Wood Birdhouses

"The General Store"

Wood birdhouses are very easy to build and are excellent projects for people just getting into woodworking (and for people who love birds). The general store birdhouse gets his name because it has the look of the storefront of an old western style general store.

It was made from a single 1" x 4" cedar fence board. It took less than five minutes to build and, since the fence board was used, the only cost was the brads and wire that it took to hang it from the tree (less than a dollar).

Building the "General Store" Wood Birdhouse

This birdhouse can be built with a single 1" x 4" fence board. Use your miter saw or circular saw to cut the following pieces from the fence board:

• One 7" x 4" piece (the base)
• One 8" x 4" piece (the "store front")
• Two 6" x 4" pieces with 15 degree angle cut at one end (the sides)
• One 4 3/4" x 4" piece (the back)
• One 6" x 4" piece with 15 degree bevel cut at one end (the roof)
• One 2" x 4" piece with 15 degree bevel cut at one end (the front shed roof)

Once the above pieces are cut, assembly is easy. Follow the instructions below to attach all of the parts to assemble the birdhouse. I used a pneumatic brad stapler with 1 1/4" brads to fasten the pieces.

Step 1 - attach the back end-piece to the base of the birdhouse. This piece is to be attached to the top of the base as shown in the diagram. I cut 45 degree angles on the front corners of the base for looks.

Step 2 - attach the sides as shown in this diagram. Nail the side pieces from the underside of the base, and from the back piece of the birdhouse.

Step 3 - attach the front as shown in the diagram. (the view angle in the diagram is as if you are looking at the front of the "store front", almost upside-down).

Step 4 - attach the back roof and front roof as shown in the diagram. Align the shed roof piece with the back roof piece and nail it in place. Drill a 1 1/4" hole in the front so that birds can get in and out, and attach an aluminum wire to the top so that you can hang it from a tree.

Success!

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