Do It Yourself Woodworking Plan: Bird Feeder

Do It Yourself Woodworking Plan: Bird Feeder

Woodworking is a wonderful craft that is not only enjoyable but also a great way to express your creativity. There is an endless list of different do it yourself woodworking projects you could get started with, one of the simplest for a bird feeder. For anyone interested in do it yourself woodworking who wants a simple plan to get started, this plan for a bird feeder is perfect. For this project all you need is some cedar wood, a dowel, window screen, deck screws and some cedar shingles and you’re all set.

First you need to cut out the proper sizes of wood. Start by shaping the roof and then you want to start building the holes for the birds to go through to get their food. Cut the larger hole about 1 ¼” and this should be four inches or so up from the bottom of the wood. Remember, the best woodworkers always measure twice and cut once.

Make sure when you’re cutting your pieces that you always measure twice and cut once. It’s far better to have cut a piece too large and just have to trim off the excess rather than cut it too small and waste wood having to start all over. Now you want to cut the two side pieces which should be 1 ½ x 6” and the front at 1 ½ x 8”. One of the most common mistakes that beginner woodworkers make is they think all pieces need to be the same, when in reality the front and back need to a bit larger because they’re meeting up with the peak of the roof on the bird feeder.

Once you have all your pieces cut out, you can start gluing and nailing them together. Mount the sides and glue them onto the back piece, making sure you use proper carpenter’s glue that’s strong enough to hold the wood together securely. Regular paper glue is meant to be used on paper and wood is much heavier. Glue and nail the front piece onto the two sides next, then staple the screen to the bottom of the bird feeder.

Trim off any extra screen on the bottom, as birds could get their feet caught in it if you don’t. All you need to do now is nail the stake onto the back and put the bird feeder outside in the ground. Glue the stake on the back, hammer a couple nails in and you’re finished. This is a very basic bird feeder but a great example of the simple projects that beginners should start off with.