This project is recommended for children ages 8 years and up. Adult supervision is highly suggested due to the safety concerns when working with woodworking tools.

Are you interested in getting into woodworking? Are you looking for an entry level project that does not require expensive power tools? If you said yes to any of these questions, then building this small scale bird house is an excellent choice! We found the included instructions to be quite vague and quite confusing at times making turning this fun project into a much more daunting chore. With the help of our multimedia instructions you are guaranteed to have a fun time while successfully building a neat little bird house.

Step 1: Phase 1: Prepare Materials

We highly suggest that you identify all of your materials and arrange them in your work area pictured above to minimize confusion.

Tools & Finishing Supplies:

- Hammer

- Sand Paper

- Wood Glue

- Paint

- Paint Brush

- Q-Tip (used to apply glue)

- Disposable Cup (used to rinse paint brush)

Bird house kit contents:

Wooden pieces:

A. Qty. 1 Back Piece

B. Qty. 1 Narrow Bottom Piece

C. Qty. 1 Front Piece (with wooden cutout, and perch hole)

D. Qty. 2 Small Side Pieces (with angled ends)

E. Qty. 2 Large Roof Pieces (with angled ends)

F. Qty. 1 Narrow Top Piece

G. Qty. 1 Wooden Perch

Hardware:

· Eye Screw

· 24 Nails (only 20 nails will be used)

Step 2: Phase 2: Assembling Bird House

Now that you have prepared your materials, let’s begin assembling the bird house. First, let’s go over some basic skills and terminology that are required for this phase of the project.

VOCABULARY

Flush: When two adjoining surfaces are perfectly even with one another.

Keep this in mind when fastening two sections of wood together. It is important to maintain a right angle where the two pieces meet.

Square: Similar to flush, but in this context we are regarding the hammer and nail head.

Ensure the face of the hammer, head of the nail, and surface of the working piece are all parallel with one another.

**Throughout phase 2 you may increase the strength of each joint by applying a few dabs of wood glue where the pieces will meet. This is not a requirement and only an option if you feel necessary.

Step 3: Fastening Front & Bottom Pieces

Attach piece C to B using one nail on the bottom of surface B.

Ensure that the small perch hole on piece C is facing the opposite direction of piece B.

Attach piece A to B using one nail on the bottom of surface B.

The front and back pieces are now secured to the bottom piece. You may now move on to the next step.

Step 4: Fastening the Small Side Pieces

Place either of the small side pieces in-between the front and back pieces, then secure the joint with two nails hammered in from the front.

Once the front of the side piece has been fastened, secure the joint with two nails hammered in from the back.

Step 5: Fastening the Large Roof Pieces

Secure both large roof pieces on the left & right sides of the bird house with four nails per side.
- Ensure the angled side is facing upward so when both large roof pieces are installed you have a flat surface on top for the narrow roof piece.

Step 6: Attach the Narrow Top Piece

Align the narrow top piece to rest on top of the two previously installed large roof panels.
- (Optional) -- Apply glue to this section before fastening with nails to ensure a strong joint.

Step 7: Install Eye Screw & Wooden Perch

Attach the metal eye screw to the top of the bird house.
** Center the screw directly in the middle so that the bird house will hang level.
Sand down one side of the wooden perch so that it can fit snug into the hole of the front side (piece C).
- **Please see Wooden Perch Video for refrence on sanding the perch.
(Optional) Apply a small portion of wood glue inside the hole to ensure it will not fall out.

Bird House - Step #7
Download

Step 8: Phase 3: Apply Finishing Touches

Step 1: Sand Bird House

Begin sanding your bird house with a lower grit sand paper, working your way up to a finer grit such as 220.
Ensure that you are only sanding the wood with the grain.
- Once you are done, all outside surfaces of the bird house should be smooth to the touch

Step 2: Paint Bird House

Plan out your painting scheme before opening up any paint. This will allow you to have more fun while you are painting.
Rinse your paintbrush thoroughly before switching colors to ensure your paints will not mix.
Once you are done painting, be sure to carefully rinse your paintbrush and allow it to dry before putting it away for future use.
Ensure all of your paint containers are sealed air tight so they may be used again for future projects.