# Birdhouse Tutorial



## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

I am sorry for some of the pictures being out of focus. I don't have a setup to do this so I am trying to show things with one hand and take a picture with the other. I think I am going to order a tripod and hopefully that will help. Anyway here goes.

As I stated I start with 2 x 2 x 5 block of whatever wood. I use lightwood so I can color them. I use COPIC pens from hobby lobby and they do work well. I also use transtint dye. The body is turned so that when drilled it leaves the body about 1/8" or so thick. I use a 1 3/8” forestner bit (you could use a 1 1/4" bit) to take care of the inside. Before drilling the inside out I drill a ½” hole for the bird opening and 3/16” hole for the perch. I just use 3/16” dowel rod. You could turn them but I just don’t. Once the body is turning, holes drilled and the inside drilled I trim off the body so I have about ½” above the bird opening and part off about 1/2" below the perch hole. 

Next I measure the bottom outside diameter and outside diameter. I use a parting tool to get these two measurements transferred to the bottom piece. I leave about 1 ¼” below this to turn the acorn or whatever embellishment you might want. Once turned and sanded I part off the bottom. You may have to sand the tenon to get it to slip into the body.

Next comes the roof. I round out a blank that starts as 3 x 3 x 4. Then I begin to form the roof. I measure the outside of the top and transfer that measurement to the roof. I then cut the recess slowly and in tiny increments until the body fits fairly snuggly. I then hollow the inside out somewhat to lighten the top. From there I turn the outside to whatever form I desire. I try to make the thickness from inside to outside about 1/8” to no more than 3/16”. Don’t hollow to deeply maybe 1” or so and you have to be careful because as you thin the outside it can tend to want to chatter. I bring up the tailstock and livecenter to kind of combat this. 

Once they have all been turned you can embellish it most any way you want. Once that is complete you can then glue the bottom, the perch and the top. Finish with whatever you want. I use lacquer which is fairly fast drying so can apply a lot of thin coats in a short period of time. Hope this helps and will help with those that would like to try these. My granddad always said a picture is worth a thousand words.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Here are the rest of the pictures.


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## Mike Wingate (Apr 26, 2009)

Really nice. Scaled down, they could hang on a Christmas Tree.


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## Bob N (Oct 12, 2004)

Nice job on the pictorial/tutorial Bernie! Birdhouses always make great gifts around the holidays.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Thank you Bernie for the tutorial, I had been contemplating whether I should ask for such a tutorial but knowing how long it takes to make one and how busy you are, I kept putting it off.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Thank you all. Harry you know I eventually get there. 

Bob these things are great sellers. I just got a call this morning from the gallery director where I have my turnings displayed and she told me I had better make 12 to 18 more. She said of the 36 I took down 18 are already spoken for and they are just starting today to decorate the tree. At the Art Gallery here in town she decorates a tree with my ornaments, bells and birdhouses. The last few years they decorated the tree at Thanksgiving but patrons complained that they would like some of the ornaments but by Thanksgiving they already had things bought so the director decided that after holloween they would put up the tree and have a big Christmas open house Saturday 11/5. She said the birdhouses were still laying on the table and are already selling. That does make me happy. 

Mike these are hollowed and thin. They only weigh between 1.1 oz to 2 oz with the average around 1.5 oz. They do hang on the tree nicely. My bell ornaments weigh around 1.8 oz and my bulb type ornaments weigh around 1.3 oz. The bulb ornaments are hollowed out to 1/16" to 1/8" so are very light. The birdhouse bodies are about 1/8" thick. The roof's are hollowed and are around 1/8" thick also.


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## Smokey7385 (Jun 28, 2011)

BernieW said:


> As I stated I start with 2 x 2 x 5 block of whatever wood. I use lightwood so I can color them. I use COPIC pens from hobby lobby and they do work well. I also use transtint dye. This block is rounded to 1/8” or slightly more.


Hey Bernie, what do you mean by the above?


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Sorry Rusty.:lol: It should have read the body is turned to 1/8" or so thickness. Got it corrected. Thanks Rusty.


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## marvmn (Dec 7, 2013)

great looking birdhouse. Will have a go myself. Love new ideas to try out. More christmas stocking fillers


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