92 Tree Swallow houses new design less than $2 each house.

[@wallacewimmer5191]

Love the details. A mating pair of tree swallows eat TONS of cow flies per day. Keep up the excellent content my friend 👍

[@RussWilson]

Thanks, will do!

[@markmiller-summer473]

Russ, you gave me renewed confidence to take on a production line. I guarantee my run will be much shorter, but just as distinguished. Well done video, definitely a (reference) keeper. 🥇

[@RussWilson]

Go for it! Let us know how many you build.

[@DeliveryBryan]

I will love to see those swallows using those nest boxes !

[@RussWilson]

I'll try to video them birds can be hard. There are around 100 birds here nesting this year.

[@shawnantel8238]

Awesome bird houses! Perfect project when the snow is blowing. Thanks for showing

[@RussWilson]

Thanks for watching!

[@farmerrod3159]

Now that is a good looking bird house Russ. This will be a great project to do with my grand kids. Thank you, farmer rod

[@RussWilson]

Thanks Rod!! Your grandkids would have so much fun.

[@billhickson8712]

Excellent how to video. The tree swallow houses are a win win for everyone. The swallows definitely do reduce the fly level on our cows and they are just fun to watch. It won’t be long before they will be coming back to southwest Virginia for the summer. The houses also offer a warm place for bluebirds to get out of the cold during the winter. Then we clean out the nest in mid March for the next year for the swallows.

[@RussWilson]

Have you seen any swallows in Virginia? I'm waiting for them to come back. The bluebirds are building nests all ready.

[@billhickson8712]

@@RussWilson I saw 2 yesterday. Those were the first ones. They were checking out one of the swallow boxes close to our house. They were probably scouts. In two to three weeks I think the main group will be here. Yes, the bluebirds are already claiming their houses.

[@marvinbaier3627]

Thanks again for all your videos! I want to make some bird houses too but I need to build my fence first.

[@RussWilson]

You can do it!

[@notsohandytim5090]

This is very cool! From a can do kind of guy who never used the phrase "I can't 👌. Do House Sparrows compete for some of these houses, because they sure do here in the suburbs.

[@kathymeley9553]

I don’t know much about birds, but it seems that birds have preferences about how and what they like for a house.

[@RussWilson]

They are fussy sometimes

[@triciahill216]

Hi Russ - What do you suggest for keeping cats, snakes, etc. from climbing the wooden posts? Thank you.

[@RussWilson]

We have electric wires that ours are on. WOrks great! If I didn't have electric i'd do an upside down funnel.

[@ureasmith3049]

Similar to you, I tend to give them for space than most plans do. Same for blue bird houses.

[@brianbeidle8520]

Great tree swallow houses. What do you do to stop house sparrows from taking them over?

[@davemi00]

That’s what we use, galvanized sheets w a front overhang, bent over to eliminate the sharp edges.

[@UncleFjester]

*Here's a tip for you producers. If you'd like to Stain the wood or even a single panel, do this.!* Get a bucket slightly larger than the house or bird fill it with desired stain and DIP IT! & let it hang, drain and dry. Much faster than painting, I like to stain just the roof, or just the front panel with the hole.

[@RussWilson]

That would get the job done a lot quicker!

[@toddcaskey9984]

Great job, did u get anyone to want the freeze pro thing yet lol ! I made out on that deal 🤪thanks

[@RussWilson]

Not yet! No one wants it Lol. You are going to love that hose clamp tool. Thanks for watching!!

[@toddcaskey9984]

@@RussWilson I just put a coat of red paint on it today, when I get home I'll flip over and spray the other side.

[@WhooSRK]

Looks good Russ. Did you have to sedate Toby before running the drill that much? Thanks!!

[@RussWilson]

😂😂 He was preoccupied with the sheep. Thanks for watching!!

[@markwoten6679]

What is the floor measurement before you cut off edges? Back Width? Board thickness 1/2”? Size of nail used in the gun?

[@RussWilson]

Floor is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" Back width is 5 1/2' Board thickness is 1" the nails used were 1 7/8" crown staples. Anymore questions don't hesitate ask I really like these bird houses.

[@ureasmith3049]

What do you use to cut that metal roofing material. Thank you.

[@simplynatural100]

Does it matter where you put ventilation - ie front vs side? I see most others do it on side and just wondered

[@RussWilson]

I really don't think it really matters. Just as long as you can get ventilation threw the nest. fungus is hard on baby birds. Thanks for watching!

[@Nightowl5454]

Your work area is a bit messy, too much scrap lumber laying on the floor to trip over.

[@RussWilson]

I have had a bunch of people tell me the floor is messy. I started trying to keep the floor more clean. Thanks for your concern and watching the video!!

[@markwoten6679]

Why don’t you have a trash can to throw the scrap into instead on the floor. I got one for trash wood to burn and another for scrap wood to use later.

[@RussWilson]

I don't work with wood enough to to have a dedicated wood scrape bins. I just back a small trailer up when done and shovel it on. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@markwoten6679]

Is the attaching board a 1x1 or what.

[@RussWilson]

It is 1 1/2" square. thanks for watching!!!

[@triciahill216]

How high do you go with the 1.5” square mounting board?

[@timskutnik4397]

How many houses do you have on your farm?

[@RussWilson]

We Have around 200 on the farm with these houses. The birds shouldn't have any troubles building nests. Thanks for watching!!

[@ajoshmiller]

Great design - I build a similar one put out by Fish and Game. How do you keep them from becoming hornet nests? I usually have 1-2 become a bald face hornet nest by mid summer.

[@RussWilson]

Great question!! We never had problems with them becoming bald face hornets. We do have a bunch of them in a low tree branches.

[@eddiethealbatross5734]

Do they actually use these? Because I'm tempted to get one and put it on the tree out back so they stay off my house. Really sick of these birds.

[@ureasmith3049]

I think you're confusing tree swallows with barn swallows. Barn swallows won't go inside boxes.

[@utuberjp9999]

What species of wood do you use?

[@RussWilson]

WE try to use hemlock. That is what is in our area. Wish we had some ceder. Thanks for watching!!

[@markwoten6679]

There are other types of wood that is water & rot resistant.

[@RussWilson]

@@markwoten6679 Black locust, California redwood, Osage orange, bald cypess, redceder, larch, and teak are some that are rot resistant.

[@gordonbrackett7220]

Dude, clean up your shop!!

[@RussWilson]

Dude don’t worry about my shop!!!!!! Be respectful!!!!

[@lauriestump7134]

Would it be fair to say you may have challenges with through-put and setting priorities somewhat regularly?

[@RussWilson]

It is fair to say cleaning shop isn't high on the list of things to do. I'll clean it when I can't find any thing. Just don't have enough hours in the day.

[@lauriestump7134]

@@RussWilsonYes, sorry, Russ. My comment above was for Gordon, not you. I enjoyed and appreciated your video here immensely. And find it hard to believe that upon watching it, a person could be compelled to comment what Gordon did, using multiple exclamation marks to boot. Honestly, your shop is plenty clean and organized!

[@RussWilson]

@@lauriestump7134 Thank you I appreciate it!!

[@kokigephart111]

Dude, you have some of the most inefficient work habits I've ever seen . Throwing offcuts to the floor which will just have to be picked back is silly but then working on top of them is nuts . Deep boxes are a death trap for bluebirds in winter . Ever spring I find were birds were crushed under others crowding in. I am having better luck with horizontal mounted 6 inch PVC. Crowding in boxes forces to early fledging.

[@RussWilson]

Thanks for your comment. While I appreciate your input, it's important to note that woodworking and birdhouse design can vary from person to person, and what may seem inefficient to one person might work for another. I'll certainly consider your concerns about offcuts and deep boxes in my future projects, but I also encourage you to explore different approaches and share your experiences with others who might find your suggestions valuable. Thanks for engaging in this discussion.

[@kokigephart111]

Russ , banter , google it . I worked 40 years in factories with a uniform time management person behind me trying to improve my cycle times . There is always a best way to do something . You could greatly improve your efficiency and that starts with a clutter free workplace.

[@RussWilson]

Koki, I appreciate your valuable insights, especially with your extensive experience in factory work and time management. You're absolutely right that there's always room for improvement in efficiency, and a clutter-free workspace is a significant factor. Instead of just criticism, it would be fantastic if you could share your specific techniques or methods for maintaining an efficient and clutter-free workspace. Your firsthand knowledge and experience could provide practical guidance for improvement. I believe many in the community would benefit from learning how you've successfully optimized your workspace over the years. Sharing such knowledge would be incredibly valuable, and perhaps, it could even be the subject of a great first video for your KZbin channel. Thanks!