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Start with the basic wood shell, then embellish Click here for cutting diagram By Peter O. Whiteley This shed-roof birdhouse, sized for small birds such as wrens, chickadees, and bluebirds, incorporates bird-friendly characteristics: the deep overhang, perchless entry, openings for air circulation, and easy access to the interior for cleaning. It's built from rough-sawn redwood, but you can substitute other woods. The birdhouse is based on a design from Howard Rathlesberger, a member of the California Bluebird Recovery Program: CBRP, 2021 Ptarmigan Dr., Suite 1, Walnut Creek, CA 94595. TIME: About an hour COST: About $5 MATERIALS 4 feet of 1-by-6 redwood fencing 25 inches of 1-by-8 fencing 15 1 1/2-inch woodscrews Two eightpenny nails You don't have to be a woodworking whiz to build the shell: it requires only straight cuts that you can make with a handsaw, saber saw, circular saw, or table saw. You'll also need an electric drill, drill bits, a 11/4-inch paddle bit, a tape measure, a straight-edged ruler or combination square, and a pencil. 1. Cut boards to the sizes shown in plan at right. Trim corners off floor piece (for ventilation). 2. Stand the side pieces on their 12-inch-long edges, overlay the back flush to the outside and bottom edges of the sides, and secure it with three woodscrews per side. Note: The tips of the angled sides should extend 1/4 inch above the back to create an air-circulation gap when the roof is added. 3. Position the floor piece between the sides 2 inches from the bottom, and secure to the sides and back, using one screw for each board. 4. On each side piece, mark a point that is 1 inch up from the bottom and 3/8 inch in from the front edge. Drill a 1/8-inch hole through each side at this point, insert the front piece between them, and run a screw through each hole into one edge of the front. Check that the front pivots easily on the screws; it will be the door. 5. Position the top so it overhangs the back about 1/2 inch and the sides evenly. Check that the door clears the overhanging roof. Remove the door and roof. 6. Center and drill a 1 1/4-inch-diameter hole in the door so the center of the hole is 2 inches from the top of the door. On the inside face of the door, cut 1/8-inch-deep horizontal grooves at 1/2-inch intervals between the hole and the floor piece (see photo at right). These will serve as a climbing ladder for young birds. 7. Cut a similar shallow groove 1/4 inch from the front on the underside of the roof piece. (It serves as a drip edge.) Replace the door and secure roof with four screws. 8. Finally, drill a hole for an eightpenny nail at a downward angle through each side and into the edge of the door. The holes should be slightly wider than the nails, so the nails can be removed easily to open the door for nest cleaning.
Feathering the nest |
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Copyright 2003 Sunset Publishing Corporation
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Embellish as you see fit. Secure the house to the trunk of a tree or a post or, adding eye screws to the roof, hang it from branches.