Especially when it has snowed, many birds find little food in the cold season. We have therefore built a small feeding house from plywood scraps. The special thing about this mini-project is that you only need to adjust a few dimensions when cutting it to size and you only need a few tools to build the feeder.
Materials
We used 10 mm poplar plywood that was left over from other projects. As only a small amount of material is needed for the feeder silo, you are sure to find suitable material in your workshop. In addition to plywood, multiplex boards, glued wood and solid wood scraps are also suitable.
Construction plan
The construction plan is designed for a material thickness of 10 mm. For other material thicknesses, you will need to adjust the dimensions accordingly. If you have enough material available, you can extend the silo upwards or enlarge the bird house overall to offer the birds more food.
Just click on the image to download the construction plan
Cutting to size
A circular table saw, band saw or hand-held circular saw with guide rail are suitable for quick cutting. Start cutting with three strips. You will need a strip 80 mm wide and approx. 700 mm long for the silo and floor, a strip 25 mm wide and approx. 500 mm long for the border and a strip 180 mm wide and 250 mm long for the roof. The strips are then divided up according to the list below.
Exception! First cut off the two 110 mm long side sections and the 140 mm long base from the 80 mm strip. Mark the middle of the remaining piece of strip (it should be at least 300 mm long plus the saw cut) and drill a hole with a diameter of approx. 50 mm. Then cut the piece of strip down the middle into the two gable ends (each 150 mm long). Now cut the gable on both parts (2 x 45°). Do not throw away the gable sections, two of them will be needed later!
Dividing the gable sides Only after drilling are the gable sections separated
Silo and floor
Strips 80 mm wide, divide into 2x 110 mm, 1x 140 mm and 1x approx. 302 mm (2x 150 mm)
Border
Strips 25 mm wide, divide into 2x 140 mm and 2x 100 mm
Roof
Strips 180 mm wide, divide into 1x 120 mm and 1x 130 mm
(All dimensions based on 10 mm material thickness)
Assembly
For assembly, you will need 3x20 countersunk screws and waterproof wood glue (e.g. Titebond III Ultimate).
Start assembly with the base plate and attach the frame. As the birdhouse does not have to withstand heavy loads, two to three screws are sufficient to connect the parts. Pre-drill holes in the core diameter of the screws (3 x 20 mm screws = 2 mm) for all screws so that the plywood does not burst open. After the base plate, the actual silo is assembled from the two gable sections and the sides. Note that the sides sit between the gable sections! The two parts of the roof are also glued and screwed together with three screws. Sand all assembled parts before continuing.
Place the silo in the centre of the edge of the base plate. The silo is only screwed to the floor and not glued so that you can clean it thoroughly if it gets very dirty or after the winter season.
The roof will later sit perfectly on the gable. To prevent it from slipping forwards or backwards, glue two of the small triangular sections (leftovers from cutting the gables) on the inside, each 30 mm from the outer edge of the roof (the silo must fit well between them).
If you want to vary the roof, do not make the overhang too large. We have found that birds accept the feeding house better if they have a good all-round view when pecking and are not ‘shaded’ too much from above.
All parts are glued and screwed together
Suspension
Almost ready! You still need a cord to hang up the birdhouse. The cord also makes it possible to open the roof and fill the silo with food without losing the roof.
Drill a hole in each of the two gable sections approx. 30 mm from the top of the gable. Pull a cord through these holes and knot the ends so that the cord is as tight as possible. Alternatively, you can also glue in a thin round timber (shashlik skewer). Now drill two holes in the centre of the roof from the inside to the outside through its gable, each approx. 30 mm from the centre. Pull a longer cord through the two holes in the roof from the outside. You can now tie the ends of the long cords to the cord between the gable sections (this will prevent the roof from not closing properly due to the tension of the cord). You can use the long cord to hang up the birdhouse later.
The cord on which the birdhouse will hang also holds the roof in place
Weather protection
Plywood is not weatherproof, so it is essential that the birdhouse is given a suitable surface treatment. To do this, use an environmentally friendly surface treatment such as linseed oil varnish for outdoor use, hard oil wax or tung oil. If you would like to colour the bird house, linseed oil paints, for example, are very suitable. Instead of roofing felt, you can also protect and embellish the roof with a few strips of birch bark or self-split mini roof shingles.
Variation options
We have chosen the dimensions of the birdhouse based on the material available to us. You are welcome to change and customise them. We have chosen a very simple construction method in order to achieve a usable result as quickly as possible. With a little more time and your own creativity, you can give your birdhouse its own character by, for example, cutting the parts to mitre and gluing them together or using wooden dowels instead of simple screws. You can also customise the bird house with colours and decorative elements such as perches, decorative strips and ornaments.