# Making mini bird houses



## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Since I've used these little houses as weights on my http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f13/pecking-chickens-toys-48654/  and then commented about how easy they are to make, I figured I'd post a video demonstrating the roughing-out in the odd event that some one here might have an interest in seeing my procedure.

After band sawing the blanks it's a simple matter of sanding to clean up and smooth, drilling the holes, inserting a short piece of dowel then spraying with clear lacquer.

The possibilities for these appear to be pretty varied. I'm thinking Christmas ornaments, curio items, key chains, refrigerator magnets, pencil toppers, bottle stoppers, chain pulls (my wife's excellent idea), zipper pulls, broaches, earrings, and whatever else your imagination can adapt them to. All I know is that people who see them seem compelled to comment on how cute they are.

I can also see larger ones becoming salt/pepper shakers, napkin rings, candle holders and so on. These may have to become one of my signature items for sell. Quick and easy, which means I can sell them at a low price.

This photo is a bunch of rough blanks straight off of the bandsaw.








...

... waiting for YouTube to finish editing the video. YouTube takes forever to upload or edit anything...


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Here's the video. I don't know what's going on with the audio but it's only working occasionally for me. Is the audio track playing for you guys? If not I'll have to try it yet again tomorrow.







EDIT: Audio fixed


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## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

Cool - music works ok, and I even like the song!


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## MagGeorge (Jul 5, 2012)

Nice little birdhouses, a lot of possibilities using them. Cool music and great video too.

_____________________________
-www.sawblade.com


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

As you see, sanding can just as quick and simple. Here's a video of several being smoothed and shaped with my vertical belt sander.






If you make these in bulk you can churn them out and have literally only 3-5 minutes of time into each one.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Great video Steve. The music worked just fine for me and the method seems to be really easy. You're right, there is a world of ways to put these to use.


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Timely post, Steve....
I was cleaning up the shop yesterday and I was trying to figure out what to do with a barrel of odd shaped cutoffs from my bowl blanks.
I could not bare to throw them away because I knew I was saving them for something.
Ornamental birdhouses.....brilliant
....and I just got my band saw tuned and running the best it ever has.

Thank you, thank you.
Tom


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Your video led me to the completed belt sander video.
Did you do a build thread on that!

It looks beautifully done.....


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## nmacdonald (Jan 13, 2012)

Great video. Looks very easy to make.


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

nmacdonald said:


> Great video. Looks very easy to make.


Steve always makes things look easy.......


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Ok, so after sanding - as seen in the second video above - they look like this:

















All the entry and perch holes are drilled next.









I then use a toothpick to put a bit of glue into the perch hole.









Then insert a dowel.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Use a jeweler's saw to trim the dowel.









Then, to round off the rough end of the dowel, use a sanding _sponge_. The sponge conforms to the shape and makes rounding much quicker and easier than it otherwise might be.









Look how cute!


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

And there you have it. I believe there are 59 mini bird houses in the pictures (one got misshapen during sanding and was tossed aside). I have just under 3 minutes actual working time in each one. So we're talking about churning these out at a rate of 60 in at 3 hours! If you goof around a little: 3 1/2 hours. That's not bad at all. It really is that simple.

And if you can sell them at even $5 each, that's $300 for one of the most painless projects you can make. Yes, there will be a _little_ time involved in spraying the clear coat. But that's a quick spritz then let it sit. Then turn over, repeat. The lacquering isn't an involved process by any stretch of the imagination.

Now to determine which ones will become what. Then I can start spraying lacquer.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

tcleve4911 said:


> Timely post, Steve....
> I was cleaning up the shop yesterday and I was trying to figure out what to do with a barrel of odd shaped cutoffs from my bowl blanks.
> I could not bare to throw them away because I knew I was saving them for something.
> Ornamental birdhouses.....brilliant
> ...


And that's what I used too: scraps. The best part is they don't have to be milled to any particular size. And a rectangular cross section works just as well as square. If you look in the pictures above you'll see how I treated the roof cuts a little differently than the square ones. It's a simple matter of cutting the angle of the narrow sides (left/right) steeper than the wider sides (front/back). 

Also notice that I sanded a flat center on the roof of some. That is give variety. And to make it easier to drill those ones to accept a tiny eye screw.



tcleve4911 said:


> Your video led me to the completed belt sander video.
> Did you do a build thread on that!
> 
> It looks beautifully done.....


Yes: http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f13/im-building-belt-sander-46413/



tcleve4911 said:


> Steve always makes things look easy.......


Perhaps. But then sometimes the projects actually ARE really easy :thumbsup:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Here's all of that first batch completed. Well, minus the six my wife claimed :laughing:









Another batch is well underway. Part of this batch includes some 'lamp post' style mini bird houses.









A bunch more, after rough-out.


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## schnitz (Sep 5, 2009)

Steve, any chance you'll do a mini knock-off version of cranbrook2's extreme birdhouses?:laughing:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

schnitz said:


> Steve, any chance you'll do a mini knock-off version of cranbrook2's extreme birdhouses?:laughing:


Probably nothing that intricate or awesome. What he makes of way put of my league. These are just simple little things that can be easily churned out on the band saw (or scroll saw, of course) with minimal follow-up work. It's my attempt to build up stock. After this current batch is wrapped up i'll most likely be moving on to the next project. There's sooooo many more cool things in line to be made. But when/if I move these things I'll definitely be making more.


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

Steve! 

I had the bandsaw out tonight to cut a few curved parts and I couldn't resist making a few mini birdhouses. I'm still learning how to even use a bandsaw, so the quality isn't great. But these are a lot of fun to make! 

Thanks for the post and the video. I can't wait to see what you come up with next!


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

captainawesome said:


> Steve!
> 
> I had the bandsaw out tonight to cut a few curved parts and I couldn't resist making a few mini birdhouses. I'm still learning how to even use a bandsaw, so the quality isn't great. But these are a lot of fun to make!
> 
> ...


Cool. Good job. I'm glad to see someone give it a try. The remainder of the shaping can be handled with sanding. I'd like to see yours when they're done.

It's a quick little trinket that you can always fall back on if you ever have to come up with some simple gifts in a hurry: Even when you're "out of wood". Scraps go far with these things.

If you haven't figured out, you want to avoid making the roof cuts meet up to the others. Just get close enough that you can snap the house free by hand as I do in that video. Otherwise, your last roof cuts can become more difficult and less safe to complete with the band or scroll saw because the wood that would have been supporting it is gone.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

captainawesome said:


> I can't wait to see what you come up with next!


I have all kinds of cool projects lined up. Many are just as different and interesting as the latest ones I've posted. To me at least. I think some others will agree.


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Not going to show us a video of making the cool bases ????:huh:


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

Chaincarver Steve said:


> Here's the video. I don't know what's going on with the audio but it's only working occasionally for me. Is the audio track playing for you guys? If not I'll have to try it yet again tomorrow.
> 
> youtube.com/watch?v=Wg7GBiXND78
> 
> ...


nice on sawing out the houses, but the music sure got to me i turned it off, you mite get different music or let it play and not over and over the same thing, just my 2 cent


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

tcleve4911 said:


> Not going to show us a video of making the cool bases ????:huh:


Ah yes, the lamp post style. Believe it or not, the ones on posts are also freehanded and they are a single piece of wood. There are two different styles I came up with, which are both represented in one of the above photos. I suppose I could video the roughing out.



del schisler said:


> nice on sawing out the houses, but the music sure got to me i turned it off, you mite get different music or let it play and not over and over the same thing, just my 2 cent


I get what you're saying. But I selected music from the free, ad supported music offered up through YouTube. There aren't many songs - that I could find - of the proper length that were even half-assed appropriate for the video.


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Chaincarver Steve said:


> Ah yes, the lamp post style. I suppose I could video the roughing out.


That would be very nice of you........and don't worry about the music....I'm watching you, the artist, create stuff and give us all the know how ..........
I don't really care about the background music.

Thank you
Tom


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Here's the lamp post style with the centered pole. I'll have to upload the other one Monday. I'm almost out of computer time today and I'll be camping all weekend with my son's Cub Scout pack.






I hope del schisler is a little less displeased with the song choice. I didn't search very hard (read: at all). There was one on the first page that was just about the right length. :smile:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

I was able to upload the other one earlier:


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