| Squirrel Feeder |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-514 |
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Q: Can you give me instructions for making a simple squirrel feeder? A: (from woodworking expert Bruce Johnson) Though some avid bird-feeding enthusiasts consider overly enthusiastic squirrels a backyard pest, others welcome the neighborhood squirrels into their backyard. In fact, placing easily accessible squirrel feeding stations around your yard may help keep the squirrels away from your bird feeders, allowing the smaller and more timid birds to feed more easily. Building a squirrel feeder is one of the simplest woodworking projects. Ours is designed to hold a whole ear of dried corn as a food source for the squirrels. Here's how the feeder was built in our demonstration: Materials Scrap lumber (pressure-treated or weather resistant)
Radial-arm or table saw, or hand-saw and chisel
Cordless drill
Galvanized screws
Steps - Since this project requires only short pieces of wood, you may be able to build the feeder using scrap lumber. Select a durable wood for constructing your feeders. Since these will be placed outside and will be exposed to the elements, you'll want to use either a pressure-treated wood (figure A) or a wood such as cedar that's naturally resistant to the elements. Unless you plan to apply a protective exterior finish to your feeder, avoid using white pine or other woods more suited to interior projects as these will generally last only a year or so in the outdoors. For our demonstration, we used pieces of scrap cedar.
- For our feeder, 15" board was cut into two pieces -- one about 11" long and one about 4" long. Position the shorter board perpendicular to the longer piece, about 3" from the end, to form the feeder platform. Mark the location of the shelf with a pencil (figure B).
- You could simply attach the platform piece with screws using a butt-joint, but for greater stability we opted to cut a notch in the longer backing piece into which the platform could be snugly seated. The notch was cut by making a series of passes on a radial-arm saw (figure C). The saw blade was set to a fixed depth so that the blade would not cut all the way through the back board. (If you don't have this type of saw, you could also fashion the notch using a table-saw or a hand-saw and chisel.)
- With the notch cut, check to make sure that the shelf fits snugly in place (figure D).
- Place the shelf piece in a vise, and apply a bead of wood-glue along the back edge (figure E).
- Position the back piece on the shelf, with the shelf resting in the notch, and fasten the shelf using two galvanized wood-screws (figure F).
- With the shelf secured, predrill a hole through the middle of the shelf (figure G) for inserting the screw that will be used to hold an ear of corn.
- Insert a long galvanized screw from the underside of the shelf so that it extends up through the shelf.
- With the screw in place, predrill mounting holes in the back piece -- one near the top, and one near the bottom, below the shelf (figure H).
- Twist an ear of dried corn onto the exposed screw to secure the corn to the feeder (figure I). The feeder can be mounted on a tree or other upright structure using screws or nails.
RESOURCES :
Birdhouses
Walnut Hollow
Website: www.walnuthollow.com
Birdhouse Builder's Manual
Model: 1565231007
Author: Charles Grodski
(December, 1999)
Fox Chapel Publishing
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