edge. This will give you a fifteen-degree
angle across the end of the board and will provide a slope
for the roof. Cut on the marked line.
Measure and cut an 8" square piece for the floor of the birdhouse.
Birds are very particular about their floor space, and the
birds we're building for like an 8" x 8" floor. If your wood
is not exactly 8" wide, measure and cut and glue in an extra
piece that brings the floor to the correct dimension. The
bottom should fit tightly inside the four walls.
When cutting with a circular saw, place the wood flat on
the bench surface to prevent kickback from a binding blade.
To protect the surface of your bench, cover it with a piece
of scrap wood. Adjust the depth of the saw blade so that it
just reaches the top of the scrap wood below and doesn't reach
the tabletop. Be sure to clamp the wood in place so that it
doesn't move around while you're cutting. Don't forget your
hearing and eye protection.
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The side walls have a 15 degree angle for the roof line |
Adjust the saw blade to 15 degrees |
If you have a bevel gauge on your saw, set it to 15 degrees
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Mark the board at 16 inches |
Draw the direction for the angle on the edge of the board |
Cut the angle along the line |
| Measure and cut the back wall of the birdhouse. The length
is 16" to the short side of the fifteen-degree angle. Adjust
the saw blade to 15-degrees. If you don't have a gauge for the
angle, just set the foot of the saw on one of the angled walls
and adjust the blade to match the angle. Don't forget to readjust
the depth of the saw blade to cover the greater thickness of
board created by the angle. |
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Drill ventilation holes and attach the side walls, back and
floor |
Drill four or five holes in the floor for drainage |
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Drill three ¾" holes along the top edge of both side walls
for ventilation. Drill four or five holes in the bottom for
drainage.
Attach the sides, back and the bottom together with 2" screws.
Pre-drill before driving the screws to prevent splitting the
wood.
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Cut an angle on the top front for the roof and an opposite angle
in the middle |
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| Next, cut the front wall 16 inches long. The top edge must
match the 15-degree angle of the roof. Cut the bottom edge square.
Cut across the front piece at the center, using the same 15-degree
angle slanted the opposite direction from the roofline. This
will stop wind-driven rain from blowing into the birdhouse and
soaking the baby birds. |
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Use a 3 inch hole saw to cut the entry opening |
Attach the top front piece with screws |
Attach little extender strips to the inside if necessary |
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Drill a 3" entry hole in the center of the upper front piece
with the hole-saw. Clamp the wood in place and drill from
both sides if necessary to penetrate the thickness of the
wood. Use a pilot bit to drill all the way through the piece
first; this will act as a guide for the hole saw, especially
if you have to turn the wood over and drill from the back
because the wood is too thick for the hole saw to get all
the way through in one pass.
Attach the entry-hole piece to the side walls of the birdhouse
using long screws.You're your lumber is shaped irregularly,
you may need to attach little strips of wood on the inside
corners to provide extra thickness to catch the screws.
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Attach a twig ladder to the inside for the fledglings |
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| Attach twigs or a piece of old carpet to the inside of the
lower front wall to provide a ladder for the fledglings to climb
up when it's time to leave the nest. Another alternative is
to cut shallow grooves in the wood with chisels or a circular
saw. |
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Attach the bottom 'trapdoor' section using a spring |
Open birdhouse for cleaning in the fall |
Closed birdhouse for nesting |
| Attach the bottom front wall to the frame with springs and
short screws. Attach the springs low on the front piece and
then slant the springs up as you pull them around to the sides.
Put some tension on the springs so that the wood will want to
stay pulled up and in place. If necessary, attach small pieces
of wood to the inside of the lower front piece to help guide
it, and also lock it in place when it is in the closed position. |
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Attach an oversized roof with screws |
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To create the roof, use long screws to attach an oversized
piece of wood to the top. It can be bark-covered slab-wood
or milled wood, depending on what is large enough and available.
Allow an overhang on the sides and front but flush it up on
the back so that the birdhouse can be easily hung on a vertical
surface.
Also, cut a shallow line or two across the underside of the
front overhang to prevent water from running down its underside
and seeping into the house. A groove will provide a place
for the water to stop and drip off, keeping the nest dry.
The birdhouse is mounted by driving screws into the exposed
bottom section of the back wall. Also, you should open the
bottom front 'trapdoor' section and drive a screw or two through
the back and into the vertical mounting surface. Putting some
grease on the springs will protect them from the weather and
they can last for years.
Refer to bird books to figure out the most appropriate outdoor
location for your birdhouse, and then watch daily for tenants,
or advertise in the local bird tabloids if you want to move
things along faster.
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Artisans'
work featured on this episode:
(click pics for Artist info and larger
images)
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