With our tree trimming and tree removal jobs, we clear out a lot of wood that can be useful! Today, we’re going to put that wood to use. Follow along, and learn how to turn tree trimmings into birdhouses!
Using Your Tree Limbs To Create Hanging Birdhouses
Here’s what you’ll need to tackle this next project:
- A dry tree limb that’s about 8 inches in diameter and at least 8 inches tall.
- A coping saw.
- A drill.
- (Optional) A small drill bit that’s about ¼ inch in diameter
- A drill bit that’s at least 3 inches long and wide enough in diameter to create holes for your coping saw blade.
- A drill bit that’s between 1 and 2 inches in diameter.
- Wood glue.
- 4 screws that are at least 1 ¼ inch in length.
- An eyescrew.
- Twine or rope.
- (Optional) A small twig for the bird perch.
Take a tree limb that is substantial in size (around 8 inches in diameter is ideal), and carefully use whichever saw you’d like in order to cut the tree limb into a section that’s about 8 inches tall. Discard the leftovers.
Then cut the 8 inch section on the top and bottom by an inch; these inch wide sections will act as the ceiling and floor of the birdhouse, the center section will be hollowed out. Drill four or five starter holes through the entire height of the center section and use a coping saw to hollow out the interior of the middle section of the birdhouse. You should end up with a hollow cross-section that’s pentagonal or square in shape.
Now, drill a hole for the entrance to the birdhouse. You’ll want to use a 1 – 2 inch bit depending on the bird species you’d like to attract.
Next, take your wood glue and glue the 1 inch bottom section back onto your birdhouse. Use a C-clamp to keep the sections secure as they dry. Once dry, use your 4 screws to carefully screw the top section of the birdhouse to the middle and bottom sections. Feel free to use a very small drill bit (no wider than your screws) to make guide holes if you’re worried about the wood splitting or becoming misaligned. I recommend using screws for the ceiling so that you can clean out the birdhouse between occupants.
Once the structure of the birdhouse is assembled, screw the eyescrew into the center of the top of the birdhouse. This’ll allow you to tie your birdhouse to a branch or to an awning around your home.
Finally, here’s an optional step if you’d like to add a perch for your birds: Drill an additional hole just below the base of your birdhouse entry hole. This hole only needs to be an inch or so in depth. Find a stick that’s properly sized to fit snugly into the freshly drilled hole. Cut the stick so that it sticks out a inch or two when pressed into the hole. Use a dab of wood glue on the end of the stick as you wedge it into the drilled hole.
And voila! You’ve got yourself a birdhouse. Use your twine or rope to hang your new feathered-friend-friendly home around a tree branch, or to another eyescrew installed into the ceiling of an exterior awning around your home!