How to Make a Bird Feeder // Woodworking | I Like To Make Stuff

I wanted to replace an old, dingy bird feeder with a new one!
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Now that I live in my grandad's old house, I find tons of his woodworking projects around. One that we really enjoy is this big bird feeder right outside our dining room. He made it a while back, and it's a little worse for ware, so I thought it was time to remake my grandad's design with some fresh materials.
If you've ever taken a shop class in school or done a woodworking project as a child, there's a pretty good chance you've made a birdhouse. Wood selection may not have been a priority, probably using cheap pine boards from the home center. Whatever wood choose must be able to withstand the rigors of outdoor use.
My research has shown that the cedar bird feeder shouldn't be finished with anything, unless you wanted to paint it. I thought some spar urethane or protective coating was necessary, but many, many opinions pointed to leaving the cedar bare and letting it resist the weather like it should.
I purchased some cedar 1x4s from the home center to make this bird feeder. My grandad's design required mostly wide, flat boards to make up the roof, walls, and base, rather than dimensional planks. In order to get those flat panels, the 1x4s had to glue together on the short sides. Typically, pine 1x4s shrink as they dry and original 90 degree cuts end up rounding over. To remove these soft and distinct edges you can use a jointer or a table saw to create a flatter face appropriate for panel making.
Cedar doesn't shrink in the same way when drying, so these short faces were pretty flat and clean. To join the boards together, I simply used a biscuit jointer to keep the 1x4s aligned during glue-up. I cut and glued the sections that would become the roof, the two walls, and the bird feeder's fenced-in floor.
I didn't have any dimensions or plans to go by, I just used my grandad's existing bird feeder and tried to replicate it as best I could. Using some double-sided tape to keep the wall pieces together, I cut them both with the circular saw to form their final shape. The two roof panels just needed a simple bevel on one edge so when glued together, it matched the pitch of the roof. To find the roof pitch, I simply used the cutoff pieces from the side walls and set my table saw blade to that angle. I then cut a small dado in the sides of each wall panel so that glass walls could slide into place.
The two remaining walls will be made of glass panes so that you can see how much bird seed is left in the feeder. I had some left over pieces of glass, but they were too big for this project and needed to be cut down. I used a hand-held glass cutter with a straightedge to score some nice clean lines on a few sheets of glass. After applying some slight pressure at the edges, the glass snapped along the score lines and the remaining walls were ready to be slid into place. I cut some small spacers out of scrap cedar to stop the glass walls from hitting the base panel. This gap will allow the bird seed to spill out the bottom but create enough of a jam that the seeds will trickle out over time.
Now that the roof is all glued up, the walls have been cut, and the base panel had a small retaining wall added, it was time to assemble the feeder. I attached the wooden walls to the base panel using glue and screws from the underside. I went outside and took down the old bird feeder from its post and removed the old mounting screws. Using some new outdoor decking hardware, I screwed the updated bird feeder's base onto the post. Once mounted, I slid in the two glass pieces onto the small spacers.
I didn't want the roof to be permanently fixed, so I connected the roof to the side walls using some hooks and springs. This system will allow me to easily slide the roof on and off again while being strong enough to stay in place during high winds. The bid feeder was fully assembled. The only thing left to do was to add a whole bunch of bird seed and this project was done. MUSIC: share.epidemics...
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How to Make a Bird Feeder // Woodworking | I Like To Make Stuff
• How to Make a Bird Fee...
I Like To Make Stuff
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[@williampeppers812]

I just watched with my daughter. She 100% on board in making this. Thanks for the video. Simple and easy to follow.

[@temersonAP]

Great project, Bob! A quick tip to make cutting the glass easier: use a cheap brush to run a little WD-40 along the cut line before you score it. When you do this, the cut has less of a tendency to run wildly when you snap them apart.

[@fdelacou]

Also, do only one pass with the glass cutter! Multiple passes mess the glass and does not cut straight. You can then snap the glass by fixing the glass from the edge. Trying to force the glass to break on the entire length does not work as you have learned... ;-) Great videos btw! Keep it going!

[@sgsax]

Great back-to-basics project that anyone can do. Family-friendly too! Thanks for sharing!

[@JJPetro]

Nice looking job, looks great! I offer the following: sand the edges of the glass so that no one (or bird) can be cut on the edges, and biscuits absorb the moisture from the glue to actually swell in the pocket. Helps lock them in place. A nice bit of info for the newcomer to biscuit joinery.

[@RSpudieD]

This turned out really nice and I like that you remade an old version. Good job, bob!

[@king21w48]

not sure if anyone else had put this here, but the glass cutter you were using, there is a way to use it (or its worked for me at least) as long as the rolling cutter is down, with firm pressure, score the glass once, then flip the tool around and use the ball at the end to tap along the scored line, this helps send the crack to the other side making the break stay on the line, i have used the edge of a table to finish the break, and its come out pretty good for me everytime

[@pacificprospector]

Yes, ideally just ONE pass with the cutter. Multiple passes cause rough cuts. Oil the cutter will help with this. Pushing too hard can also cause rough fractures. But other than that, the cut job wasn't bad. Maybe warn the glass a bit if stored in a cold garage.

[@CGagnon5]

I personally found that using a bit of oil helped with scoring glass. You are definitely right that you don't need to push hard; I made the same mistake the first time I tried to use one. If you push too hard the scoring tool doesn't spin, and that's what actually scores the glass. I struggled with those things for a while making some custom mirrors for a nursery. I went through many bad cuts before I finally got the hang of it Great work as always! edit: oh wow, the way you set the blade for the roof was genius. I would not have though of that! Great tip

[@MikeTatman]

Awesome little project. We have tons of birds in our back yard. I think I’m going to take a shot at one of these!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Great! I hope it's helpful!

[@johncichon9499]

You did a great job of communicating. I'm an experienced wood worker but never built a bird house. My grandson and I will be doing some next week. Thanks!

[@nitchmakes7550]

Bob I love how you make replacements for old items around your home. Awesome

[@stuffsethmakes]

A note about your glass cutting... my first job ever (about 21 years ago) was at Michaels Arts & Crafts in the frame shop. I cut a lot of glass! That tool you were using has a ball on the end, and what I was taught is first you score the glass with the cutter, then you gently run the ball over the score line in the OPPOSITE side of the glass. This completes the crack/cut and you’re good to go. 👍🏻

[@julianvidal7361]

Bob, quick tip on cutting glass: just score it ONCE. Even if it's not 100% perfect, the more you score it the more chances of the glass choosing the wrong "path" to follow when you separate it (which is what happened on your first try). I know this from my experience doing stained glass. In fact, the very fist time I cut class I scored it more than once and failed! After some practice you learn to hear for the right sound the scoring tool makes when you are using the right kind of pressure. By the way, I own at least 12 different scoring tools from the fanciest-oil-lubricated-titanium one to the plastic shitty ones; my favorite one is the shitty one and the one I use for all my work. I haven't noticed that more expensive scoring tools make for better cuts.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Good tips, thanks! I did notice pretty quickly that more scores didn't really help.

[@mikecurtin9831]

Good tip, Julian. What's actually going on is that you're inducing a stress riser in a very brittle material. The sharper the stress riser the better, so more is NOT a good thing. You can buy special pliers pretty cheap that have three bumps on the jaws, two spread out on one jaw and one centered on the other jaw. To use them you score the glass, then quickly align the single bump on that jaw with the score mark (but on the non-scored side of the glass) and gently squeeze. I used to do custom picture framing for a living, so I had the chance to get very good at this. One other tip is to wear light cotton gloves when handling the glass. It minimizes smearing of both finger oil and blood on the glass. :-)

[@nixalenearnett391]

@@mikecurtin9831 o

[@stafdehat]

Bob, for cutting the glass - score one side. Experiment with angle and pressure 'til you find something that works for you. Be sure that you only do one clean pass, though - no rolling back & forth. Also, don't go completely off the edge of the glass - just go right up to ~1/8" of the edge. After it's scored, don't try to fold it. Instead, flip the whole sheet over, and tap on the uncut side along the score line. The glass should crack cleanly along the the score line. This tapping method is why glass cutters always have a cutter on one end and a metal ball on the other end.

[@crucialjosh5951]

I love your videos bob! I always look forward to watching them, I hope I can see you at makers fair in nyc this year!!

[@cliffcarlo180]

I went to the lumber yard and picked up some nice T&G floorboards, glued 3 together at a time to make some wider boards. They were pretty inexpensive too.compared to other boards/planks. Wasn't sure if they would hold up in the weather even after treating with wood preserver (outside only) 2 years later and they are still doing well (all 3). They hold way more seed than those tube feeders. I particularly like the roof construction with less chance of the weather seeping in through a hinged lid. Nice build, so thanks for sharing your design.

[@JackplaneJohnny]

Great project! I also struggle with glass cutting and have to relearn every time. I recently learned that the big blue box store that starts with an L will cut glass, mirror, and plexi to size for you. Way easier and much less stressful.

[@stevenpotter2283]

One important tip re glass cutting is that the cutter wheel needs to be lubricated (1) so it will roll smoothly and (2) so the lubricant (usually kerosene) will keep the crack open until the two pieces of glass are fully separated. Glass is more liquid than you would think and the score mark of the cutter wheel will actually "heal" over very quickly unless it's keep open.

[@beamer101A]

Quick tip about cutting glass do not go over your score line. Score the glass once then break. id it a straight cut you can line the score line with the edge of a table and push down on the over hang. I loved your video. Great Job.

[@Harleyguy03]

I made a similar covered platform feeder of similar dimensions out of 2 cedar fence boards ½"x6"x6'. Cost was under $10.00. Biggest problem I had was that I had to weigh down the (lightly) clamped glued up edges so the boards wouldn't bow. Then I sealed them to protect and prevent warpage....Great video.

[@NowieC]

I love the smell of a wood shop! Great project!

[@MakeThings]

Bob, I'm glad to see people use biscuits, especially people with large subscription numbers. I feel like the biscuit joiner needs some love, so thanks for that. 😁

[@chuculan1]

Thanks bob. Made one these feeders this morning. Looks great. I used Perspex instead of glass

[@SuperBigAl55]

Great project! I love the use of the biscuit joiner and showing us how to cut glass. Thanks Bob!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks so much Alex!!

[@geoffankrett7012]

You only scribe glass once then tap under the scribed line at the end to start the crack then put a match stick under the scribed mark and press either side of the mark and it will crack perfectly along the scribed line.

[@seabrow]

Hey Bob, a couple of half driven in nails on an edge will allow you to mount a piece of apple as well. Birds really like pecking at it until it's gone.

[@BruceAUlrich]

I know you said you didn't end up having to press that hard, but with my glass cutter that looks very similar, I have found (through much of the same type of experimentation that you went through...aka...breaking a lot of glass) that I had to use a lot of downward pressure on the little cutting wheel. Also, I found that putting it between my forefinger and middle finger and with my thumb underneath, I was able to deliver that pressure really evenly. Cool project, Bob!

[@daniishi]

I’ve used your bird feeder as model to my prototype and I’ve read someone suggesting to use portrait glass to save some money! And since mine is smaller, I’ve used on the roof 2 small door fold. Thank you for this amazing project!!

[@stephenrees438]

Nice! My home backs up to a golf course with about a 50’ wooded area as buffer. I see woodpeckers and cardinals on a regular basis. I think I’ll make one of these as well and see what else I can attract. Thanks for sharing and I enjoy your videos.

[@CaptainDominic]

Super simple project but done with such elegance.

[@RobJames9914]

Love the project, simple and effective. Great explanation of using a biscuit joiner, I might invest in one and your description simplified the use and settings.

[@reforzar]

Fun to make something your grandfather made thirty years ago.

[@davypasquet2268]

I\'m not sure but ,if anyone else wants to learn about building a bird aviary plans try Panlarko Expert Aviary Planner (should be on google have a look ) ? Ive heard some amazing things about it and my mate got cool success with it.

[@life_score]

Maybe grandma

[@blizatrex]

Looks great; it should last at least as long as the one before. One caveat about moving the feeder closer to the house is that small critters may be eating what falls off and moving it closer will have them that much closer to the house.

[@clydedecker765]

Little tip .. lay a small round rod - probably smaller around than a pencil and preferably the width of the glass and lay the line of the scored glass (up) over it and simultaneously push down lightly on both sides. You can snap over a straight edge but that take practice.

[@Hubbmade]

Simple project, but good tips like the glass and angle finding. Thanks, Bob!

[@phinsappenfield1345]

Nicely displayed with energy and creativity.

[@toddweller]

Awesome build Bob! I like the feeder design. fyi ... don't use any seed with milo (that round red seed in your mix) in it. Hardly any song bird's will eat it, they will kick it to the ground and you'll grow it under the feeder. Milo is great for chicken's, turkeys, ducks & livestock. It doesn't really cost more to get a mix without it when you consider cheap mixes that have it are mostly milo. You're paying a lot for the little bit of sunflower in that mix even though it was "cheaper". Sunflower, nuts, safflower & millet is what you're looking for in a mix.

[@coreyward]

A trick to make cutting glass easier: get a trigger grip style glass cutter with a swivel edge. Like a particular maker knife, it has flat parallel faces that you can reference against a straight edge and the grip makes it super easy to keep it vertical. I went from breaking 90% of glass I cut to 0%.

[@fouroakscrafts7240]

Great video and bird feeder project. It's cool that you could use your grandad's inspiration and design to make this project.

[@mill9400]

Great video, I ended up building something similar with some scrap cedar fence pickets. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@twoweary]

I'm gonna make one of these now that winter is starting. Think I'll go with a smaller tray (so little birds can't crap in it) and put some dowels in for perches. Great project !

[@SteveBlethyn]

Pro tip... either leave a gap in the base frame, or drill a hole in one corner to allow water to drain off. :)

[@adamwonnell4982]

I haven't read through all the comments and I'm not going to, so I'm not sure if this has been mentioned. After you score the glass, give some light taps on the non-scored side with the metal ball on the end of the score tool. Do this up and down the line and it will cleanly break apart on the score line. Much easier and safer and I've never had it not work.

[@ted6361]

I really like this one! Some shots of the feeder with the birds at the end of the video would be the perfection

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks! Believe it or not, I tried a LOT. Having the camera out there seemed to keep them away :/

[@richardbertrand8895]

Great Job On The Bird Feeder. Will Be Looking At Building A Couple Of Them For At Home And At Thr Cottage.

[@carlb0666]

You probably figured this out Bob, I work with glass everyday at work and just wanted to chime in and let you know when you use the glass cutter and break it out just do one pass with the cutter. If you go over it again it usually is a lot harder to break and a lot of times won’t break out perfectly on the line. Love your vids!

[@bluedeath996]

You need to gently tap along the cut on the glass so the crack goes deeper and then snap it in one movement. You can also run the cut through a flame to make the break. It is also a good idea to flame the edges with a blue flame. This rounds over the corners a little and makes it less likely to cut you.

[@jwodehouse7087]

Well done. Held on thru the whole video. You have good shop tools and the right saws to help get this done right. Love that super extra large tray. To my eye it’s big but still in proportion.

[@ryanedwardking]

Very cool. A little big for us but easy to scale. Thanks Bob!

[@breck112000]

Hi, great bird feeder. You may need some drainage holes in that for when it rains. Thank you for the wonderful video.

[@NJDJ17]

man I STILL love that intro, never gets old. quick and snappy love it

[@MaltandMake]

Loads of really useful tips in this one, can't wait for the 'bits' series to come out to hear more!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks man!!

[@Darrytools]

Awesome project.

[@EricSartor]

My dad says you should make sure to alternate your wood grain direction when gluing pieces of wood together so that the whole board doesn't warp in the same direction. Cool video!

[@lukasbacher7317]

Nice project! To cut glass easier, you can simply add some oil on the line before you use the cuttingtool. Try to run the tool only once over the line to prevent multiple cracks.

[@markb8954]

Yes, thats a key trick. Scribe the cutting line once.

[@gabriellord9214]

Been wondering about this (and nest boxes, other types of feeder etc.) for a while... Thanks for sharing this tutorial!

[@equalizer1553]

Better DIY explanation and tips in this video than other recent videos, thanks Bob

[@andydavidson4108]

Great project. Going to start mine today. Thanks.

[@peterpoertner7042]

Fun little project to fill an afternoon!

[@ryanbutler3216]

Love the bird feeder. Make sure you "tweet" about it

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Ha!

[@GreenDeetype]

Nice & easy - thank you. The birds will love it.

[@Mikeforcier]

Especially the robins!! Seriously tho, nice feeder!!!

[@SydnificantMe]

This is awesome. Love the design especially the springs

[@comanderhomer]

This is you going to be great for a summer project for my kid.

[@SouthernStyleDIY]

That's pretty cool! I really like the springs to make the refilling easy!

[@craftypam9992]

Me too, though I wondered why they weren't inside the house instead of outside. Being as they let the roof clear the sides for easy filling, it would keep them out of the rain.

[@melvinpowell1769]

Love the bird feeder.

[@darrackmccrea9761]

Great video like the springs for the roof

[@MCsCreations]

Awesome work, Bob! Really nice! 😊 My father made something like that in our farm... And I would love to make one here too, but... 6 cats... It wouldn't be healthy for the birds. 😐

[@0ri0n77]

Cats would love it! Do it for them :D

[@MCsCreations]

G. Filipe B. 😨

[@untitled6011]

MC's Creations bird feeder

[@B4UClose]

That would make it a cat feeder!

[@domsquaaa4323]

Or the cats...

[@MakeBrooklyn]

Nice! The springs holding down the roof is a pretty nifty design feature!

[@web19designer]

As per what was said in the video, using biscuits is only for alignment while the clamps are being set. Given that the panels are relatively small, adding biscuits or dowels is of little help and this step can be left out altogether...In fact some experts would argue that adding biscuits or dowels would actually make the panels weaker because the glue is stronger than the wood.

[@lukenicholl7746]

Great work very well finished

[@harrykarsten1144]

Great video, like this guy and how he presents ...

[@freewoodencrosses]

I love that you used the biscuit jointer but not necessary at all, plus you cut through a biscuit later. Sorry, I am just being nosey. I love the finished project.

[@celestialdream49]

Great idea with the springs holding the roof. Although ... I would have opted to mount them on the inside. I would also coat everything with a clear sealer (Varthane)

[@theburris]

My toddler watched the entire video and said two things... “He’s gots a Star Wars shirt!” And “I want to watch that again” 👍

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Your kid sounds awesome ! :)

[@theburris]

Thanks! Except now he wants a new bird feeder 😂

[@muhammadejas5033]

☺☺☺

[@HelloKitty-sd9vs]

Haha, ur just saying that cuz his kid likes ur vid

[@NENAD1979J]

hi everyone ,if anyone else wants to uncover bird aviary construction try Panlarko Expert Aviary Planner (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some awesome things about it and my mate got cool success with it.

[@WayofWood]

The springs are a good idea!

[@quoisgirl5334]

I'm making this right now. I'm using pine cuz I had it and I wanted to make sure I can do it. I'll just make sure I water proof it. I'll then change to cedar for the next one.

[@MoonshineMetalworks]

Really enjoyed this one. Nice an simple and there's ways around most of it if you don't have a tablesaw or biscuit jointer. Might even have a go myself.

[@garrettschubert]

Great project. Gave me some ideas for a birdfeeder. Also if you are cutting glass you don't need it but it helps to get some glass cutting oil. Or you can use kerosene.

[@debbydhill]

Great build, birds are going to love it.

[@TheMattchooo]

wow, i will certainly give this a go with my 8 year old! she has a bird feeder outside currently, but it is a hanging one from a tree. i would love to make a project like this with her, seeing as times are tough right now with the lockdown. im sure i can find some wood lying around and put some tools to it with her :)

[@SecularSoutherner504]

Looks great!

[@marcosrodriguez8359]

Good job Bob! Even though it's a simple project, it's still very interesting to watch!

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Thanks! I hope it's got something helpful in it!

[@EinReim]

Awesome project :) When building this kind of bird feeder, I think it's good to mention how important it is to keep the platform clean. Where I live, almost 40% of the greenfinch population died because of a diseas transmitted trough birdfood mixed with faeces in birdfeeders.

[@FernandoKugi]

Cool, you should make a hole to drain the rain water... Nice video man!

[@nelsongameiro6462]

I thought the same thing!

[@eddyyu7091]

You must be a birds lover. Nice job board !

[@jongainer1837]

Came out really nice. Great to have a template.

[@norge1814]

My suggestion for cutting glas, is to use an angle grinder with an diamond cutting disc. It might create an perfect cut more easily.

[@felixfromnebraska8648]

Great project Bob, Your videos are so good at teaching us how but also leaving some options as well. Thanks for all of your great content!

[@RedHillian]

Thanks Bob - you make my Thursdays more fun! Sad to see you're not the "ClampChamp" this week though, but that just means I have to search YourTube until I find who is! ;)

[@samuelroberts334]

So simple but so cool.

[@nw7696]

Love it's simplicity yet functionality by design! I'll be building this one for sure, thanks for sharing. 👍🏻

[@ricodudink]

Hey bob, I am a student from the Netherlands in carpentry. The numbers on the biscuitjoiner 10, 20 and 30 are metric sizes. It 10mm 20mm or 30mm.

[@Iliketomakestuff]

Hmmm, we have a 0 size. Any idea on that one?

[@steenfraosterbro3268]

Nice project Bob. I would break the very sharp edges on the cut glass, so that the little birds don't get cut trying to get to the seeds.

[@ExownOozyFTW]

Being 14 and working in a glass shop for 2 years spending hours cutting glass, I can give you tips, don’t go back and forth with the cutter, make one line and add a little bit more pressure(not much) and you will hear a scratching sound. Then to snap go to a table and press one side on table and lift the other and the lightly but not too lightly push the glass down. If you can’t do this they sell a tool that looks like pliers with rubber on the end that you put over the cut and press. Hopefully next time you will get it first try and succeed! Good luck!

[@sgtk1llroy1]

Thank you enjoyed your helpful tips, I added a cross member to provide more stability to the sides. Now if I can keep the squirrels away!

[@KevinMoulart]

Another nice one ! I love the cedar sap wood contrast !

[@aknottwot]

Great idea to replace the old one. Next time cutting glass lubricate the glass cutter with oil, works way better.

[@Mcphilsmith]

Nicely done Bob. Looks like it’ll be around for a while. When scoring glass, try using some 3 in 1 oil as a lubricant. I don’t know why it works, but I have had more success that way.

[@PatrickHennessey1764]

In my opinion this is one of your best looking projects, I love cedar look. Great job Bob!

[@supermelvel]

At 2:06 you can see that on the first board you are cleaning up, the growth rings are all facing down. You should change that up. 1 up, next down, next up ect. Reason if 1 board bows the other makes it straight again. I hope you get it a little bit. It is always difficult to describe things when you're thinking in a different language. 😊 Btw it looks good the end product

[@johnsmithSongbird]

Good show Please remember safety is always a must If you cut off a finger they don't grow back

[@davebauerart]

So many tips and cool details. People who buy things are suckers. I need to make one!