Porch Swing Bird Feeder

by SouthPaw Sculptures

9.0K8518

Intro: Porch Swing Bird Feeder

If you have ever been lucky enough to live in a house where you can walk outside and have a relaxing porch swing to sit in and ponder life, then you know what all the buzz is about. Now wouldn't it be cool to have a matching feeder for the birds out in your backyard? If you've been looking for a quick DIY craft to bring in some activity to your backyard then you have come to the right place.

STEP 1: Building the Frame

Now this is a super affordable, quick bird feeder that can be done in a day's work. Just stop by your local Lowe's or Home Depot and pick up some heavy duty paint stirrers. These will be used for the back of your porch swing, the frame of it and the arm rests so make sure you buy enough.

  1. The Frame
    • I cut two pieces 5 in long and two pieces 13 in long. Put some waterproof wood glue on the edges and glue the pieces together to build your frame. I also used clamps to make sure they were held together tight when the glue was drying. Optionally you can take tiny nails or screws and put them in the ends but I find that the wood glue works just fine.
  2. The Backrest
    • You can make yours any length you desire. I cut four 7 in pieces, two 5.5 in pieces and two 4.5 in pieces. I then took a staple gun and put them in place about .5 cm apart.

STEP 2: Adding Your Arm Rests

You'll want to find some scrap wood for this step. I used two pieces that were about 2 in by .75 in. I then cut them to be about 2.5 in tall.
After the cutting is done grab some more of your waterproof wood glue or small nails. As shown in the picture, I used wood glue and clamped it together until dry. If using small nails or screws, insert them in from the inside of the porch swing as you won't need to find such long hardware. and it will be hidden by the seed.

STEP 3: Arm Rests Part 2

Now it's time to dig through that scrap pile of paint stirrers and cut the ends off of two of them about 4.75 in long. The slight curve in the end piece adds some extra finesse.
Then take two longer nails or screws and insert them into the tops of each arm rest.

STEP 4: Time for the Seat

This is one of the most important steps right here. Grab some scrap wood, I used some Luan paneling, and cut a 5" by 13" piece. Since this piece holds up the seed and birds when feeding, I used both wood glue and the staple gun to attach it to the frame.

As a side step, if water drainage becomes a problem you might want to look into drilling some holes in the bottom and attaching some mesh patches.

After you're all done, it's time to paint!

STEP 5: Be Creative!

Be creative and use whatever color you want. That's the fun part. I used white because I thought it would make the bird's colors stand out.

I used Rustoleum - Indoor/Outdoor, All Purpose spray paint.

STEP 6: Hanging It Up

Get a hold of four small screw eyes and insert two on each arm rest. I also used some green twine/rope to make it more sturdy but feel free to use any braided fishing line or even small chains to hang it up. After this you're project is almost finished!

STEP 7: Hang It Up and Watch the Magic Happen

All that's left to do is fill it with some bird seed and watch your project in action!

Thanks for stopping by!

10 Comments

Mizzcheef1 5 years ago

Hi Southpaw,
How do you recommend cleaning the seat of rotting debris for best hygiene? I have one from Aldi and the seat is water resistant. It can also pop out by inverting the swing allowing cleaning of all the little corners. Can you look into that? This is a brilliant project.
As a carer for my elderly mum with dementia, bird feeding and watching is stimulation. I'd have a go at this for sure. just need the steps, so thanks.
Also, look up colours to attract wild birds, fascinating.

yarddog2k 1 year ago

When I build mine, I always staple window screen for the bottom. I do not use solid wood for the bottom. It allows water (rain) to drain and keep the bird seeds from getting drenched. It's also easy to wash out by turning the feeder over and rinsing it out with a garden hose.

JudithLJ 7 years ago

I am so going to try this, thank you.

SouthPaw Sculptures 7 years ago

awesome! feel free to send me a pic when you finish! I'd love to see how it turns out

Carpenter Guy 7 years ago

Nice feeder! Looks too good to eat from!