Here are some available plans and designs to use in making your own bird feeder.
Simple Tray Bird Feeder
This plan uses only one board for all the pieces of the feeder and is easy to make. This is great for any beginner!
Tools
- Drill
- Hand Saw
- Speed Square
- Countersink Bit
- Pipe wrenches or pliers (tongue-in-groove)
- Sledgehammer
- Pencil
- Measuring tape
- Finder-driver bit (optional)
Materials
- 1” x 8” x 8’ Cedar or Pine Board
- 3’ threaded galvanized steel pipe
- 5’ threaded galvanized steel pipe
- 4” flange, galvanized
- Cap, galvanized
- Coupling, galvanized
- 18 pcs. 1 1” wood screws (zinc plated)
- Slinky
Steps:
1. Cut the following pieces from the 8’ cedar board
a. two – 24” lengths – floor
b. one – 18” piece – support
c. two – 1 1” x 16” – edge pieces
d. two – 1 1” x 24” – edge pieces
2. Place the two floor pieces side by side. Fix the support piece on top of the first two pieces, on the center.
3. Drill a 1” deep hole at all corners of the support piece using a countersink bit.
4. Drive a 1 1” screw into each hole.
5. Turn over. Secure the edge pieces using screws at the corners.
6. Put in two more screws down each of the shorter sides to join the edges to the floor of your tray. Put in three screws down the length of each side to connect the edges to the floor
7. Drill drainage holes on the floor of the tray.
8. Set up and mount the flange in the middle of the base of the tray and under two of the flange screws, secure one end of the slinky.
9. Secure the 5’ pipe onto the flange using screws.
10. Turn the feeder upright.
11. Secure the cap to the 3’ pipe. Using your sledgehammer, pound the pipe into the ground (about two feet deep). Replace the cap with the coupling. Attach the pole-mounted tray feeder into the coupling and tighten. You can use pipe wrenches to tighten securely.
12. Spread some seed onto your tray and watch the birds feast.
Jar Bird Feeder
Here is one easy enough for kids to make. Though this project will require a lot of help from adults, it should be fun for the kids too!
Materials:
- round plastic jar (large mayonnaise jar would be great)
- plastic bottle (1 liter soda bottle is good)
- piece of wood (3/4” thick, dimensions are 12 x 12”)
- screws
Steps:
1. Wash and clean the jar and the bottle.
2. Cut out four 1” holes around the jar. Make sure the holes are evenly spaced, at about 1 1” up from the base of the jar.
3. Detach the lid of the bottle and put it inside the jar, top down.
4. Mark around the bottle the area where it meets evenly with the top of the jar.
5. Cut off the bottom of the bottle, slightly longer than your mark.
6. Put the bottle back in the jar and put the lid on.
7. Make a mark for four holes on the bottle, at about 1” above the holes of the jar.
8. Take out the bottle from the jar and drill 1” diameter holes, using the marks you made earlier as guide.
9. Attach the jar to the piece of wood, screwing from inside the jar.
10. Place the bottle in the center of the jar with the holes of the bottle off center from the holes of the jar.
11. Fill the bottle with seeds.
12. Put on the lid of the jar and bring out to your yard for the birds to eat.
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