How to Make Small Birdhouses
Making small bird houses can be a job that you enjoy working on with your kids. These projects are simple, and your children will have fun seeing birds move into the houses they helped make. This can be a good weekend project; you can make several small birdhouses in just a few hours.
Things You'll Need
- Hammer
- Handsaw
- Screwdriver
- Drill
- Carpenter's square
- Tape measure
- Paintbrush
- Waterproof glue
- Coping saw
- 1 6 ½-by-¼ inch wooden dowel
- 1 piece 2-feet-by-4 feet-by ½ inch exterior plywood
- 1 inch galvanized brads
- 6 ¾-inch, hot-dipped galvanized screws
Instructions
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How to Make Small Birdhouses
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1
Cut the following pieces from plywood for the roof: 1 piece 6½-by-9¼ inches and 1 piece 6-by-9¼ inches. Lay them aside. Cut two pieces 6½-by-8 5/8 inches for the front and back of the house.
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2
Mark the middle--3¼ inches from each side--at the top of the front and back pieces. From the left and right bottom sides, measure up 5¼ inches and mark this spot on both sides. Place one end of a carpenter's square on the left side at the mark made at 5¼ inches and the other end at the 3¼ inch mark. Using the square as a guide, draw a straight line between the two points. Repeat for the right side. Cut along these lines with the handsaw. This will result in two triangles being cut out of the piece of wood and create the roof peaks.
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3
Cut two pieces of plywood, 5-by-6½ inches, for the sides of the bird house. Cut one piece 6½-by-6¼ inches for the floor. Cut two pieces 5½-by-½ inch for the floor attachment rails. Use the drill to make a 1½-inch diameter entrance hole on the front piece, in the middle and even with the roof peak.
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4
Pre-drill a hole under the entrance hole, ¼-inch in diameter, to insert the dowel for a perch. Center the floor attachment rails to the front and back walls by leaving a half-inch on each side of the walls. Place the rails at the edge of the bottoms of the walls, even with the bottom of the wall pieces. Put waterproof glue on the floor attachment rails, let them sit for 5 minutes, then hammer one attachment rail to the front wall and one to the back wall, using galvanized nails.
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5
Attach the side pieces. Put glue along the edges, wait 5 minutes, then nail the front and back pieces to the sides. Use the carpenter's square to make sure the house is square.
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6
Put waterproof glue on the edges of the pieces cut for the roof peaks. Take the 6-by-9¼-inch piece and place it on the right side of the house for the roof; it will rest on the roof peaks. Next, place the 6½-by-9¼- inch piece on the left side of the house and make sure it overlaps the edge of the 6-inch roof piece. Use the galvanized brads to nail the roof pieces down for more support. Use wood screws to attach the bottom to the house through the floor attachment rails. Give your house a once-over sanding and place the perch dowel in the hole you pre-drilled earlier.
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Tips & Warnings
Birds may take a couple of weeks to set up house. They will stay away until the human smell is gone.
Do some research on birds to see what will help attract different species. For example, some are partial to certain colors.
You can paint the birdhouse, but only on the outside. If you paint the inside of the house, birds will not make their home there.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit www.flickr.com/ photos/ mootpointphotographs/ 3153347781/,
