How to Build a Birdhouse

One of the things we should really try to do in woodworking is to bring young woodworkers into the hobby. And a great way to do that is to start with a simple project, like a bird house, that's what we're gonna do today. So I've got help in the shop today, what's your name, kid? George. George what? Your son. Oh, you got the same name as me isn't that weird? So this is little George he's a 12 years old, sixth grader this year, seventh grader next year. So he's gonna actually work on the birdhouse with us, and what we wanna do is a couple of things here. Lemme talk through the birdhouse parts itself, we're making a house for Tree swallow. Do you like swallows? I guess so. They're pretty acrobatic ah, fly around the yard, what do they do that's good for us so that we don't get mosquito bites. They eat mosquitoes. Yeah they eat a lot of bugs so they're cool to watch, they eat a lot of bugs. Let's encourage them to live here so that they eat those bugs for us. The Tree swallow house is really simple and the entire thing is made from a cedar one by six. So it's nice again working with kids it's real easy to produce the parts. We're gonna have three pieces that are nine inches long, that's these three. Then another piece that makes up the bottom, that's four inches long. Then another piece that makes up the roof, that's seven and a half inches long, and then a final piece for the back that's 13 inches long. So everything easily comes out of an eight foot piece of cedar. You can just cut the stuff right off the shelf from a home cedar, My preference is run it through a table saw if you can and do a rip to make sure they're all exactly the same with that makes things a little bit easier, you don't have to do it. The other thing we wanna do is make sure that we get this put together with the correct glue, 'cause where two birdhouses live inside or outside? Outside. So you gonna get rained on? Yes. Yes sir so we should probably have a good waterproof glue for that, so I'm going to use a waterproof glue. The other thing I like about this is this particular glue is also FDA approved, for food applications. So not because we're gonna eat the birds, but because we wanna make sure the birds are safe inside the house. So if it's good enough for assembling food related items it's good for a bird house. Alright, so that's enough talk let's get this woodworking part done. One of the nine inch pieces is the front here, Georgie. So first thing to do is make a mark six inches up from the bottom, that would be you. And then we wanna divide this whole thing in half that way, so make a mark at two and a quarter inches or so, up on top of here other one. And then just make a little... nope did we do that right? Two and three quarters sorry buddy, who's teaching this thing, that works better that looks like the middle. So we're gonna drill a hole right where those marks come together, now if we just drill a hole through the back of this and that bit comes blasting out what do you think will happen to the wood? It'll tear up. Yap and we don't want the birds to get hurt when they go in and out, so this is gonna go on the vice just like that can you do that part? Clamp it vertically in the vice, just pull, ready tidy For this particular bird you drill a one and a half inch hole, when you do a bird house it's really important you do the right size hole for the bird. So this is called a forstner bit, and you just put the center of the bit, right on the mark that you made, I'm gonna go all the way through. Little bit more. Okay get it out Perfect, are you bored? The whole is bored. Alright, then I can come out of there. we're done with this piece for now. Now in the bottom, what might birds do when they're inside the bird house. They may peck stuff? They might peck stuff, might there be body wastes? Yes. They might pee in there, so we wanna have drainage holes so that stuff can go through the bottom. So just drill four holes, one kind by each corner, we do that with a quarter inch bit so that any moisture that ends up in there can come out and we'll go through that into the waste port. Good. We don't need to ventilate the work bench just to come in a little bit like where my finger is without doing my finger there we go. You stay there. Perfect. Alright now we can finally start putting it together the front is gonna go on the side just like this, but if we only nail it we don't glue it, that might not hold. So start by putting a little bit of glue on there, Wow this ain't your first rodeo, you have glued before. We gonna put it together with what are called four penny galvanized box nails you can get these at a home center and we're just gonna hand drive the whole thing. You could use a pneumatic nailer, but working with a kid it's nice to nail some of this stuff by hand. If we start like this, it might be hard to hold and nail, so let's start the nails with this thing on the bench. So right about there just push that in with your hand, No I'm joking you can use the hammer. Okay other one at the top and kind of stay away from the nut 'cause that's gonna give us trouble so down there you go. Alright now make the, we'll make the tops nice and even the sides nice and even and finish it up. Alright next thing we wanna do is get the other side on here, but this side is gonna pivot so it can open and close, so we're gonna hold this one down a little bit like that and get a nail about there. Why do you think that one's got a pivot to open and close. So that they can get out. They're gonna get out through there. What do we probably have to do once a year or so? Put food in there? No we gotta clean junk out of there 'cause they, if they make a nest we gotta get that out later. Alright I'm gonna glue it you spread it. Next step we'll nail the bottom end very similar to what we've already done. Two nails in the front, two nails in the side. Nice. Now the back goes on when we do the back, can't glue this side 'cause that's the one that's got to pull out so we can clean the old nest and stuff out of there. Go ahead and do the bottom and the side. Ready Jackson. look at the trust, I close my thumb as to where you're nailing. We get spread it more towards the end. One more good one. And then a couple in the bottom. A little bit yeah. One more about there. So now when we do this other top, remember we want that side to pivot. So on this side we're gonna do just a single nail and that acts as a hinge point up there. Alright George. Go out or the outside a little bit here Nice. And then the top, so now you can do glue and glue, but no glue on that part. And we'll put a little glue on that. What did you do with my brush? Oh, I gave it to you did I? Yes. Alright couple of nails to go. Add about there. Add about there. couple end of the side. One more there. Alright now our only other thing is that we want this to open when we want it to open but we don't want it to just flap around 'cause the birds ain't going to dig that at all. So we want to put a nail in here, that's gonna act as a pin and hold that close, but we wanna be able to get it out when we wanna get it out. So a good trick for this is pre drill a hole using a nail so I'm gonna cut the head off of a nail, and we'll check the nail itself in a drill. Now use the nail to drill a hole or right about there. Yap. And then tap a nail in there but don't make the head go all the way down. 'Cause we wanna be able to grab the head and you ain't get back out. Good. What do you think? It's cool. Ready for a for rent sign. I guess. Okay. Alright it's a great little project to do with kids George here's a boy scout It'd be a great thing to take to the boy scout troop or a girl scout troop have them work with you to make a bunch of bird houses, put out for the Tree swallows to live in. Did you have fun? Yes. Did you learn anything? Yes. Did you learn that your dad tells stupid jokes? I guess. You already knew that though. Alright check it out and build a bunch of bird houses on your own, Bring a kid into the picture you're gonna have a blast.