Introduction: Blue Gray Gnat-Catcher Bird House

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Supplies-

  • Cardboard
  • Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
  • 1 in * 6 in * 12 ft common board wood
  • 1 1/2 inch screws
  • Drill
  • Wood glue
  • Scroll Saw
  • Drill Press
  • Sander

Step 1: Step 1: Make a Blueprint With Your Measurements.

Step 2: Step 2: Create a 3D Model of What You Want Your Birdhouse to Look Like

Make sure to use the measurements you've made on the 3D model. Our measurements for the walls were 8 inches * 11 inches, the floor board was the same as well. The roofing measurements were 8 inches * 12 inches. The hole cut in the floor board has a diameter of 6 inches.

You'll need cardboard, hot glue, and an exact-o knife.

Step 3: Step 3: Get All of the Materials You'll Need to Build This Bird House

We used 1 inch * 6 inch * 12 ft common board wood, wood glue, different tools (listen in supplies), saw dust, 1 1/2 inch screws, a 6 inch wide bowl (diameter is 6 inches).

You can decide what kind of wood you'd like to use. Along with whether you'd like to use wood glue or screws, what color stain, and whether you'd like to create the bowl yourself or buy one.

Step 4: Step 4: Cut the Walls and Floorboard

You'll need to cut the walls and floorboard. Measure twice and cut once.

The measurements are 8 inches * 11 inches

Step 5: Step 5: Cut the Roof

You'll need to cut the two roof pieces. Like before, measure twice cut once.

The measurements are 8 inches * 12 inches.

Step 6: Step 6: Combine the Bowl and Floor Piece.

Take the floor piece and the bowl and measure out where the bowl will set on the floor piece.

Step 7: Step 7: Trace the Bowl So It Will Fit Perfectly Into the Floor Piece.

Trace out the bowl on the wood. Use a ruler to make sure your traces match your measurements on your blue prints. Make sure the bowl is centered in between the two sides and that it is farther to the back of the wood to make sure it is under the roof.

Step 8: Step 8: Cut the Hole.

Cut out the traced piece in the floorboard so that the bowl can set into the hole. You'll use the Scroll Saw.

First use the drill press to drill a large hole so you can start to use the Scroll Saw.

When you use the Scroll Saw take the blade out, then stick it in the hole and into its position. Once you've gotten the hole made, take the blade out, slide the wood out of place and set it aside. Then you can reattach the blade in its place.

Step 9: Step 9: Sand the Inside of the Hole.

Use the circular sander to sand the inside of the hole so that it is smooth. Make sure it is all even. See if the bowl will fit, if it doesn't, keep sanding until it does.

Step 10: Step 10: Put the Bowl Into the Hole.

If the bowl doesn't fit perfectly, make some wood glue and saw dust solution to fill in the gaps and keep it in the floorboard. Put the bowl in the hole and then fill it with the solution, so it not only filling the gaps, but it also glues everything together.

To make wood glue solution, put a little wood glue and a little sawdust into a cup. mix it until it looks like runny sawdust. Use a Popsicle stick, or small piece of wood to spread the solution around. --

Step 11: Step 11: Let the Glue and Saw Dust Solution Dry

Step 12: Step 12: Sand It Down

Once the solution is dry, sand down all of the patches so that the bowl flows with the floorboard and that they become smooth together. There will be patches of sawdust that are thicker than others, so sand it down and make sure that those flatten out to with the board.

Step 13: Step 13: Now Start to Connect the Pieces

First, connect the walls. You'll connect a side wall, then the back wall, and then the other side wall. You need to drill starter holes in the wood to make sure it doesn't split when you put in the screws. Once the starter holes are made, you can start to put the screws in. We used 1 1/2 inch screws.

To make the starter holes, you'll need to use a drill bit.

Step 14: Step 14: Connect the Roof

Make sure the roof hangs over evenly on each side.

We connected ours so that there wasn't a gap at the top. We used screws to connect the top of the roof. We then connected the roof we just made to the rest of the bird house with wood glue.

Step 15: Step 15: Let the Roof Dry

Step 16: Step 16: Stain

We chose to use a lighter stain just to finish up and "seal the deal" of our bird house. Let the stain dry over night. We did another coat of stain after letting it dry, but that is a personal choice.

Step 17: Step 17: Enjoy Your Bird House