Blue Bird Nesting Houses

[icpwolverine]

Hey folks. I'm still new to the forum so where ever this ends up enjoy. 

I finally after all these years got a client. 

My mom was talking to a lady who wanted to know if I could build a couple bird houses for her. I said yeas for a fee.

we the lady and I discussed over it I drew up a couple sketchup files and agree on one. These birdhouses are for Bluebirds. Well actually they're blue bird nesting houses. 

Made with pine boards. 1.5 inch holes for the bird entry. 12 inches high on front 15.5 inches in the back. 6 inches deep. 8 inches wide. Butt jointed together glued and screwed. The top or roof is hinged for cleaning access. They are held closed with magnets.

used a 1/8th inch round over bit in my router to smooth the edges of the houses  

I miss measured one of them so One is a half inch smaller. 

I stained them with minwax American walnut and after that dried a day I put Thompson's water seal 3 coats  after that I attached the straight boards to the back of them so client can attach to her posts. Her request

Client was impressed. She said she wanted them to try to help bring bluebirds to her farm. Hope she enjoys them. 

Now y'all can enjoy the pics

[wtnhighlander]

Nice bird boxes!  I'm curious to hear if the bluebirds find them attractive. I recently read an article stating that many birds have some sort of organ in their skull that helps them navigate by earth's magnetic field. Makes me wonder if the magnet latches will repel or attract the birds!

[wdwerker]

 Nice looking work.

I'm not an expert but bluebirds can be fussy. Solvent finishes might not be the best choice. Minwax stains aren't meant for outdoor use and may fade in sunlight. I've never used it but lots of the guys here don't think much of Thompsons water seal. Not trying to pick on you just trying to pass on a little knowledge. I learned the hard way for years. If it was me I would do a search on non-toxic finishes for birdhouses.  Look for tips on placement for bluebird houses too.  They need an open area and I think specific mounting height range too.

[icpwolverine]

6 minutes ago, wdwerker said:

 Nice looking work.

I'm not an expert but bluebirds can be fussy. Solvent finishes might not be the best choice. Minwax stains aren't meant for outdoor use and may fade in sunlight. I've never used it but lots of the guys here don't think much of Thompsons water seal. Not trying to pick on you just trying to pass on a little knowledge. I learned the hard way for years. If it was me I would do a search on non-toxic finishes for birdhouses.  Look for tips on placement for bluebird houses too.  They need an open area and I think specific mounting height range too.

I didn't think about it client wanted them to last more than a year. So it's what I knew to do. The stain was an oversight. I knew it wasn't for outside stuff. Didn't know what I was thinking. I should've just put them together and let client worry about the painting and care of the wood.  Knowledge for next time. Thanks for the tip. 

[icpwolverine]

15 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said:

Nice bird boxes!  I'm curious to hear if the bluebirds find them attractive. I recently read an article stating that many birds have some sort of organ in their skull that helps them navigate by earth's magnetic field. Makes me wonder if the magnet latches will repel or attract the birds!

Birds do use electro magnetism of the earth to navigate. But I'm like you not sure if the magnets would interfere 

[rodger.]

I've made many blue bird houses, and we have had fledgling Bluebirds many times. Enjoy! Check on the boxes regularly, and report your babies to the Bluebird conservation in your area. They appreciate the count.

[icpwolverine]

3 minutes ago, rodger. said:

I've made many blue bird houses, and we have had fledgling Bluebirds many times. Enjoy! Check on the boxes regularly, and report your babies to the Bluebird conservation in your area. They appreciate the count.

I would but I'll ask client to update the conservation peeps

[woodbutcher74]

I'm with the other guys. Your boxes are really nice looking but not sure how attractive they are for the birds. I build wren, bluebird and even owl boxes and usually build them out of cedar. It will last several years out in the weather without any finish. The magnets sound like a good idea but won't stop raccoons and possums  from pushing the lids open and getting the eggs. I know it's what the client wanted so if she just wanted decorative boxes for her yard they are great.If she really wants to attract birds to her yard you can find suggestions on the interweb. Not trying to pick on you just letting you know.

[rodger.]

9 hours ago, woodbutcher74 said:

I'm with the other guys. Your boxes are really nice looking but not sure how attractive they are for the birds. I build wren, bluebird and even owl boxes and usually build them out of cedar. It will last several years out in the weather without any finish. The magnets sound like a good idea but won't stop raccoons and possums  from pushing the lids open and getting the eggs. I know it's what the client wanted so if she just wanted decorative boxes for her yard they are great.If she really wants to attract birds to her yard you can find suggestions on the interweb. Not trying to pick on you just letting you know.

http://www.oebs.ca/nestboxes/index.html - great resource for building nest boxes for bluebirds, as well as other important info!

[rarefish383]

Hey ICP, nice boxes. I've been wanting to build some Blue Bird boxes for a while and stuff just keeps getting in the way. I've been recovering 30-50 year old Oak fence boards from a friends farm, I was going to leave some natural, figured they have been in the sun and weather for years, and plane a few down to get that beautiful grain on a couple. You woke up the desire to get a couple built, Joe.

[estesbubba]

Nice looking boxes and like others said just use cedar or cypress next time and leave it natural. We had a great year this summer with our bluebird boxes and they are fun to watch. 

[icpwolverine]

2 hours ago, rarefish383 said:

Hey ICP, nice boxes. I've been wanting to build some Blue Bird boxes for a while and stuff just keeps getting in the way. I've been recovering 30-50 year old Oak fence boards from a friends farm, I was going to leave some natural, figured they have been in the sun and weather for years, and plane a few down to get that beautiful grain on a couple. You woke up the desire to get a couple built, Joe.

At least I did something right and got ya motivated tho don't do my mistakes lol

[icpwolverine]

1 hour ago, estesbubba said:

Nice looking boxes and like others said just use cedar or cypress next time and leave it natural. We had a great year this summer with our bluebird boxes and they are fun to watch. 

I am remaking them tho type of cedar Lowes has but it doesn't give that cedar smell like a cedar chest does. . Not sure if that's what I needed or not. But it is cedar. But man it's a soft wood. Feels like balsa 

[rarefish383]

2 hours ago, icpwolverine said:

At least I did something right and got ya motivated tho don't do my mistakes lol

Birds cant tell it's a mistake, Joe.

[wdwerker]

Sounds like western red cedar, that's good for bird houses ! The aromatic cedar chest type would be better indoors for furniture.