How to Make Birdhouses

Building a wooden birdhouse is a simple wood craft, commonly performed in beginner level wood shop courses. Making your own birdhouse is a fun craft, and in addition, it comes with the added benefit of providing you with a house to hang and, if it becomes the home for a family of birds, the opportunity to watch some truly beautiful birds living in your creation.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wood plank, 1/2 inch thick
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Saw
• Drill
• 1 1/2-inch bit
• 1/4-inch bit
• Screws
• Screwdriver
• Wood glue
• 1/4-inch dowel
• Sandpaper
• Paintbrush
• Wood stain
• Paint

1. Draw two rectangles that are 5-by-6 1/2 inches on the plank for the sides of your house, a 6 1/2-by-5 1/2 inch rectangle for the floor, and two 6 1/2-by-8 1/2 inch end pieces.

2. Draw a 6-by-9 1/4 inch rectangle and a 6 1/2-by-9 1/4 inch rectangle for the two roof pieces.

3. Mark a small dot along one 6 1/2-inch side of each end piece, and a mark along both long sides of the rectangle that is 3 1/4 inches from the marked end of the board.

4. Draw a line from the marks along the long edges to the center marks on both end pieces, creating a simple house shape (a triangle sitting atop a rectangle) on the two end rectangles.

5. Cut out the drawn shapes with a saw.

6. Drill a 1 1/2-inch-diameter hole along the center line of the end which will be the front of the house, 5 inches from the bottom of the piece.

7. Drill a 1/4-inch hole an inch below the hole from Step 6.

8. Position the side pieces between the two end pieces, with the outer edges of the side pieces flush with the sides of the end pieces, and screw in place to construct the frame of your house.

9. Insert the floor into the bottom of the frame and screw in place.

10. Place the narrower roof piece atop one set of slants on the end pieces, so that the end of the piece just reaches the apex of the end pieces, and screw in place. The 6-inch side should be running down the slants of the end pieces, and the 9 1/4-inch sides should be centered along the end points, leaving you with about 3/4 inch of roof hanging over the back and front of the house.

11. Lay the wider piece of roofing atop the other slanted ends so that its end is flush with the top of the piece from Step 10 and screw in place. The extra 1/2 inch of width will allow you to cover this distance and still have the roof look symmetrical.

12. Cut a 2-inch length of dowel.

13. Apply glue to the last 1/4 inch of one end of the dowel, and insert it into the 1/4-inch hole.

14. Sand the exterior of the birdhouse with a fine grit sandpaper around all joints in the wood where two pieces of wood come together.

15. Apply a wood stain or paint to the birdhouse, if desired, to give your birdhouse an attractive finish.

16. Apply a layer of protective varnish to protect your paint or stain from the weather.

References

• Building a Birdhouse