Bentwood Birdhouse

Building birdhouses is one of those classic things to do with your hands. We are first exposed to the process in high school wood class. Frustrating moments with poorly fitting plywood and nails usually end any interest in the project. This is a new twist on the design for these usually dull construction projects that will actually look good on the outside of your house this summer and involves fun construction techniques uncommon for this type of project.

The process uses bendable poplar wood plywood that is made in Italy and is available at most specialty wood shops assembled in a composite epoxy-coated structure that is light, waterproof and elegant.

Step 1 Gather Materials

Bendable Poplar plywood 4x8 sheet--about $35
West System 105-B Epoxy Resin 32 ounces
West System 206-B Slow Hardener 27 ounces
Foam brushes
Craftsman or RotoZip Cutter tool with 1/8 " rotary blade for wood
Razor blade knife with utility blade
Shirt cardboard 4 pieces 8"x12"
Elmers Carpenters wood filler--interior/exterior
Hot glue gun
Sandpaper or sanding block
Bits: 1/4" 1 1/2"
Clamps

Comments

[woodNfish]

 This a very cool "Googie" birdhouse. A couple of ventilation holes would be a good idea, other than that I wouldn't change it at all. I am certain all the hip and cool birds will want to live in your birdhouse.

Don't worry about predators. Most parent birds will try to drive them away or draw them away by acting injured. Nature is tough, but that is how the animals live, including us.

I do have one suggestion to make the fabrication a bit easier - that template board you made, just use it as a cutting guide for your roto-zip. Clamp it down and run the base of the tool along it to get a nice smooth cut. That would be much easier than trying to freehand a line with one of those tools. They are not easy to control freehand.

Nice job!

BTW if want to know what Googie is, google it. Very cool!

[h3idi]

Nice. Googie = Jetson architecture. :)

[woodNfish]

Well yes, although it is really Jetson architecture = Googie architecture. You can also see some excellent examples of Googie architecture and design in The Incredibles.

[bailey15]

very cool build, i enjoyed it.

[mikeh3k]

Whats really nice about all of this is the fact that (1) a "maker" has shared with us a great design and (2) "followers" can comment on needed design changes to complete the project, making it safe for our feathered friends.

I plan on using the design incorporating the suggested modifications. Thanks to all
Mike Henrichs

[gdelisle]

Unfortunately, this bird house should never be used to house actual birds! The epoxy sealing prevents the house from having proper ventilation, and that will cook your birds (or at the very least, their eggs) on a hot day. Furthermore, every bird house needs drainage to release condensation and waste produced by the birds inside, and every bird house needs a way for you to open it and clean out the trash at the end of the season. This is a lovely decoration and sounds like a fun project, just keep it far away from actual birds!

[Bright Shadow]

You could drill a couple of holes for ventilation, right?

[gdelisle]

Yes. A couple of half inch diameter holes somewhere in the upper part of the sidewall would do it. You don't want them in the roof, because rain will get in, but you don't want them where they'll get blocked by nesting material. But I'll echo what hands_on_man says as well, this box isn't predator-resistant. This box is meant for form, not function.

[Elkhound]

This is an outstanding bird house. The multiple curves make the light weight design incredibly stout, translating into security for the tender residents inside. The spaciousness allows for considerable nesting and insulating material. I share this craftsman's interest in West System epoxy. It has been used in many of my projects during the past two decades. The pumps are just as accurate in dispensing the resin and hardener as they are represented to be.

[Marcos]

It's nice looking, but... I agree with hands_on_man, that ledge on the bottom is a problem. Assuming, of course, that you actually want birds to live in this thing, rather than have in sitting on a shelf in your own house. Yep, it happens, many birdhouses are never intended to birds, but for "interior decorating." Also, most of the bird house reading I've done indicates that there -must- be some ventilation in a birdhouse. If not, the birds can get cooked inside of it! It doesn't hurt to have a drain hole or two in the bottom as well. The size and location of the entry hole (good for you for not adding a perch, which encourages predators) are important. It matters to particular bird species how large and how high the holes are. Finally, the location of the house itself is also critical, to avoid predators, and stay out of direct sunlight. I find bird -feeders- far less complicated. ;-) Someday, I'll have my low-waste design on the market. If anyone has connections in sheet metal fabrication production, and/or distribution of products, please let me know.

[harry5150]

Very smooth. What kind of curve tool is that?

[rabbitcreek]

My wife bought it for me years ago--I looked it up and it's called a draftsman spline. Great for drawing smooth curves.

[negrunt]

nice!

[hands_on_man]

just a by the way, this birdhouse is going to kill birds. Because of the bottom step, bigger birds, can sit and wait for the younger hatch lings/birds to poke their heads and, and get gobbled right up. i love your birdhouse design, besides that.

[debbieworth]

Modern and elegant. Oh, it's for the birds! :)

[fwjs28]

if only i were smaller.....*dreams up cool shrink ray*.....sigh...

[mikekinard]

wicked cool

[loladawn]

this is incredible. How smooth. Could it be made into a sauna (for humans, not birds)? Love it.

[duck-lemon]

Elegant, Smooth....... Awesome!

[radiorental]

awesome instructable - thanks for posting /pauric

[latouche]

If I could sell my current house, I would move in.

[SeanS]

Danish modern but for the birds

[bentwood]

what a sweet design!! Great Job!!

[jschaaf]

elegant

[sitka1867]

Frank Gehery would be proud but would substitute a titanium skin.

[dchamber]

if Franklloyd Wright were a bird he would land in this house!

[fungus amungus]

Nice!

[technoplastique]

It's such a lovely shape. I love working with epoxy - so many possibilities...

[gmjhowe]

A very simple design, that works perfectly. Great work!